Adjusting to life in the dorms takes time for many students. Just ask UW-Madison sophomore Kate Streit.
\I didn't really like it at first,"" Streit said.
She chose to live in Slichter because of its location and large rooms, but she did not know that the Lakeshore dorms have a reputation for being quiet and less conducive to partying than the Southeast dorms. For a while, Streit said, the unsocial atmosphere of the dorm and the shortage of other freshmen made her consider getting a room change.
She ultimately decided her situation could have been worse in another room and stayed where she was.
""I ended up actually having a good experience and making a lot of friends,"" Streit said. ""I guess it was a good idea to stick it out, but definitely at first it was kind of creepy.""
Many freshman feel out of place in their dorms at first. Often, their problems stem from conflicts with their roommates.
UW-Madison senior Natalia Davis said she noticed a lot of clashes between roommates when she worked as a housefellow in Sellery.
""There were a lot of people in our building who had serious roommate conflicts,"" Davis said.
Problems often arise between roommates with different sleeping schedules, personalities or social calendars, according to Davis. For example, one girl who lived on her floor when she was a sophomore hated how her roommate never seemed to leave the room. To compensate, the girl had to leave the room a lot herself, Davis said.
If roommates cannot solve their problems among themselves, they should take their problems to their housefellow for mediation, Davis said.
If mediation doesn't work, students who hate their roommates can apply for a room change beginning the first day of classes, according to University Housing Assignment Manager David Swiderski.
Students requesting a change must fill out a card, available at the housing office in 22 Slichter Hall. When a vacancy opens, Housing will contact the student and re-assign their to that room.
If relations improve between the roommates, students can change their minds and remain where they are right up until they move into the new room, Swiderski said.
""In a lot of cases students will wind up canceling their cards,"" he said.
Students who want out of their Housing contracts completely are not guaranteed a release unless they drop out of the university, according to the Housing Web site. Some residents inevitably get stuck where they are and just have to deal with it, according to Davis.
""The way I look at it is ... if you can deal with a roommate that you don't like and you have to live with them for nine months, then you can pretty much deal with anything,"" she said.
