For incoming UConn freshman Jarod Hoadley, finding on-campus housing at Storrs has been a major challenge.
"These past few months have honestly been the most stressful few months of my life," said Hoadley.
The Middletown High School graduate, who plans to study digital media and design at UConn in the fall, applied for on-campus housing about a week after the June 14 deadline.
He was then put on a priority housing waitlist of about 100 students. But a month later, that list grew to about 400 students.
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The school says they received a record number of applications this year, which they say includes a record number of first-year students.
"All students who accepted enrollment and met the deadline to apply for on-campus housing at Storrs have been accommodated with a room assignment, regardless of whether they are from Connecticut or out of state," UConn spokesperson Stephanie Reitz said in a statement.
Those who applied past this deadline were put on a waitlist. But Hoadley says he found out more out-of-state students were being picked from the list than in-state students, and some got housing before he did.
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Last Friday, he was told he no longer had priority housing, forcing him to make other arrangements.
"If some of those students are from the other 300 that applied after, you would think that maybe it would be first come, first served, and finding out that wasn't the case, kind of hurt," said Hoadley.
Just weeks before the school year, Hoadley has had to find other places to live. He's looked at apartments, but he says they're too expensive.
"I do have a relative that lives relatively close. It's about a 20-minute bike ride one-way," said Hoadley.
He says that's his back-up plan until he can reapply for on-campus housing second semester.
"They said in October, I can send them an email about getting spring housing. So, I set up an email that's going to automatically send at 12 a.m. October 1st."
UConn says more than 13,000 students will be living in residence halls at storrs, and some of those students are living in apartments as the school tries to increase capacity.
