<p>The Home and Campus website says that there are seven freshman houses, including two in Thurston. Thurston has a reputation for being a party place, but is that true?</p>
<p>Also, what are the other freshman dorms like? Everyone always talkes about Thurston, but are the others as nice/nicer? </p>
<p>And lastly, GW says that students are grouped according interest (i.e. Media and PA in one house, Humanities in another), is that fairly strict and will thurston have all the politicos, and all the humanities will be over in Fulbright? I quite like the idea of a diversity of interests in a dorm, does it exist in GW freshman dorms?</p>
<p>As with most things at GW, it's all about personal preference. The stereotype is that Thurston is the party building. It's true because there are over 1,000 freshmen in that building alone, so there are always people to meet, things to do, etc. It's obviously not going to be party party 24/7. There is time to set quiet hours to study in your room if you want. </p>
<p>The "house" system is new this year, but my impression is that no matter where you go, there will be a diversity in the buildings. The point of the "house" system is to ensure that your neighbors share a similar interest, but it won't be like everybody living in the hall is the exact same person. </p>
<p>Regardless of whether a floor or building is labeled a certain way, the freshmen experience is about meeting tons of different people from different backgrous with different opinions and experiences. I wouldn't worry too much about which "house" you'll be in. </p>
<p>All of the buildings have their positives and their negatives. It's up to you to weigh the pros and cons and how it relates to your lifestyle.</p>
<p>here's my question. My son did his housing preference.... he put in his "house" interests, which appear to be at Thurston... but his dorm preferences are Potomac, Fulbright & Thurston being last. How will they handle this? Which overides which?</p>
<p>To be honest, I have no clue. In the past, there was no "house" preference, so the building took precedence over the room configuration. I would call housing at 202-994-2552 or email them at <a href="mailto:cllc@gwu.edu">cllc@gwu.edu</a>. Again, this is new as of this year.</p>
<p>According to an admissions rep on the admitted student board, house preference trumps dorm preference, so if you like a house theme that is connected to the Mt. Vernon campus but absolutely do not want to live there, don't put it down as one of your top choices.</p>
<p>Zildj555: can you please link me to this "admitted student board"? Is it on the GWU website or the CC website?
Thanks,</p>
<p>Here you go nymom- this should get you to the admitted freshmen webpage. I found it pretty helpful last year when daughter was accepted.<br>
<a href="http://gwired.gwu.edu/freshmen%5B/url%5D">http://gwired.gwu.edu/freshmen</a></p>
<p>CelloMom... thanks... we've been to that sight. I thought they were talking about something different, I guess. This new "house" system is very confusing. My son's first choice of "house" would have been Politics & media, but he really didn't want to be on MVC, so he didn't select it. He chose Politics... which is at Thurston. But his first choice of dorms is Potomac. With Fulbright next, then Thurston. So we were wondering, which overides which- choice of "house" or choice of building! If your building & house don't jive (as his didn't), it appears you're screwed! Where did your daughter live this year?</p>
<p>Daughter lived in HOVA this year and really enjoyed it. It's too bad that will no longer be an option for undergrads. She didn't mind the distance it was from the center of campus. She was part of the history living and learning community...and a small group of students were pretty active all year. She says that some of the other groups didn't do much and that some students just indicated interest to get into particular dorms. The concensus among current freshmen is that Potomac House will be the 'new Hova'....social, but not as large as Thurston. She stayed in a room for five students during CI and just decided based on that experience she wanted a smaller building. My suggestion would be to choose the dorm where he will be most comfortable physically and that will accomodate his social and study styles. I would guess that your son might still be able to participate in his interest group even if not living in the dorm....probably a question that can be answered during orientation...and he will still be able to change his housing preference then if he wishes. One nice change GW is making is allowing the students to register online before orientation. The whole register-at-the-crack-of-dawn on the final day of orientation after little sleep was somewhat stressful. So it's good to see that they continue to evaluate and attempt to make changes for the better. We will be picking her up in DC in two weeks. She's had an excellent freshman year and is excited about next year's courses. Hope your son has the same experience!</p>