<p>I just got in to Engineering so now I am looking at housing. It looks like ISR is the best dorm for engineers. Do you think it is full now with ED admissions? Will accepting so soon impact chances for merit scholarship?</p>
<p>Merit awards have nothing to do with when you accept. They are determined based on your application file and they don’t consider whether one has or has not already accepted when they make determinations. They in fact generally award more than is budgeted for them because they assume based on experience that some percentage who get them will not end up attending.</p>
<p>ISR is popular for engineering majors mainly because it is just east of and right next to the main quad (where you will take most courses other than engineering) and only a short walk to the engineering quad which is just north of the main quad. It is also a little more subdued than others but don’t assume it is a “quiet” dorm. Whether it is the “best” dorm for any particular engineering major boils down to personal choice; for example it has smaller rooms than those dorms in the six pack and ones near the six pack on the west side of campus. ISR is difficult to get because it has above average demand by upper classmen, particularly from engineering, and those students are already locked in for ISR next year. Thus there are fewer spots for freshman to get. Difficult to say whether it is already “filled.” No one will know whether they get it until summer. But they dole out choice of housing in the order of receipt of applications for it. Thus, anyone who was admitted in December, accepted admission and applied for housing with first choice as ISR then is already in line in front of you to get it. The housing application you will get will require you to provide an order of preference for dorms if you have a preference so you can choose ISR as first but you can also choose another as second choice.</p>