Freshmen who live on campus face the uncertainty of living with someone they probably haven't met before on an unfamiliar campus.
About 2,400 students choose to live on campus every semester.
After acceptance into UNM, students requesting a dorm room fill out an application and put down a deposit to secure a place in a residence hall. The application includes questions on sleeping habits and music preferences so students can be fit with a compatible roommate.
"When their deposit gets in, we use a lottery system to place them in the different halls," said Suzie King, Hokona Hall area coordinator. "If someone applies in November, chances are they will get their first pick, whereas if someone submits their application in May, they will probably get their second or third choice."
Freshman Jerod Baca was one of those students. He applied for a single room at the end of the summer, but ended up in a double in Santa Clara Hall.
"They randomly picked my roommate and I to be together, but we played football against each other so we knew each other from before," he said. "I thought living in the dorms would be a good way to meet people, but everyone is shy because they are in the same position - they don't know anyone either."
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UNM residence halls include living arrangements such as single and double rooms and apartment-style living.
Freshman Amy Royster lives in the Redondo Village Apartments and said although she didn't know any of her roommates, she is happy with her living situation.
"I heard Redondo was great, so I knew I wanted to get in there," she said. "My roommates and I all have athletic backgrounds so we have common ground. But even if we didn't, we have separate rooms, so we have our own space to get away."
Students who want to change rooms or roommates must file an application. The deadline was last Friday.
Cameron Roybal, resident adviser in Coronado Hall, said students on his floor have generally been happy.
"I have one or two students that have moved out, but it was because they were wanting to get singles, or they were having a hard time dealing with the separation from their parents," Roybal said.
He said when a student applies for a room change, the housing department considers a few key factors.
"Usually, it depends on how long a resident has been in the hall and how long you have been under contract with the housing department," he said.
Teresa Ortiz, area coordinator for Laguna, DeVargas, Santa Clara and the Student Residence Center, said most room changes occur in the fall.
"In two or three halls, we might have 50 room changes," she said. "We try to be fair when we reassign rooms, but it really depends on how early the resident signed up for the room."
