First-year and sophomore students at Quinnipiac had a variety of reactions after receiving their housing lottery number Thursday, raising questions on whether this system is effective.

“I literally (feel like) crying,” said Kayla Reid, a first-year business analytics major. “I feel like there should be a better way of picking it out.”

For years, Quinnipiac underclassmen have gone about the housing process in this way:

Students will begin to talk to their friends about who they want to live with and which dorms they want, typically at the end of first semester or the start of second semester. By the time lottery numbers are released, many students know who they want to live with. However, these groups often change depending on which lottery numbers they are given. 

A week later, students select housing. This year, first-years have seven options for their sophomore year housing: Hill, The Village, Perlroth, Troup, Larson, Complex and Crescent. Sophomores have five options for their junior year: Crescent, Westview, Townhouses, Whitney Village and the recently added Eastview, which in prior years had only been available for seniors. This year, Eastview will have a mix of juniors and seniors. 

These dorms have a wide variety of amenities, with some having kitchens, while others don’t. A few sophomore dorms offer air conditioning, but the rest do not. Students are concerned about the range of these amenities.

“I definitely wish we had air conditioning, at least, because it gets really, really hot, and like, some dorms are air conditioned and others are not,” said Grace Hinton, a sophomore behavioral neuroscience major. “It’s definitely not as fair when it comes to the different kinds of housing.”

Hinton struggled to get the housing she wanted for her sophomore year. She had accommodations to have a suite with a kitchen. But when students receive accommodations, they are only allowed to pick one other person to live with.

So when Hinton found out her friend had lottery No. 1, she knew that she would be able to get Hill, a suite with a kitchen, and be able to live with a group of friends. Hinton gave up her accommodations to live with her friends in Hill. However, her plans quickly changed. 

“She (the friend with number 1) ended up ditching us to get in Complex, and I lost my accommodation, and lost the ability to have a kitchen to fit my accommodation,” Hinton said. “So it definitely gets a little selfish when it comes to the lottery, and it kind of can be difficult when you’re relying on other people because they got a good number … trusting people during this process can be a little bit difficult.”

For first-years who are going through this process for the first time, the process can be both confusing and stressful.

“It gives so much anxiety,” Reid said. “I feel like it’s just a lot to handle … and then everybody is just like ‘we might not be able to get this (or that) or whatever,’ it just kind of makes the whole experience of being here less enjoyable, to be honest.”

Colleges across the country select housing differently. Syracuse University allows international and honors students first, then each student is given a time to select, bypassing the lottery number that Quinnipiac gives students. Marist University students receive a random time to select housing. However, students can earn “priority points” throughout the year from getting a high GPA, being involved on campus and attending campus events. The groups of students who want to live together that have the highest points have a better chance of receiving a better selection time.

“I feel like they should do (housing) based on how many credits you have,” said Erica Gurung, a first-year biochemistry major. “They do that for cars and classes … you work harder for your (class standing).”

Quinnipiac Housing did not respond to The Chronicle’s attempt for an interview.