This is Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English Education Report.

We continue our Foreign Student Series. Today, we discuss whereto live once you are admitted to an American college or university.

Housing policies differ. Some schools, for example, requirestudents to live in a dormitory, at least for their first year.

Dormitory buildings may have a thousand students, or just a few.Some are organized into suites. Suites have several bedrooms, acommon living area and a bathroom. Six or more people may live inone suite.

Other dorms have many rooms along a hallway, usually with twostudents in each room. A large bathroom may serve all the studentson one floor.

Many students say dormitories provide the best chance to get toknow other students. And they generally cost less than apartments orother housing not owned by the school.

Most universities have some separate dorms for males and females.Usually, however, males and females live in the same building. Theymay even live on the same floor and share the same bathroom. Butusually they may not live in the same room unless they are married.

At many schools, male students can join fraternities and femalestudents can join sororities. These are social organizations. Butmembers may also be able to live at a fraternity and sorority house.

Edward Spencer is the associate vice president for studentaffairs at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. Mister Spencer says it isimportant to understand the rules of the building in which you willlive.

He advises students to ask some questions before they decideabout their housing. For example: Does the school provide anyspecial kinds of food that the student may require? Are thereprivate bathing areas in the dorms? Will the school provide a singleroom if a student requests one?

Mister Spencer says some universities take special care to helpforeign students in their housing. Virginia Tech, for example,changed its policy against candles in dorms. This way candles can belit for ceremonial purposes. The university also keeps several dormsopen all year. That means foreign students have a place to stayduring vacation times.

Our Foreign Student Series continues next week. All of ourreports are online at voaspecialenglish dot com.

This VOA Special English Education Report was written by NancySteinbach. I'm Gwen Outen.