Disclaimer: This particular post is not meant for reading. It will be more of rhetoric. The reason being, it is very closely related to some injustice I witnessed/ underwent in the past few weeks and there is just no way I can stomach that ordinarily. I have to vent. Since I do not find any means of fighting it in the near future, I write. 1. To soothe my mother's tired ears. 2. To see if my reasoning/ understanding is muddled.
I got an offer for pursuing (unfunded) Masters in a well-known university for my field in USA. I was thrilled since I hadn't in the least expected to get into this particular place. Natural instinct: try to minimize expenses as much as you can. Of all the procedures I am supposed to complete to enter USA as a graduate student, the first thing I did was to apply for on-campus housing. It is a general notion that poor Indian students will not be able to afford the expensive and luxurious apartments inside the campus. But in this zipcode of the US, the story is otherwise. In whichever way I calculate, on-campus turns out cheaper than off. Unless...
The supposed on-campus housing is managed, maintained, administered by a separate group. This looks like the (or my?) public research university has delegated the housing activity to private players. There are approximately seven residential communities in which undergrad, grad students, post doc scholars and staffs are given offers. The basic criteria for getting housing offer is the date of application; provided the students are not given preference based on whether they are recommended by their dept or are physically challenged or have children. Another crucial factor that determines housing offers to be made is the move-in date along with the 3 residential community preferences. Also, the offers are made 30 days in advance when a vacant spot is available. One concession is that we may update our application any number of times and that will not affect the wait-list position which is again, solely based on application date. Or that's what they say. When an offer is made, an individual is allowed one refusal. If he/she refuses the second, their application is withdrawn from the wait-list. On refusing once, there might be an interminable (or is it indeterminable) amount of time before which offer-2 might be made.
Given all these constraints (which eventually turn out to be variables instead of boundary conditions), I tried predicting the offer-making-ceremony using a standard set. That's the association for incoming Indian graduate students. The people in it will henceforth be referred to as A, B, C... Z. I had the earliest application date amongst all. And I tried to share my knowledge gained by inputs from seniors on what preferences and dates to give.
The first offer is made nearly 2 months in advance to person A. Person A and I had the same preferences and same move-in date. Only that my application date was 2 weeks earlier. But the most preferred housing offer was made to A leaving me out and puzzled. Email exchanges with housing admin and calls in vain. Moving on. Vigorously searching for a place off-campus. The next 2 offers were made consecutively to persons B and C from my second preferred housing community. Their application dates were 1 month later and move-in date about 18 days earlier. Alas, a point has just slipped my mind. The earlier the move-in date, the better chances of getting an offer, the more the rent I pay. I was forced to advance my move-in date and switch the first two housing preferences. I wait. I get an offer. Wow, not so exciting. I get an offer from my third preference -- any housing. So I get one of the most expensive, unfurnished apartments, quite far from the dept (which is very much unlike my first 2 prefs). Now that I cannot estimate the interminable time lag between the first and second offers, I choose to accept it, lest I can live in equally or more expensive off-campus apartments. This is also because one of my potential roommates (D) gets an offer along with me, but in a community that charges 60 dollars lesser than mine. Whatever it is, I thought my offer was decent after I spoke to a few well-meaning seniors and people who've lived in the locality for a long time. Now that I have accepted the offer, my application is withdrawn from the wait-list.
*exhaling*
Person E, also a potential roommate finally gets an apartment on-campus. Great! I was relieved. Not so fast..! E gets it in the same community as D, but in a different wing. What difference is that going to make? Only that it is just 102 dollars more than the former. :O Also, E gets the offer one-day prior to the mentioned move-in date. And is asked to pay security deposit and the rent in one-day. The only mode of payment from India is by sending a DD in American dollars (not all banks do this) via courier. E eventually gets time for payment after reasoning out the problem and the time constraint. Sealed.
Another offer. Person F. Application date 2 weeks late. Move-in 15 days late. Housing community, my updated first preference. Offer made 15 days in advance, new rule, F says.
Hmm...
I infer that the website has very ambiguous information about application and offers made. Also, the move-in date is the determining factor for getting an offer of choice. In case of tie with the move-in date, earlier application date is given preference. Again, an inference. This, combined with pending wait-listed applicants for as long/ more than a year, makes the system all the more complicated, mysterious, irritable and loathsome. The whole scheme of updation and giving housing offers must be decided by some algorithm I presume. The sophisticated-system-controlled-design adds to the complexity.
See it? I don’t have concrete information, leave alone arriving at a solid proof. Lots of loopholes and pieces to be fitted in. I wait for further inferences to be made. Eagerly looking forward to test my hypotheses. Life is an experiment after all! :D
Happy August! :)
