As always, we begin by reminding you that you (yes, you) can submit your questions, comments, concerns, and queries right here. Now, in this week’s installment of Just Ask Emily, a reader is wondering if it’s not where you are, but who you’re with that really matters.

Hi Emily,

I need some advice on housing. Not how to beat the lottery or anything, just how to find a great group of friends to live with.

I’m currently a sophomore in an LLC blind double. Last year, I was in a JJ single in a floor that wasn’t too social. My roommate and suitemates are nice (just like my floormates last year), but I just don’t feel very connected with them. Almost all my socializing happens outside of my dorm, with people I know from clubs and classes. And when I’m not at a club event or hanging with people right after class…I’m pretty much chilling alone in my room (and sometimes Butler).

So—housing! Last year, I waited way too long and ended up in General Selection and a blind double, which was less-than-ideal. This year, I want to make sure I find a group early, but I’m not really sure what to do. I have a lot of friends I see occasionally, but not too many people I’m super close to.

Should I go down my list of frequent Facebook contacts and see who’s got an open spot in a suite, maybe try for special interest housing (that’s a built-in community, right?), pester people in my clubs to get a suite together, or what?
- Suite Dreams

Dear Suite Dreams,

I’ll start by saying this: Being compatible as a suitemate with someone and being that person’s close friend can be two very different things. And having people to come home to who aren’t necessarily your nearest and dearest can have its own set of benefits, too. My point is that, should you end up with the group you’re in this year, or should you move in with a group that doesn’t prove to have an unbreakable bond, or even should you find yourself in general selection again this year—you will still have housing, and you can (and should) still make the best of the situation.

However, to actually answer your question: You say that your closest friends are from classes and clubs. Think about which of those people you think you’d like to live with, even if you’re not “super close” to them, and ask them what they’re planning on doing about housing next year. It’s early enough that you won’t look like you’re scrambling (or actually be scrambling, for that matter). The worst they can say is that they already have some completely concrete and inflexible plan, and you’ll be no worse off than you are right now. And if they say yes, you’ll be that much closer to turning your housing into a home.

Emily Tamkin is a Columbia College senior and a former Spec editorial page editor. She is glad to not have to deal with the housing lottery this year, but also sad, as that means she is entering the housing lottery known as “life.”