Hi!
I'm a first year student and I'm unsure about what to do about my living situation for next year. Living on res is preferable just cause its a lot more convenient for me. However, residence for upper years isn't guaranteed and I would find out about my waitlist situation early in June. I was looking at rental properties and student apartments, but if I secure one for next year I would have to pay the rent for May/June/July until I find out whether I've been accepted to res or not. I wanna try my best to live on res, but I'm just not sure how to handle my situation.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you

I was an upper year that tried applying to res this past year (when they first updated the rules about not guaranteeing res). I'd say that even if you get near the top of the list (which I was), the chances are slim. I know they accepted a few upper years under special circumstances (ex: accessibility), but I'd say that it's hard. Each year Mac seems to be accepting more first years, and they need the space for them. I started looking in May/June and ended up having to pay for July/August. I know it's not ideal to pay when you're not using the place, but the choices for rentals seem to get smaller as time goes on. Let me know if you have any questions.