To be honest, I never put much thought into my sophomore summer living situation. I lived with one of my best friends during my sophomore year, so there was never a doubt in my mind that I would continue to live with her for sophomore summer, especially since our junior year D-Plans do not line up in the slightest. We knew that our dorm would be nice, and we were fairly content with our ways of life, so we never looked far beyond the College’s housing options.
However, the more I talked to people about sophomore summer housing, the more I felt that I was in the minority. Everyone I talked to seemed to be living in Greek housing or off-campus, and I began to wonder if I had missed out on a unique opportunity.
Caroline Lemcke ’27 and her friends chose to live in an off-campus apartment this summer, which they began planning for all the way back in freshman spring.
“I had heard really good things about peoples’ experiences living off-campus for [the] summer, and I was … looking forward to having that opportunity,” Lemcke said.
Isabella Sha ’27, who is also living off-campus, agreed that living off campus is a very popular option for sophomore summer. She said she was excited by the opportunity of sharing a living space with her close friends.
“I was so glad it worked out because now we get to live a little life together [away from campus],” Sha said.
While some people choose to live off-campus with their friends, others choose Greek houses. Reagan Quinn ’27 is living in Kappa Delta sorority, which determines who gets summer housing based on which members have the most “house points,” acquired through participating in house activities and serving in house positions. Quinn said she is enjoying the community aspect of living in a Greek house.
“I just love that there’s always someone in the kitchen [or] in the formal room,” Quinn said. “It’s nice being able to hang out with people all the time.”
Quinn also felt that living in her sorority gave her a new perspective on living communities. While she had close relationships with many people on her floor during her freshman year, this past year, she “knew no one on [her] floor.”
“It’s really nice to have [a] tight community, and I just feel more involved in Dartmouth,” Quinn said. “There’s always someone going to Foco or to Collis, and you can go with them. It’s nice to … have that built-in community.”
Housing can be just as competitive in Greek houses as it is in College dorms, though. Micheal Bueker ’27 said his fraternity assigns rooms first to executive board members, then to non-executive board members through a random “lottery”: people with higher lottery numbers have higher priority, Bueker said. As a result, several brothers do not end up living in the house.
Though he initially debated whether he wanted to live off-campus or in his fraternity house, his decision was made easier after he won a bad “lottery” number.
“I just decided that I’d rather live off-campus in a really nice room with some friends than live in the house in a worse room,” Bueker said.
As a result, Bueker said he feels like he often misses out on spontaneous on-campus activities. For example, he has found that it is more difficult to grab breakfast or lunch on campus with a friend.
“Living off-campus, it takes a bit more effort to … coordinate things,” Bueker said. “The location is probably not quite as good because I [have] to bike to and from [my apartment].”
Similarly, Sha said that while she loves living off-campus, she sometimes feels distant from her friends living on-campus.
“My friend … is a UGA in Fahey, and sometimes it’s hard to see her because we go home in opposite directions,” Sha said. “I think that’s been an adjustment, especially in sophomore summer, but even going into junior year, of just … making sure to plan things with all of my friends and making time to see each other.”
While living off-campus takes away opportunities for potential dormmates or hallmates, Lemcke said she has found that people are more willing to invite people over to their house or apartment when they are living off-campus, and having neighbors has given her “a different aspect of community” at Dartmouth.
“People like sharing their spaces and opening them [up] for the rest of campus to enjoy for the summer,” Lemcke said. “It’s … fun to go to other peoples’ places … and hang out.”
Lemcke reported enjoying her experience in her off-campus apartment, and she hopes to live off-campus again in the future.
“Overall, [this has] been a very fun and…positive experience, so I would definitely consider [doing] it again,” Lemcke said.
