When transferring to a new university, students sometimes come across the same woes incoming freshmen do. They’re preoccupied with rational fears: doing well in class, adjusting to a different environment and making new friends. The issue of where or whom they will be living with seems as though it will just work itself out.

After sending in my transfer applications, I thought I would just sit back and wait for the acceptance letters. Then, I’d put down my deposit, and be assigned a place to live along with other transfer classmates. But this was not the case. Northeastern sent me several letters saying that I had housing, but it was yet to be determined where. I did not find out my official home for the 2007-2008 academic year until less than two weeks before move-in.

Northeastern, according to its website, boasts “more than 300 spaces” for transfers each year. This seems like a good offer, but one needs to read the fine print. When delving a little deeper into the website, readers find that there were 772 transfer students enrolled last year. If you do the math, that means there is only room for about half of these Northeastern hopefuls.

So half of transfer students are given on-campus housing, while the others must fend for themselves and find an apartment in the surrounding area. I lucked out and was placed in a centrally located apartment on-campus. Although there are three girls crammed into what should be a double room, the living arrangement could be much worse. The only problem here is that there are no transfers to be found. Aside from one of my roommates who is a fellow transfer, my building is comprised mainly of previous Northeastern students.

It is slightly harder living in a situation where everyone already has established friends and you are the newcomer. I have met transfers who have been placed anywhere from single rooms in freshmen dorms to apartments with upperclassmen. This housing situation makes it difficult to forge new friendships because transfers are over the freshman year hype, but not up to the older “too cool for school” mentality.

There needs to be a way for transfer students to be put into common housing situations. This would make for a much smoother transition to the university. I hope in the future, Northeastern can figure out a mutually beneficial solution to this housing dilemma.

– Erin Oliveri is a middler journalism major.