<p>I am a current first year who is living in IHouse right now - dynamicsemantics is right. As a class of students, we were originally put there because of overflow and an unexpectedly large class size. Ironically now, though, people who requested Pierce are being “placed” into IHouse while we (Booth and Phoenix House - the two houses already in IHouse) are still on our own turf. But anyway, I’ll give you a bit of what living in IHouse is like.</p>
<p>For one thing, it’s entirely singles. The singles range from extra broom closet size to the size of a full South double. As a first year, it’s likely that you won’t get the latter, but since going through the housing lottery on Tuesday, there are still quite a few of larger singles available. I think it’s hard to emphasize how convenient a single can be and why I like it so much. It’s your own space that you can come home to every night, even for just a second. I used to be incredibly gung ho about having a roommate, but with all the horror stories that I, hear from other colleges and to some extent ours, I’m now glad that I got a single. </p>
<p>On top of that, the list of IHouse amenities is great. You can read the link that dynamicsemantics provided or do some research - suffice it to say, you will have access to a lot (they actually just put a new Steinway piano in the lobby). There are industrial size kitchens for making your own food, a cafe in the building (maybe a little too convenient - I keep spending all my flex dollars), a gym in the building (Ratner is a long way away in the winter), laundry machines, and a small library. The kitchen is absolutely modern, as is the gym. I definitely would not complain about modernity being an issue.</p>
<p>We also have access to a bevy of speakers that speak exclusively at IHouse. They range from 2 time Pulitzer Prize winning authors to professors from other universities. People come to IHouse from all over campus to hear these speakers. Living at Ihouse means you’re at ground zero.</p>
<p>To be fair, there are some things that I don’t like. IHouse is, to be fair, a 10 minute walk to campus and a 15 minute walk to any dining hall (if you get a bike, they become negligible times). It’s much easier to either stay out the whole day and come home at night or to just stay in (classes excluded). While this creates for a much stronger house culture since people are usually around, it also makes it somewhat insular. The IHouse experience is probably more similar to a Breck, Stony, Broadview, or Maclean experience than to a South or Max P experience. I think that this will change next year with an inclusion of 2 more Pierce houses, but you never know. Also, since IHouse is a newer dorm, it has a much, much younger residency. Our house is approximately 60-70% first-years, and very few of the upperclassmen engage with the rest of our house. While I enjoy being around people my age, if a potential resident wanted a good mix of lower and upperclassmen, then IHouse may be a bit lacking (though a lot of people are staying for their second year at least, so it may not be much of a problem). </p>
<p>Overall, living in IHouse is what you make of it. If you never engage with your house, don’t take advantage of what’s provided, and try and just stay away the whole time, you’re going to hate it here. You’re going to wonder why you’re so far away from campus in a single and you’ll probably move out by the end of first quarter into South or Max. I personally love IHouse for what it is and what it has to offer.</p>
<p>If you have any more questions, feel free to ask me!</p>