Here are five things to think about as you are considering where to live on campus.

Think about your academic interests

Does your college offer any housing based on academic themes? What about the opportunity to take classes right in your residence halls?

Think about location

Is it important to you to be in the central part of campus? Do you want to be near a dining hall or the rec center? Would you enjoy living farther afield and feel like you are getting away from all the action at the end of the day? How about proximity to the academic building where you will be spending the most time?

Learn if living and learning communities are available.

Some colleges offer communities centered around honors programs, leadership, service learning or other areas of interest. Would you like to live with other students who share a common interest?

Consider whether or not the size of the residence hall and layout important to you.

Some residence halls vary in size – small, medium and large. How many other students do you want to live amongst? What about when it comes to your options for single rooms, double rooms, suites, shared bathrooms, common areas, etc. While most dorm rooms have the same elements, for some students the physical space is a deciding factor.

Ask yourself how important the co-ed factor is in your decision. Think about whether or not you care who you live across the hall from or whether you would prefer having a floor (or wing) that is just those of your same gender.

As you can see there are many options when it comes to choosing a residence hall. Most likely you will be happy wherever you end up, but it doesn’t hurt to ask yourself lots of questions to set yourself up for a positive situation.

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On its face, this is simply a move to return the campus to the size it was back in the 1980s and 1990s, when 4,500 students roamed the Cambridge campus.  But with a policy change back then that required all freshmen to live in dormitories, the campus enrollment fell to about 4,200.  So the move seems like an attempt to return the campus to its traditional, historic size.

The Dean of Admission, Stewart Schmill, denies that the move to increase the student body has anything to do with revenue targets.  He pointed out that new dormitories will need to be built (which generally pay for themselves quite nicely, as the rents are guaranteed). He also pointed out that the move to expand enrollment may not happen in one fell swoop.  Plus, M.I.T. practices “need blind” admissions, so more financial aid will have to be allocated to the 300 new students.

I’m skeptical, frankly.  The fact is that many universities, especially large, research-oriented universities, have budgets that depend on a healthy revenue stream from undergraduate admissions.  It’s simply a numbers game–a sort of revenue pyramid.  In order to pay for expensive graduate programs, universities need plenty of undergrads to provide the bedrock financial foundation to support them.  Undergrad course sizes can be bigger so that graduate courses can be smaller.

So when a major institution of any type makes a decision to expand–or contract–and swears that the motivation has nothing to do with economics–well, I’m just a teensy bit cynical.

Here’s my logic.  Colleges are businesses.  Businesses make decisions based not on nostalgia, but on the financial interests of the business.  Ergo….

Whatever the truth, we’ll likely never know much more than what Schmill told Steinberg.  A private university like M.I.T. can keep its finances private.  So we’ll just take Schmill at his word.  Nostalgia for those halcyon days of 4,500!  Oh, how we miss those vital 300 students, who made our campus so much more vibrant and fun.  Ah, me….

Educational Consultant

The post M.I.T. Considers Increase in Student Body by 300–and Swears It’s Not About Revenue first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

Educational Consultant

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