News
No matter where they live, students from the Class of 2004 are breathing, sleeping and eating Green.
By and large, they love it.
"I'm never going back home," said one freshman interviewed by The Dartmouth.
They are also big fans of the College's freshman housing experiment, which, for the first time, has designated French and Hinman Halls in the River Cluster as all-freshman quarters.
In order to monitor how this experiment is faring, The Dartmouth randomly chose representatives of each of the two housing types and compiled two focus groups of students.
The results of these focus groups will be featured in upcoming articles in a periodic series examining the success of the housing experiment as the term progresses.
Approximately 20 percent of the Class of 2004 are living in all-freshman housing this year.
"We're all in the same boat together," explained Melana '04, a resident of Hinman, who notes she gets along better with students her own age.
Melana said she is more confident discussing her confusion about College policies, academic procedures or the locations of buildings, with fellow '04s, since she feels upperclassmen on campus can be "condescending" toward younger students.
"With '04s, you don't get that 'been there, done that,' attitude," she said.
Freshmen living with upperclassmen on their floors agreed with Melana and struggle to find the benefits to mixed-class housing.
"The upperclassmen are totally unhelpful," said Beth '04, a freshman living in Wheeler.
"I don't really know any upperclassmen," David '04 said.
Undergraduate advisors tend to be "a great resource," according to Beth, though she noted organized events "are a burden" and can be strained.
Of course, Beth concedes, her own UGA "does make great cookies."
UGAs, however, don't tend to become close companions of the freshmen on their floors, participants noted, and there are few opportunities for '04s to become friends with upperclassmen.
"It's not like we go out with them or anything," Beth said.
Freshmen are "a lot more fun" than upperclass students at the College, agreed all the participants in The Dartmouth's focus groups.
"They're always studying when I walk by," David said of the older students.
"Mine play Nintendo 24/7," Owen '04 said.
"They have a lot more responsibilities," noted Beth.
When applying for housing over the summer, '04s had the option to choose all-freshman housing.
