Housing Sign-Ups for Next Year Eligibility & Point System
Eligibility
To participate in the annual Housing Sign-Ups process, you must be enrolled for the current Spring semester AND be planning to return for the upcoming academic year. This is fundamentally about housing for the immediate Fall semester, so students planning to study away-abroad for the Fall do not participate, unless they wish to be considered for off campus living when they return for Spring semester. That said, Fall study abroad participants are encouraged to think through and discuss Spring housing plans with friends even now!
Note if you plan to study away-abroad next year:
If you plan to be away-abroad for Fall semester through the Global Education Office, you should not be included in a group request for on campus housing during the Fall. We do not reserve any college housing for the semester in which you are abroad. We will tackle your Spring housing in the Fall-to-Spring process which normally takes place in late October/early November. The one exception to this is if you intend to live off campus when you return in Spring. If this is your situation, please submit your Off Campus Request now and select the "Spring Only" option!
Point System
Each student in a group request contributes a point value (see below). It is important to transparently discuss your points with potential roommates and examine how this will impact the group's point average, as this will affect the outcome of the housing request!
Points are mainly based upon class standing (calculated by unit count), and are internally referenced by Housing to determine which types of applications and residence hall locations students qualify for. For example, only seniors and juniors can comprise a qualifying group to request GLC or Ocean View.
Group Points rather than Individual Standing
Priority is determined by each group's point average, not by the individual with the highest class standing. Each student in the group contributes a point value derived by the combination of the total units earned (through last Fall) PLUS the number of units currently enrolled (for Spring). Then, the points of all group participants are averaged to determine the point total for that group's request. Listed below are the classifications Housing uses:
- Advanced Seniors (108+ units): 7 points
- 1st semester Seniors (92-107 units): 6 points
- Almost Seniors* (86-91 units & 4th year): 5 points
- 2nd semester Juniors (75-91 units): 4 points
- 1st semester Juniors** (59-74 units): 3 points
- Rising sophomores** (0-58 units): 2 points
*"Almost Seniors" are designated as being very close to senior standing by both unit count and attending term--the coming Fall will begin their 4th year at Westmont.
**Any student who began Westmont as a first year student this past Fall will be considered a rising sophomore, regardless of unit total. "First year" equates to students attending Westmont shortly after high school graduation, and this classification is determined by the college upon entrance. It's meaning is not entirely units-based. "First year" does not apply to a student who has been admitted as a designated transfer.
Distribution of classes in the halls
- UPPER CAMPUS: The entire incoming first year class, and some rising sophomores, will reside on upper campus in Page, Clark, and Emerson. Sophomores in Page may choose to live as a double or as a triple. As added incentive, sophomores living in Page are granted a parking permit if they apply by communicated deadlines--please be sure to select the "Sophomore living in Page" designation when you submit your parking permit application! The Page triple furniture will remain in the room, even if a double is granted. Seniors and juniors are NOT able to request Clark, Emerson, or Page unless given special approval from Res Life/Housing.
- LOWER CAMPUS: All seniors and juniors and about half of the rising sophomores will reside on lower campus.
- VK & ARMINGTON: Juniors and some seniors will reside in VK and Armington; a small number of sophomores may also be able to reside in VK, after senior and junior groupings have been considered. Most sophomores will be in Armington or in one of the upper campus halls.
- GLC: Students who will be seniors by the end of the Spring semester have priority for housing in the GLC. Advanced seniors will have highest priority. Seniors who have also studied abroad at some point during their time at Westmont, international students, and Augustinian Scholars will be given some additional consideration for GLC requests. NOTE: GLC requests may include juniors; juniors rarely get into GLC due to overwhelming demand by groups with higher points (i.e. comprised of seniors only).
- OCEAN VIEW: Seniors and juniors have priority to reside in the off campus Ocean View apartments. Groups are considered by points, so senior groups will receive higher consideration than groups with juniors.
- OFF CAMPUS: Students who will have senior standing by the end of the Spring semester will have the option to apply to be one of the approximately 50 students to live off campus in housing of their own choosing.
- Table of approximate percentages of class distribution on campus:
Clark | Emerson | Page | Armington | VK | GLC | |
First Year | 65% | 65% | 75% | |||
Sophomore | 35% | 35% | 25% | 65% | 5% | |
Junior | 30% | 80% | 2% | |||
Senior | 5% | 15% | 98% |