Moving In

So, I’m not going to write about NJCL because, while I had a great time and being an officer was amazing, there wasn’t much out of the ordinary that happened. I will say that I’m looking forward to coming back as an SCLer next year.

But I will say something about moving into MIT.

Actually, first I’ll say something about how MIT assigns dorms, because then what I say about moving in will make much more sense.

MIT has what is comparatively a very screwed up dorm/room assignment system. First, there are no “freshman dorms” or “upperclass dorms.” Just undergraduate and graduate housing. Over the summer, you receive a DVD where each dorm makes a short video advertising itself. Then, you rank them, and in late July, there’s a lottery to determine your temporary housing.

During Orientation, part of the fun is supposed to be checking out all of the different dorms available and trying to find the one that best fits your personality. At the end of the week, you can enter a readjustment lottery if you’d like, or stay where you were temped.

Once you’re in your final dorm (which may still be where you started), there is almost always an “In-House Rush” to determine your final floor/suite/room/etc, where it can apparently be difficult to retain your original dorm assignment.

Now, I happen to like the room and suite that I’ve been temped in, and thus far, my roommate seems like a cool guy, too. I’ve been talking to one of the room assignment chairs, who lives on my floor, and she says that it’s quite possible for us to hold onto this room.

But still, it’s not guaranteed by any means, and I basically have to live here for a week with the assumption that I’m going to move. Which makes it very hard to get settled in or even unpack at all.

In the meantime, though, my roommate’s pre-orientation program is completely off-campus, so I’ve got a single for the next week.