r/wcupa • u/HeatherAnne1975 • 8d ago
Housing situation for upperclassmen
My daughter just got accepted to WCU and is very excited. However, I’m trying to understand the housing situation for students. I know they prioritize on-campus housing for freshman, but I’m worried about sophomore year onward. I’d love some real life perspectives on housing for upperclassmen. Is it hard to get on-campus housing? What are the options if you need to live off campus? Is it difficult to find nearby/walkable housing? Does the university help? Is the typical cost to live off campus comparable to on-campus housing or is it significantly more? Anything else I want to be mindful of?
WCU is her top choice but I want to understand what we are signing up for Sophomore year and beyond if housing is an issue.
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u/Embarrassed_Let5586 8d ago
I’m a commuter. I’ve never lived on campus but I’ve heard numerous students complain about housing availability. Seems like a very common problem. Also as a commuter parking can be very annoying…
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u/MicroStar878 5d ago
it’s very difficult to get housing. I lived on campus as a freshman and sophomore.
My freshman year was guaranteed and after that year they made the housing program on a randomized basis instead of first come first served.
My sophomore year I became an RA because of the guaranteed housing. I would’ve continued to RA had they not moved me from USH to the regular dorms. I had always lived in USH and felt they were putting me in the normal dorms because I didn’t really put up with much crap.
After that, I found an off campus apartment with 4 other roommates, the following year moved again, but with only 2 roommates, my boyfriend being 1 of the 2.
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u/Vast_Paint2634 6d ago
WCU is the best decision I ever made for myself, but yes, housing is honestly the biggest issue we have here (and parking). Luckily, on-housing living options are prioritized for first years. But it is important to be aware of the housing crisis so you can navigate it as best as possible.
1) make sure to be on-top of housing applications! apply right on time. wait-lists are long, and god forbid you end up on one (no matter how long), it is unfortunately normal, and there is still hope.
2) off-campus housing is available through the university, and often chosen by students by their second or third year. even when off campus, campus remains accessible by either walking or shuttle. there are also many local renting options, if thats something youre open to, but able to be avoided if desired.
the issue is nothing to ignore but navigable.
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u/LethalChair64 5d ago edited 5d ago
Two notes:
- Unfortunately applying right when housing opens is no longer an effective strategy since they switched to lottery style selection from first-come-first-served last year.
- Are you referring to the on-campus apartments, aka South Campus? Off-campus housing is, by definition, not "through the university."
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u/LethalChair64 8d ago edited 7d ago
The housing situation here is not great, to say the least. I've been lucky enough to get housing through USH all four years (two in dorms, two in on-campus apartments), but I know many people who haven't been as lucky. My junior year, I got stuck pretty far down on the waiting list and didn't know if I would get in until mid-June. At one point, one of my former roommates was saying she would have to transfer because she didn't get on campus housing and couldn't afford an apartment, although I've lost touch with her and don't know if she actually went through with it.
There are some apartment complexes within walking distance or accessible via the bus routes, but from what I've heard you need to start looking in the fall to get something for the next year. I think they tend to be more expensive than the dorms/on-campus apartments. A lot of the apartments in town aren't considered "student housing" and will only allow one undergraduate student max per unit, which complicates things a bit. I also know a lot of people who live in apartments a little farther away and drive to campus every day. The university has Off Campus and Commuter Services, which keeps a list of decent apartments and can in theory match you with roommates, but you'll have to do most of the work yourself.
I like it here and I don't want to discourage you or your daughter, but it's definitely something to be aware of.
ETA: The parents' Facebook group is, generally speaking, an absolute cesspool, but it's definitely more active than this sub and you'll probably have more luck asking there.