I have been accepted into the social science program, but not the residence. My average is about 81. If I get my average up to 82 (the cut-off for guaranteed residence, I believe) by the end of the year, will I have guaranteed residence? I really need it! Thanks!

Originally Posted by jennmullen

I have been accepted into the social science program, but not the residence. My average is about 81. If I get my average up to 82 (the cut-off for guaranteed residence, I believe) by the end of the year, will I have guaranteed residence? I really need it! Thanks!

The deadline for paying a deposit for guaranteed residence is June 1st. My guess is that if you don't have it by then, you won't get it. If you haven't applied yet then do so now, the deadline is June 1st. 81 is really high and you will probably be placed very high on the waiting list.

^ thank you, but the problem is I don't want to risk applying there when I don't have guaranteed res.

If you don't get residence, they'll give you your deposit back so no harm in trying.

Originally Posted by sinnersdrown

If you don't get residence, they'll give you your deposit back so no harm in trying.

You don't actually pay a deposit until you have a room. It's basically like reserving your room. So if you aren't guaranteed residence, you don't have to pay the deposit until they tell you that they have a room for you.

But if I apply there, I am unable to apply anywhere else

Originally Posted by jennmullen

But if I apply there, I am unable to apply anywhere else

Any reason why residence is a must as opposed to offcampus housing? If you are really interested in McMaster then I don't see why residence would be the deciding factor.

I can't cook

Originally Posted by jennmullen

I can't cook

You could still buy a meal plan... in any case learning to cook isn't hard. You're not trying to be a chef and if you want to cook something you don't know how then there is the internet. Otherwise cooking things like pasta, rice, meat, eggs, sandwiches, etc... isn't that hard to do.

In the end it's your decision though. I personally feel that cooking is a good thing to learn not only in university when the majority of students are on a budget, but also for later in life.

okay but say I applied, and my end year mark was above 82. my question is would I have guaranteed res.

Originally Posted by jennmullen

okay but say I applied, and my end year mark was above 82. my question is would I have guaranteed res.

I don't know if they'll offer guaranteed residence if your GPA goes above 82 in the next 7 days. After June 1st, all students who were guaranteed a room but failed to pay the deposit lose their rooms and students on the waiting list replace them (The waiting list prior to June 1st is organized by grades. I think any application after June 1st goes to the end of the line).

Originally Posted by jennmullen

okay but say I applied, and my end year mark was above 82. my question is would I have guaranteed res.

no, it needed to be over the cutoff at midterms....youd have to go on the waiting list.

It needs to pass the cut-off as of June 1st i.e. the application deadline. I would suggest applying anyway and see if you get it. And you can definitely apply to residence and apply somewhere else (I'm assuming you mean start looking for a house?) and just withdraw your application from residence if you find something better. And I know a ton of people who live off-campus and can't cook but they either learn, or you can get a meal plan and get food on-campus just like residence students.

If you are scared to live off campus because of cooking then this is why you need to learn how to cook. Unless you have a high supply of cash to buy food at all times, you're going to eventually need to learn. Cooking is a skill learned by most people at university