We don't want to encourage anyone to cheat--but there are ways to get around being subjected to the randomness of the housing lottery. Here are our suggestions:

Wait for The Crimson poll on first-year housing choices to be published. Change your housing forms to list the second most popular houses.

Get everyone in your blocking group to list the most popular houses in their choices in The Crimson poll. When the results are published, everyone else will change their choices to the second rank. Then you change yours to the first rank houses.

Create a computer virus that crashes the system if your name appears on the same screen with the address Linnaean Street. Every time they try to assign you to the Quad, they will have to start over.

Have a doctor write you a note that you cannot live in Mather or Currier--you have an allergy to concrete that is more than six inches thick.

Find someone who has an allergy to concrete and block with him or her.

Write an essay on why you really want to be in a certain house and submit it to Fred Jewett by 8 a.m. on the day the lottery forms are due. If it is really good, you might get into Spike Lee's film class.