Stuck off campus? Stick in there!

Late night study sessions, floor versus floor competitions and popcorn exploding in the common room microwave are all experiences characteristic of the dorms. But what about the nearly 1,300 freshmen that the Cal Poly residence halls don’t have room for?

“We are over our designed capacity and will utilize our triples and quads this year,” Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Preston Allen said. “We encourage students to look for off-campus housing.”

Cal Poly admitted 4,000 new students for fall 2006 but can only house 2,700. The residence halls include double rooms, study lounges and common rooms but to accommodate the large demand for on campus housing, some students will be placed in triple and quad rooms or overflow rooms with four to six students.

“Twice as many students apply than we have bed space for,” Allen said.

The Cal Poly housing Web site specifically states that “freshmen are not guaranteed housing,” and an extensive list of off-campus housing options has been compiled that are considered good student living environments.

“We direct almost 1,000 students off into the community to places that can assist them in the housing transition,” Allen said.

Some of the recommended complexes that work in conjunction with Cal Poly include Mustang Village, Stenner Glen and the Valencia Apartments. Allen meets with an off campus committee monthly to work with these community partner housing options.

Mustang Village is located adjacent to campus and can house 1,500 students in furnished and unfurnished studios and two-bedroom apartments. The complex includes a pool, convenience store, two-acre park, barbecue areas, fitness center and study areas. Each apartment has a full kitchen and living room with cable TV and Internet.

Stenner Glen, located on Foothill Blvd. 1.7 miles away from campus, is comprised only of freshman this year. The residence hall environment includes student resident assistants, meal plans, planned student activities and study rooms similar to the Cal Poly residence halls.

Stenner can house approximately 600 residents in 13 three-story buildings. Students can choose from double or single rooms that are furnished with a twin bed, chair, desk, dresser and bookshelves and are wired for phone, cable TV, and Internet. The rooms are situated around a common living room and include a bathroom at the end of the hall that is shared with up to nine suite mates.

The Valencia Apartments, located on Ramona Drive 2.2 miles from campus, offer furnished three-bedroom townhouses to 480 students. Students have their own rooms and can enjoy a heated pool, computer lab, big screen television lounge and fitness center. They also offer a 5 to 10 percent “good student” discount for full-time students.

“The rooms are pretty big,” said Darci Levulett, a civil engineering junior. “The bus stop is nice and close to campus. It’s very convenient.”

Additional information about off campus housing can be found at http://housing.calpoly.edu.