<p>I won't be able to go to cpw, so I am looking for opinions on housing. I like Simmons some, but it seems isolated. How is the walk to classes? construction on Vassar? Safety? Food?
When is the new undergrad dorm, w1, opening? Will 2012 be able to select this dorm?
Any opinions on Burton-Conner?
Bexley?</p>
<p>And any moment, jessie will wander into this thread...</p>
<p><em>ducks and covers</em></p>
<p>In all seriousness though, this may be an OK place to start:
MIT</a> | Undergraduate Housing
OR
Housing</a> | Undergraduate Residence Halls</p>
<p>Also, the i3 videos are usually quite fun to watch.</p>
<p>Something to keep in mind is, that for a number of the housing options, if you are assigned to them in the summer lottery, you canNOT opt to move to another dorm during orientation. This includes housing with resident advisors and the special interest housing. You can look into the details of this when the time comes to put down your rank ordered list for the lottery. </p>
<p>CPW is a very good way to get a feel for the options before having to submit the list. The only substitute for seeing the dorms yourself is to talk to some current students who can explain the differences. BTW, being able to move into a different dorm is not guaranteed. Some students never get into the dorm they want. Odds are good that you will get at least your second choice though.</p>
<p>In my humble (former dorm rush chair) opinion, the first and foremost, and perhaps only, factor in dorm selection should be the people and the dorm culture. These are the people who are highly likely to become your social support network and best friends. You should pick them with a great deal of care and attention.</p>
<p>Other factors, such as size of rooms available to freshmen, distance to class, and food, should be tip factors at most. </p>
<p>Factors like "prettiness" of the dorm shouldn't be considered at all, and the walk to all of the dorms is basically equally safe.</p>
<p>hey mollie!
what would you recommend us do during CPW?
Since we'll probably be hosted in only student from one of the dorms, how should we go about knowing the other dorms?</p>
<p>All of the dorms will have formal events during CPW, and those will be listed in your schedule. There are usually parties/fun events as well as dorm tours.</p>
<p>You can also just wander around by yourself or in a group and explore the dorms. It's definitely not unusual for a current student to be sitting in a lounge or something during CPW and have a prefrosh or group of prefrosh ask for a tour.</p>
<p>hmm, molliebatmit, you don't mention cost anywhere. how does cost of housing work? do different dorms have different associated costs, or does that matter more with the size of the room/number of people in the room?</p>
<p>Yes, different residences are more or less expensive, and of course single rooms are more expensive than doubles, which are more expensive than triples, which are more expensive than quads. The full list of rates is [here[/url</a>]; mostly, newer/more recently renovated dorms are more expensive than older dorms.</p>
<p>Cost is definitely a factor for some people -- I know somebody who had to move from a MacGregor single to an EC double(?) because of the cost. </p>
<p>Another hidden cost not evident in that list is that students in dining hall dorms (Next, Simmons, Baker, McCormick) are required to purchase a membership in the [url=<a href="http://web.mit.edu/mitcard/techcash/preferred%20dining.html%5Dhouse">http://web.mit.edu/mitcard/techcash/preferred%20dining.html]house</a> dining plan](<a href="http://web.mit.edu/housing/undergrad/rates.html%5Dhere%5B/url">http://web.mit.edu/housing/undergrad/rates.html) all four years, which costs $300 per semester and gets you a 50% discount on food in any of the dorm dining halls. (Note that you can break even on this plan basically iff you eat in a dorm dining hall every night of the semester.)</p>
<p>also keep in mind that for many dorms it makes a very big difference exactly where (hall/entry) in the dorm you live</p>
<p>I am sure that this will all be sorted out one way or another during (R'EX? ) but I would feel better with some opinions and information on specific dorms going in. I looked at the links and videos, thanks for the tip, but for alot of the dorms, esp Simmons, Next, New, Macgregor, and even baker and B-C I cant easily detect a specific dorm personality. Some like Simmons seem to be fairly large and undifferentiated. Some like Macgrgor and B-C, have group living units with kitchens, and to the extent they may have a personality it would seem to vary by floor, entry or even suite and I understand that even if you get your first choice of dorm you then have to go through individual dorm rush and may not get the floor or suite that you want, much less your choice of roommates. </p>
<p>If anyone has any information or opinions (pro or con) that they would be willing to share on the facilities and personalities of Baker, Simmons, Macgregor and B-C specifically I would appreciate it. From what I have seen, I kinda like Simmons, maybe its the architecture, but I have heard that it is away from all of the other dorms, that the elevators can be a problem, that the road that you take to classes is being ripped up for a major improvement project and that there may be a crime issue with the area behind the dorm (by the train tracks I think?) Again, any comments on specific dorms would be appreciated. Also, can freshman select the new undergrad dorm, W1?</p>
<p>whatever, you guys have it good, when i was a freshmen we had to live in tents inside 10-250</p>
<p>Are those tents still an option?</p>
<p>My favorite dorm thread on CC is this</a> one from two years ago at this time. Lots of info in that one, and lots of chiming in by current students and parents.</p>
<p>Mollie,
That was an excellent dorm thread...many thanks!</p>
<p>I'm going to write a housing thread in the 2012 forum. Hopefully it will help you guys.</p>