<p>Hey, i'm trying to decide what freshman seminar to take, and I am confused by the learning communities. I know that being put in one means that you live with all the other kids in that seminar. Has anyone been in the learning communities, does it isolate you from the other freshman? If someone could post about them or their experience with them, it would be great!</p>
<p>I’m going to be a freshman at Dickinson and I’m curious about this too! :)</p>
<p>Also, I’m considering living in the substance-free dorms. Does this mean that I can’t pick a seminar that is a learning community, seeing as I’ll be in a different dorm already?</p>
<p>Checked with my D, and here is what she said:
- The learning community (LC) experience depends a LOT on who the upperclassman is who is in charge. Some do lots of cool stuff together (extra lectures and movies, one went to NYC for a play), and some are “meh”.
- D’s dorm room was moved down a floor and out of her learning community area because her initial roommate did not come to D’son after all. So she lived in a different LC than she belonged to. And the one she lived in did a LOT more cool stuff than the one she really belonged to. She didn’t mind the one she was in (in fact, she really liked the seminar part), but the one she lived with was especially active and fun.
- She says you probably can’t be in an LC and live in sub-free housing.
- They also just remodeled the dorm that has had the LCs in the past (Drayer). If it stays in the same dorm, that would obviously be a good thing
You could probably call and ask if the LCs are staying in Drayer before deciding. - D did not find it isolating. She joined some clubs that were not related to her LC, and met other kids in classes. She said even if she had been on the floor with her LC, it would not have been isolating. In fact, she is now only really close friends with one person she met in her LC (but she has lots of other D’son friends).</p>