Everyone has probably heard about the dire hostel situation in NUS this year, and probably also the small protest outside the OSA office yesterday. With the CCA cutoff point at a ridiculous 45 points, many people were unable to secure a hostel application, and this of course includes many foreigners.
Actually, it's a rather sad situation, for one to work hard to collect sufficient CCA points to qualify for hostels, and yet find out that all that effort and the time spent are going to waste. But then again, with limited hostels, what other choices does OSA have? CCA points were designed to give a good measure of the level of activeness of a student, yet it can easily be abused.
In addition, I have no idea what NUS can do. I do know that NUS owns a number of blocks/apartments outside campus, but they're largely reserved for graduate students (but the situation for them is worse) and visitors. NUSSU has organised a dialogue session with OSA (which I'm probably gonna join in and kay poh), but really, how much can it do?
Even before the hostel application for the next academic year, I have already considered renting a flat outside. Now with so many of my friends all potentially homeless, I now have seven people who are looking to share a room. But it's no way that it'll get better: with so many people not able to secure a hostel, the rents of accommodations outside campus will soar. Already, I heard it's $2500 a month for a two-room flat...
And to think I heard, a while ago when NUS raised its hostel fees, some people complain that hostel fees are way too high.
EDIT: the $2500 figure is probably erroneous, since it can't have risen so much from ~$1500 half a year ago. Probably faulty source.
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