They're unruly, untidy and occasionally untethered. Nevertheless, freshmen-only dormitories are also enduringly popular. Almost 80 percent of the 50 alumni we polled said if they had it to do over, they'd choose an all-freshmen dorm. Current students seem to agree. Demand for freshmen-only assignments exceeds the supply by about 300 every year. A University housing task force plans to make recommendations later this spring addressing that issue. Increasing the number of all-freshmen halls is an option. Meanwhile, here's a smattering of alumni voices that weighed in on the subject.
For many, the seeds of lifelong friendships sprout in a freshman dorm.
"That's where I met all my friends," said a Vermont judge, '69. "Besides, when I was a freshman I don't think I wanted to be in a multiclass dorm." A Berkeley marketer, '75, who lived in all-freshmen housing, said she remains pals with her former dormies. "I have a stronger affinity for them than my other Stanford friends."
Whole classes bond that first year, said a San Francisco software developer, '87. "It's a way to get to know your classmates," he said. "You'll never get that opportunity again." Besides, freshmen have enough problems without trying to relate to upperclassmen, said a central Pennsylvania wife and mother, '45. "If I'd been thrown in with all those older kids, it would have been bad," she said. A San Francisco customs broker, '58, agreed. "I can't imagine coming in as a freshman and living with upperclassmen," he said. "There's enough anxiety as it is."
But a few in our sample said the spirit of freshmen dorms could use some diluting. "In an all-frosh dorm, we're all dummies; we're counting only on our advisers," said a travel exec, '59. "We need broad exposure to more people." A San Francisco writer, '69, warned against the hothouse environment of a dorm packed with 17- and 18-year-olds. "A multiclass, co-ed environment is less intensely neurotic," he said.
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