<p>What are the pros and cons of the learning communities? What are they like? I'm interested in joining one, but I don't know if it'll be worth it.</p>
<p>My DS just filled out the Housing application for his freshman year next year and he signed up for the Engineering House. I think it will be helpful to him to be surrounded by other Engineers. will make doing homework easier, lots of other kids to ask for help, and he will be living with kids that are in his classes.</p>
<p>A lot of what learning communities is about is getting better housing. Generally if you’re in an LC you’ll have better options/earlier pick times than standard housing.</p>
<p>Outside of that you’ll of course meet different people, but assuming you join the right LC that should probably a good thing. The programming/events are kind of underwhelming and you’ll probably find yourself skipping most of them. Sometimes you have to do some extra things like volunteering or events to remain in the community, but it’s generally worth it to get the nice housing and avoid living in North, aka the jungle.</p>
<p>Is it better to live in the communities that are focused on specific majors, like business or engineering than to live in the interdisciplinary ones like EcoHouse or Public Health House?</p>
<p>I don’t think there are any absolutes in terms of which ones are better. Of course if there is one available for your major, that could be a good idea. If public health and the environment are important to you, though, those might be a better choice. Basically it’s all about which one speaks to you the most.</p>
<p>Just be careful if you don’t feel strongly about living with a certain group of people. Not to throw around stereotypes (ie the engineering house has nerds, the business house is overly competitive, the eco house is full of tree huggers), but it’s a designated community for a reason, so the population might be a bit less diverse in terms of interests.</p>