<p>I’m about to fill out my housing form, and was wondering which campus most people prefer and/or some personal experiences. I know the basic difference is that Newton students have to take a shuttle, but I was hoping for something more informative from current students… even though they don’t let you request, I was just curious. Thanks!!!</p>
<p>I think the biggest downside about staying at the Newton campus is that you’re somewhat disconnected from the main Chestnut Hill campus. The shuttle is good, but think about it this way. Would you rather wait for your parents to pick you up from school? or would you want to be able to drive home from school yourself and come and go as you please without relying on others?</p>
<p>Also, I think the shuttle isn’t available 24/7.</p>
<p>There have been many valuable “Newton vs Chestnut Hill” discussions in this Boston College sub forum. Please search and find a few of them.</p>
<p>No one will argue that the shuttle gets old after a while. Newton does, however, have many non-tangible upsides which lead many freshman to love it and cherish their year there.</p>
<p>Spend some time reading the past discussions to get a good understanding of the trade-offs.</p>
<p>I live on Newton this year. If I were to do it all over again, I would choose Upper. I’m sure you will get different answers from different people but the bus just gets to be too much after awhile.</p>
<p>To be completely honest, Newton looses its charm by the start of second semester; the bussing is just a really big pain for class and anything social going on at main. That’s not even an isolated opinion, as many have said the same. I guess an upside is that all options for housing next year are a step up from being in Newton.</p>
<p>If you get on Newton, however, don’t think it’s a prison. Relatively, though, Upper I would dare say is unquestionably superior.</p>
<p>It was my understanding that you cannot request a certain campus. Our student was accepted EA in December and has already filled out online housing forms. There was no mention of what campus was preferred. It just listed roomate search requests, what type of personality traits the student has, late/early sleeper, request special housing etc. Is upper campus housing given out first, then Newton to freshman, or is housing randomly assigned?</p>
<p>The freshman section of Upper is obviously freshman only and Newton is the same. Thus, Residential Life randomly places students in each. The only way you can guarantee yourself Upper is to…</p>
<p>a) Apply for special interest housing
Caveat = highly competitive</p>
<p>b) Apply for Honors housing
Caveat = I have a floormate who is in Honors, requested Honors housing, and somehow lives on Newton while non-Honors students live in Honors housing</p>
<p>c) Agree to be in a forced triple
Caveat = Easiest way to guarantee Upper, but the extremely cramped conditions of them can offset the logistical nightmare on Newton for some</p>
<p>You can still get placed in one of the quads on Newton though. Those get pretty cramped as well.</p>
<p>It all depends on how you set it up. The quad on our floor has a ton of space. The normal triple is cramped, but that’s because they have a million things in their.</p>
<p>My quad was very spacious bunked but my roommates wanted to debunk it so now there is zero space. It’s like going through a maze just to get to my bed in the back of the room.</p>
<p>I think the best way to consider Newton vs. Upper is to just gauge what kind of student and person you are. Here are some questions?</p>
<p>1) Do you plan on going to the library often and staying there late?
If so, you may want to try to get upper (forced triple, special interest housing, honors housing) because the buses only run until 2 am. Also, living on Newton (as I do), after a long day of classes I would love to be able to go back to my room, relax for a few hours, then go study at the library. This is possible, but so much more tedious on Newton. </p>
<p>2) Are you active/an athlete?
If you plan on working out very often or want to join any team (varsity that doesn’t guarantee upper, ie sailing, or club sports) you want to guarantee yourself upper. Going home and changing into gym clothes then coming back to the plex to work out or have practice can be a real pain. Also, some sports teams have practices late at night or early in the morning (sometimes even before the bus runs). You want to make sure you can account for this. </p>
<p>3) Are you a home body? Do you enjoy coming home from classes and spending the rest of the day relaxing in your dorm with friends, just chilling out?
Newton is the ideal place for this type of behavior. I am NOT saying Newton kids are lazy…they aren’t at all. Many spend long hours both in the plex and in the library. However, Newton kids are more inclined to stay home once they get home (because the bus is a pain in the butt). Living on Newton, more people will be inclined to be around than if you’re on upper (most people would be running around campus doing various things). </p>
<p>These are the three main things you should consider.</p>
<p>Is there a library on Newton campus where you can study?</p>
<p>I live in Kostka this year, and it’s an all girls dorm. Although I didn’t request it, there are people on my floor who did because it also guaranteed them a spot on Upper (in addition to forced triple/special housing/honors). I have no idea if they’re offering that next year, but it’s something to think about for girls who desperately want to avoid Newton.</p>
<p>Attended Honors Day for accepted students earlier this month, and unless I misunderstood school officials, freshman honors students will not be offered honors housing in 2011.</p>