<p>For those of you guys who are pretty set on attending MIT, where do you want to house? I remember seeing a thread like this somewhere, but I couldn’t find it. So, I made another one!</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Baker
I stayed there during CPW and loved it! But apparently it's the most sought after dorm at MIT so I'm not so sure of the likelihood of me getting a dorm there.</p></li>
<li><p>Burton-Connor (sp?)
Rooms seem kind of cramped but everybody there seems really cool and like they like to have a good time. Supposedly one of the more party-loving dorms along with Baker.</p></li>
<li><p>Next
It's crazy far away from Campus but it's still an amazing dorm, plus most of the people there are first-years.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Well, being a resident of Next House, I am a bit partial to it. Yes, the walk is probably one of the things to consider, but it is a pretty nice dorm overall.</p>
<p>One thing to keep in mind if youre considering Simmons is that you have to clean your own bathrooms. So, if you happen to share the bathroom with someone with different habits, you may have that to deal with.</p>
<p>Every place has its positives and negatives. You really have to pick the best fit with you. Good luck on your choices, but remember it isn't forever. You have opportunities to try and change dorms every semester if things don't work out exactly as you want. ;)</p>
<p>do you consider this a benefit? do a lot of freshmen?
i'm curious, b/c if so, that would suggest a whole new angle that next might want to capitalize upon. i'm sure they'd love to know.</p>
<p>and wow, i had no idea simmons had to clean their own bathrooms.</p>
<p>That's something I forgot to ask while touring dorms at CPW.... who DOES clean up various areas, and on what frequency? I figured students always clean their own rooms (or don't, depending on how high their roommate's tolerance is for mess), but I'd just assumed students cleaned the kitchen areas, halls (heh, for some value of "clean"), and bathrooms: are there actually buildings/areas which have some of those shared areas cleaned by a housekeeping service of sorts?</p>
<p>most dorms i have experience with (random and senior haus, for sure, and probably also EC) have maintenance staff who clean and stock the bathrooms, mop the kitchen floors, vacuum hallways, empty trash, and generically fix up things. if an obnoxiously messy situation occurs, we'll usually have the students responsible take care of it, of course. cleaning kitchens is perhaps the one area where there's a gap between what students do and what staff takes care of, but most students who regularly use the kitchens don't have a problem cleaning up after themselves. frinstance, i'm happy to buy soap and sponges for my floor kitchen as long as people will use them :)</p>
<p>New House gets all of its kitchens and bathrooms and lounges cleaned professionally. In German House we also share Saturday kitchen cleaning responsibilities because we like our sanitation to be guaranteed. Right now I'm in a suite with two other people, and we have our own bathroom. Given, it's that small of a suite (typical is ~6 people) because we are directly off the main lounge, but the lounge is used sparingly enough that it does not generate much additional traffic.</p>
<p>Next House is a slightly nicer facility, but it requires you to subscribe to preferred dining, so I'd say if Next interests you, you should really look into New House.</p>
<p>Just adding to what has already been said... Next House has a floor janitor for each floor. They clean pretty much all public areas including the bathrooms. Of course they don't take abuse, so if students really trash things, they have to clean it up. :P</p>
<p>I'll be in Simmons. (Almost certain, b/c I need wheelchair accessible housing). A lot of the dorms are ground-floor accessible, and Baker (and Next, I'm told) is pretty accessible throughout, but Simmons is definitely the most accessible.</p>
<p>It's also the dorm I stayed in during CPW.</p>
<p>Gasp - with the number of students at MIT using wheelchairs, my cover is blown! ;-)</p>
<p>how did you like simmons? I really like the pictures, and when I was there this past week, I sat on the bench (in their little yard by the entrance) and just stared at it. It looks so cool!</p>
<p>Im not really sure how the dining hall food is, I took most of my meals at frat houses and the student center. The student center food is pretty good. Anna's Taqueria (Student Center) is supposedly the most authentic mexican food anywhere close to campus but I was extremely disappointed in it (more like Chipotle than real mexican food). The food at the frat houses is amazing. And I know it's not typical, but one night one of the frats through a bbq and had a WHOLE bbq'ed pig!! So yeah food is pretty good, fairly priced, and I didnt hear any complaints about dining hall food.</p>