<p>Are there any current freshman out there who can give a run-down on the "houses" on the Commons. Are any considered more/less desireable or are they all pretty much equal in location, size, etc. Also, do they just assign the students randomly or do some students request a specific house?</p>
<p>I lived on Peabody as a sophomore last year. The first two floors of North are pretty nice because the doubles have their own bathrooms.</p>
<p>students are assigned randomly. The commons consists of newly built dorms and renovated dorms--the new dorms form a quad which feels more central to the commons than the older dorms (north, east, west) though all are close. My D is in one of the older dorms and it is definitely not as spacious and bright as the new dorms. She was disappointed at first but it's turned out fine.</p>
<p>^^ I wondered about that when I saw that several were renovated, not new and it did seem that the new dorms were better located. Glad things worked out for your D nevertheless. I assume, in the long run, it really didn't matter much. I think getting a good roommate and hallmates is a bigger factor in how you feel about your living situation anyway.</p>
<p>So, are the Commons all doubles?</p>
<p>I have heard that some are triples. D stayed in a triple in North during a summer program and it was plenty spacious. That was before renovation, so I'm sure those rooms are even nicer now.</p>
<p>All I know is that when I get admitted, I am going to get a single after freshmen year. I canNOT share a room. I don't know why. I'm a high maintenance guy.</p>
<p>There are actually a few singles my D's dorm but I would guess it is 98% doubles--some kids got singles who didn't request them--</p>
<p>Can someone give me some tiers on commons houses?</p>
<p>My neighbor is thinking about joining one</p>
<p>^Funny!!!!</p>
<p>What I liked about the old system was the abundance of singles for freshman who wanted them, but that came at the cost of dividing the freshman into two groups.</p>
<p>YES, there are definitely some Commons houses that are superior to others. The "best" one is Hank Ingram; it's the newest, and just opened for the 2008-2009 academic year. However, all ten of the Commons houses are nicer than the upperclassmen dorms.</p>
<p>All of the new houses are equally nice.</p>
<p>I live in an old house, but have an abnormally large double (bigger than some in the new houses) so I'm more than satisfied. I just have a low ceiling. If I had to rate the old houses, I'd say:</p>
<p>North
Gilette
Memorial
West
East</p>
<p>The new houses may be all equally nice in terms of their common spaces and amenities (new carpeting, furniture, corian countertops in bathroooms, etc.), but they vary widely in terms of room size. My daughter lives in Gillette, which has some triples that are HUGE, but the standard doubles are tiny. I believe she was shown Hank Ingram during her tour, where the rooms are a good deal more livable.</p>