For many college students, living in a freshman dorm is a rite of passage. First-year housing usually includes tiny double bedrooms, communal bathrooms, and microwave meal diets. However, some freshmen at Northeastern University are bypassing this experience altogether.
The N.U.in program offers first-year students the opportunity to spend their first semester in college abroad. This program is undoubtedly a unique and beneficial experience for students. However, when they arrive on campus in January, they have to adjust to life on campus with a freshman class that has already been in Boston for a few months.
Many N.U.in students are placed in upperclassmen dorms once they move to the Boston campus, due to a lack of space in freshman dormitories. The N.U.in website claims the school tries to place students according to their preferences but cannot always do so with the high number of incoming students.
Some students get to live in West Village apartment-style dorms, which seems luxurious in comparison to traditional freshman dorms. Despite this, does living with upperclassmen have an impact on N.U.in student’s transition to the university? Is the university setting these students up for both personal and academic success? We surveyed 18 N.U.in students who lived with upperclassmen in upperclassmen apartments to find out.
Out of the students who responded, 84% said they would not have preferred to live in freshman housing. They had a lot of positive opinions on their experience. One N.U.in respondent really enjoyed her housing assignment, as she said “my suitemates showed me the ropes of Northeastern and gave me a ton of helpful information.” When asked if she felt isolated from other freshmen, she disagreed, saying, “I hang out with my freshman friends throughout the day and then get to have my own space at night in my apartment. It’s a good balance for me.”
However, the experience for these N.U.in students has not been entirely positive. One respondent said they enjoy living with experienced students, but claimed, “I don’t have a chance to experience freshman activities through [my roommates] and meet people through them.”
Another respondent struggled with their assignment, saying “my upperclassman roommates do not interact with me at all. They’ve spoken maybe five words to me. It’s intimidating.” Many first-year students create lasting friendships with their roommates, but they may not be experiencing this with upperclassmen roommates who are at a different stage in their time at Northeastern.
While many N.U.in students are happy with the allure of bigger bedrooms and full kitchens in apartment-style housing, living in upperclassmen buildings is not the most beneficial placement for all. Colleges and universities typically place all freshman students together for a reason: it alleviates the sometimes difficult transition into college. While students gain more freedom and flexibility in their housing assignments once they become upperclassmen, there is no redoing their first year.