BC Honors Dorm

scottj
Fri, 22 Oct 2010 21:25:42 +0000

Dear bnguyen : Let me offer you some considered thought on the Honors Housing program and particularly as it applies for Freshman Year at Medieros House. My observations come from having two children in the Honors Program, both of whom will complete the curriculum (currently senior/sophomore).

Medieros is divided into three district buildings (A/B/C) as you can see from the Google Maps overhead view. Each of the three attached buildings are virtually identical indoors with connecting passages between on the lower interior floors. Each building is structured as a “town house” with dorm rooms on each half-flight as you ascend through the facility. The result is that rather than having a long corridor of rooms, you have a number of half-flight divided rooms which are very condusive to seeing your friends and social activities.

Each section (A/B/C) has a fairly large common room on the first floor. During my older child’s freshman year, a color projector was often used to display a television signal or DVD movie as a ten foot tall display on one of the blank walls. Watching away football games made their dorm (the oldest was an “A” dormer) experience a unique environment. I recall that the oldest’s dorm was very tight (a group of 16 friends formed that freshman year have remained together in various rooming configurations for their full four years). They hosted dance parties, social events, and myriad of activities (including the somewhat famed hijack of “B”'s furniture) that made the freshman year even fun for us to hear about as parents.

The younger child’s experience was different. This child’s experience was as a “C” dormer (not that it matters) and the group was more studious; although solid bonds also formed, they seemed to have had less long term attachment to one another. The group absolutely spent time heading into Boston and enjoying their freshman year, but the “college daze” was much more subdued.

So, as you can see, the experience varies from dorm-to-dorm and year-to-year. There is nothing about Honors Housing that guarantees any one social lifestyle. Honors Housing does guarantee that you will be on Upper Campus (without starting the Newton vs. Upper debate).

Having seen this twice with both of my children, none of the freshman dorms are air-conditioned. As both kids were near the top of Medieros when the heat rises in late August, let me confirm that the dorm can be very warm - as with any such dorm - so bring your fans.

Good luck with your decision making on first year housing!