Participating as Part of an Even-Numbered Group is a Smart Selection Strategy
Students may participate in Room Selection as part of a 2-10-person group. We encourage all students, especially rising juniors and rising sophomores, to form even-numbered groups to improve their chances of selecting a room during their appointment time as corridor singles are limited.
Group Selection & Strategy: A Virtual Info Session for Groups
Learn more about Room Selection for groups, including tips for optimizing your group size and building a smart selection strategy.
Registration is required. Webinars will be recorded and posted to our YouTube channel for on-demand viewing.
RESPONSIBILITIES: THE GROUP LEADER VS GROUP MEMBER
Determine who will be the Group Leader. The Group Leader has many important responsibilities throughout Room Selection, including forming the group during Registration and making all room assignments during the appointment time.
Based on student feedback, we recommend assigning a member of the group who is responsible, organized, and a good communicator to be the Group Leader.
The Group Leader
- Create the group and provide all group members with the group name and password so that they can join
- Complete their own registration through the Statement of Intent to step
- Remind all group members to complete registration through the Statement of Intent step
- Verify the group in the Housing Portal only after all members have joined the group and completed registration through the Statement of Intent step
Each Group Member
- Register for Room Selection
- Join the group using the group name and password created by the Group Leader
- Complete their application through the Statement of Intent before the Group Leader verifies the group. The Statement of Intent must be completed before the end of registration.
- If they leave the group: notify the Group Leader because they will need to re-verify the group.
The Group Leader
- Understand each individual group member’s building preferences.
- Prepare alternate plans for the group in the event that the group’s first choice is no longer available.
- Know which group members would like to be paired together if no singles are available at the time of selection.
- Confirm that they are available during the group’s appointment time. If they have a conflict, they should select a different member of the group to become Group Leader and manage the selection process.
Each Group Member
- Communicate building and roommate preferences to the Group Leader. It may be helpful to create a list of preferences to share with the Group Leader.
The Group Leader Selects Rooms for All Group Members
- Group Leaders can change room assignments during the appointment time as long as it is done before they confirm the rooms. Once confirmed, no changes can be made.
- The Group Leader may log in before their appointment date/time, but selection will not be available until their appointment time begins. Selection will be available from their scheduled appointment time through the end of Room Selection.
Each Group Member
- Group members cannot make selections during the group's appointment.
- Group members should remind their Group Leader when the appointment starts.
The Group Leader
- Sign their Occupancy Agreement
- Remind their group members to sign their Occupancy Agreements
Each Group Member
- Log in to the Housing Portal to sign their Occupancy Agreement
Tips for Group Selection
How To: Step-by-Step Instructions for Group Leaders & Members
Form and Join a Group
Groups are formed during the Housing Declaration & Room Selection Registration Period.
All group members must declare their intent to participate in Room Selection.
After completing this step, they will be able to form / join groups.
Only one member can form the group. The person who creates the group is the default Group Leader, but a different member can be appointed as the Group Leader at any point during Registration.
Note:
- Certain buildings are available only to rising sophomores during selection and are therefore not visible in the Portal to other classes. For this reason, mixed point groups of rising sophomores and rising juniors should designate a rising sophomore as the Group Leader so they can assign sophomore group members into those buildings.
- Barnard students cannot be group leaders in Columbia Housing Room Selection and can only participate with an all-rising senior group.
The designated Group Leader should start their registration process first.
The Group Leader will create a unique group name and password during their registration process and then share the information with all group members.
- Group names are public to Housing staff and other students participating in Room Selection. Please be respectful when selecting a group name.
- Avoid using special characters in your group name. Special characters may not be recognized by the Portal which can cause issues when individuals attempt to find the group.
At this point, each group member should start the registration process.
At the Group Formation step of the application, they can search for their group's name. They will need to enter the case-sensitive password to join the group.
Note:
- Group members will need to complete addition Room Selection steps following the the group registration process. Please follow the prompts in the Housing Portal.
- Students can only be part of one group at a time. If a student wants to change groups, they will need to log into the Housing Portal and leave the first group in order to join the new group before the end of registration.
Once all group members have joined the group, the Group Leader must log back in to verify the group.
The group leader should NOT verify the group until all group members have added themselves to the group. Group verification is required for a group to be assigned an appointment time.
For more guidance, review our step-by-step Registration instructions.
Form a Selection Strategy
Understand Your Selection Options
Groups can select into spaces in the same building, across different floors, or in different buildings depending on the group’s needs and the availability of rooms during their appointment time.
When appointment times begin for rising juniors and rising sophomores, corridor-style singles and odd-numbered suites may not be available. We strongly encourage these students to form even-numbered groups to improve their chances of being able to select a room.
Your Group Must Fill the Entire Space without Vacancies
To pick into a suite or apartment, the group must fill the entire space so that there are no vacancies.
For instance:
- A group of 2 cannot select into a 4-person suite.
- A group of 6 can select into a 4-person suite, and the remaining 2 group members can be assigned to rooms a double room or two singles outside the suite.
Examples of Group Selection
Once all corridor singles are taken, even-numbered groups can still divide into corridor doubles. This means that even-numbered groups have a greater chance of being able to select a room during their appointment.
A group of 6 has the following options, depending on the inventory available during their selection appointment:
- One 6-person suite
- One 5-person suite*, plus one corridor single
- One 4-person suite, plus two corridor singles or a corridor double
- Six corridor-style singles
- Three corridor-style doubles
*In Room Selection AY 25-26, all 5-person suites were selected by rising seniors within the first two days of Room Selection.
Odd-numbered groups do not have as many options as even-numbered groups. Once all odd-numbered suites and corridor singles have been selected, odd-numbered groups will not be able to divide into corridor doubles and will not be able to choose a room during their appointment. They will instead be placed on the Guaranteed Assignment List.
A group of 5 has the following options, depending on the inventory available during their selection appointment:
- One 5-person suite*
- One 4-person suite, plus one corridor-style single
- 5 corridor-style singles
- Two corridor-style doubles plus one corridor-style single
*In Room Selection AY 25-26, all 5-person suites were selected by rising seniors within the first two days of Room Selection.
Select Rooms
The Group Leader is the only member of the group who will have access to online selection during the group's appointment time. They will be responsible for assigning each group member to a room.
At the start of the group's appointment, they should log into the Housing Portal to begin selection for the group. The selection steps will not be accessible until the start of the group's appointment time.
Group Leaders can change group room assignments during the appointment time as long as it is done before they confirm the rooms. Once confirmed, no changes can be made.
Review the steps for selecting your room.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
No, group size does not impact the group's lottery number or selection time.
Lottery numbers are determined by point value. Point value is assigned based on class standing so that rising seniors have the highest point value and therefore receive the "first-pick" lottery numbers and earliest appointment times.
Group point value is the average of all individual group member point values. For example, a group of two rising juniors will have the same point value as a group of 10 rising juniors. Learn more about point values, lottery numbers, and selection times.
Remember, even-numbered groups have more selection options during their appointment time.
Yes, as long as students are from adjacent classes (i.e., rising sophomores-rising juniors and rising juniors-rising seniors). Rising sophomores cannot form groups with rising seniors.
The Group Leader must appoint another member to Group Leader before the appointment time. The new Group Leader will be responsible for managing selection during the group’s appointment time.
Students can only join one group at a time.
Individual Group Members
Students may leave or change groups during registration. Please notify your Group Leader when you leave your group.
Group Leaders
Group Leaders must designate a new leader before the system will allow them to leave their current group.
Changes in group leadership are binding.
No, because you cannot select into a space unless you fill all the beds. For example, a group of three cannot select into a four-person suite, nor into two corridor-style doubles.
For this reason, we recommend forming an even-numbered group. An even-numbered group can divide among corridor-style doubles, which tend to be available through Room Selection.
Form an even-numbered group for the most flexibility and options.
- 7/10 spaces in the Columbia Housing portfolio have an even number of beds.
- Being in an even-numbered group allows you to select into these spaces without any remaining members to assign.
- Being in an odd-numbered group leaves you with a remaining group member, who can only be placed in a corridor single. If no singles remain, the entire group will be unable to complete selection and will be placed on the Guaranteed Assignment List.
- Historically, corridor doubles are still available once all corridor singles and odd-numbered suites are filled.
- Even-numbered groups can divide into pairs of two and select according to building availability and their preferences.
- Odd-numbered groups will be unable to select and will be placed on the Guaranteed Assignment List.
Remember, to select a suite or apartment, your group must fill the entire space with no vacancies/empty beds.