<p>Mixed dorms are fine, but I really think all freshmen should at least have a freshman roommate. I know of someone who went to UNC-Chapel Hill who ended up with a grad student for her freshman roommate. That has been a few years back, and I hope that isn't happening anymore.</p>
<p>Remember that in virtually all schools where there are mixed class dorms, one third or so of students in the dorms will be first years, because of dropouts and study abroads. So there is no reason why mixed dorms have to cut down on class cohesion.</p>
<p>Obviously, one can have a good (or a bad) experience in either situation. But I don't think they are equally conducive to the educational environment. I DON'T think the bottom line is the student - the schools are the ones who make judgments about the character of their institutions, and what they expect the experience of the student to be.</p>
<p>I see both sides of this discussion. Before my admission days, I worked at a school that mixed first and second years in traditional halls. I thought it was a great idea and rarely saw much segregation between the classes (even when the students moved on to apartments). Sophomores seemed to take the first years “under their wings” and looked forward to showing the new students the ropes. It was almost like an unofficial big brother/big sister program. </p>
<p>Now, I also worked at a school that had "single class" buildings for first and second years, except for three buildings. I was the hall director for those buildings and there was much discontent due to (in my opinion) the lack of consistency across all the halls. No matter how many times I told freshmen how lucky they were to have some sophomores around, they could only focus on how their situation was different from the rest. Sophomores were annoyed by their assignment to the mixed hall and ignored the first years. </p>
<p>Basically, both styles can be great, but I think schools should be consistent, especially with freshmen.</p>
<p>Interestingly, there’s a story in The Times about a new mixed used residence hall at Barnard.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
In Morningside Heights, Barnard College recently built what is believed to be one of the first multiuse college dormitories in the country, where faculty members will not only live in the same building with 90 students but occupy the same floors and share laundry facilities and common space.</p>
<p>Besides the space for students and professors, the building, which is 15 stories tall in its highest section, also includes separate private residences (25 condominiums), as well as two ground-floor spaces for businesses and even a community garden.
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<p>I loved living in an all-freshman dorm. My floor became really close (there were 20 of us and one upper-classman UGA), and we got to experience new things about college together. I'm actually living with one of my floormates this year again. All the freshmen I know who lived in mixed-class housing did not bond with their floormates - they said that the upperclassmen basically were pleasant, but weren't really interested in becoming their friends.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Remember that in virtually all schools where there are mixed class dorms, one third or so of students in the dorms will be first years, because of dropouts and study abroads. So there is no reason why mixed dorms have to cut down on class cohesion.
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<p>Correct. At my daughter's school, the freshmen all live in doubles while the upperclass students mostly have singles. Also, they only put freshmen in the larger traditional dorms with plenty of "hall" life. So, my daughter's group of 16 or so freshmen on her hall bonded in a pack -- meals, trips to NYC, whatever. The upperclass students had their circles of friends. Most of the interaction was just in casual, impromptu hanging out in the dorm lounges -- watching Monday Night Football on the big screen TV, whatever. That's where all the inside dirt about majors, course selection, professors, etc. was passed from generation to generation.</p>
<p>As the year progressed, the freshmen would increasingly go to the upperclass students' parties and events from time to time, thus broadening their own circle of acquaintances on campus. This gave the freshmen some options as the inevitable splintering of the initial freshmen herd takes place spring semester. By the end of the year, the seniors were planning social events on the hall that included everyone and mixed the older circle of friends and the freshmen circle of friends together because, by then, they were all just "Swatties".</p>
<p>I think the downside, if any, would be for the upperclass students. However, they all benefitted from their elders when they were freshmen and, therefore, the ethos seems to be a willingness to live with freshmen and pass along some accumulated wisdom. I know that, as a sophmore, my daughter and her roommate have helped a couple of newbies on their hall through some rough patches, if only by lending an ear and some encouragement. For upperclass students who are not so inclined, there are small dorm options where no freshmen are assigned -- typically dorms or old houses where there could not be a critical mass of freshmen or sufficient hall life outside of an already established group of friends.</p>