If you are considering studying abroad during Fall Quarter while here at DU (like 70 percent of Pios), then you are in for quite the scramble when it comes to finding a place to live when you get back.
DU loves to brag about their study abroad statistics and rightfully so. According to the DU website, an average of 70 percent of DU students study abroad during their college career and the school is commonly ranked within the top four study abroad institutions in the U.S. in terms of participation. DU makes it almost commonplace to travel across the world during the Fall Quarter of students’ third years, and with scholarships and an impressive and accessible Office of International Education, studying abroad is enticing for many.
Why, then, does DU place little to no importance on the issue of where students will live when they return to campus for Winter Quarter?
It is no secret that the DU campus lacks enough housing for all its students. First and second year students are required—barring any exceptions for transfer students, students with disability accommodations, etc.—to live in on-campus residence halls, and even still, second years are pushed to find other options for lack of space.
Third and fourth years have no guarantees at all that they can live on campus. While some students will likely seek off-campus apartments or houses for the independence of it, many students need to stay on campus in order for their housing scholarships to apply, which helps keep the cost of attendance manageable. Still, DU has made it clear that there is not enough space.
“Please know that there is very limited spaces available in the on-campus apartments for the 2017-2018 academic year. If you do not receive a space during room selection, you will be placed on a waitlist based upon their housing application submission date. We will work until the start of the fall 2017 quarter to move through the waitlist. We will be giving priority to students who will be at DU for the entire academic year (fall, winter and spring quarters),” said DU Housing in an email to rising third and fourth year students on Jan. 9.
This means a few things for students. First off, students are not guaranteed space during room selection. Second, they may be waitlisted until Fall Quarter, and since most students depart for their abroad locations in mid to late summer, this requires some to leave the U.S. without knowing where they will live when they return. Thirdly, it reminds that those going abroad are at the very bottom of the priority list to receive housing from DU.
As a student with a recently completed study abroad application, I am beyond excited to travel abroad. However, I cannot help but worry about how housing will work out for me when I return. I am not from Colorado, so if I do not receive DU housing and cannot find an apartment before leaving the country, I do not know where I will live once I arrive back on campus for Winter Quarter. My family is as stressed about the housing situation as I am and I wish I could give them some peace of mind about study abroad, but DU does not make it easy.
Those who receive an on-campus living space after abroad will likely be placed with random roommates, which can be an added stress. Those who find off-campus housing either have to sign a full lease and attempt to find a sublet while they are abroad or sign a lease from January through June, which would be just as difficult.
The complexities surrounding housing add stress and uncertainty to the otherwise exciting circumstances of applying to study abroad.
If DU wants to keep its study abroad statistics up, there needs to be more of an effort given toward those participating. Whether that means building a new residence hall or apartment complex, setting aside specific space for abroad students or something else, DU needs to take action sooner rather than later.
