Freshmen living in traditionally upperclassman residence halls this year said they do not mind living away from the majority of their classmates.
GW freshmen traditionally live in Thurston, Lafayette and Mitchell halls, and, more recently, the Hall on Virginia Avenue.
A record 2,550 freshmen enrolled at GW this fall, Housing Services placed freshmen in non-traditional housing including Strong, Fulbright and Madison halls; 2109 F Street; and the newly-acquired City Hall and Pennsylvania House.
Freshman Herbert Moore received a room in 2109 F Street, a GW-owned apartment complex where graduate students lived last year before the University claimed the rooms for undergraduate students.
“I like the apartment-style rooms,” Moore said. “I think they’re better than the other options I was considering, like those six-person suites at Thurston.”
Freshmen were able to choose to live in Crawford Hall, which is also usually reserved for upperclassmen, when they selected their housing before coming to GW. Many students said they liked having more choices in deciding where they wanted to live.
Kirsten Freeman, assistant director of Freshman Services, said the housing shortage opened new options for first-year students.
“Because of the new and varied housing options, it allows for students to live in all different types of residential settings,” Freeman said.
Freshman Services works to keep students together by putting on events such as Freshman Passport, Presidential Sleepover, Freshman February Fever and a Freshman Block Party, she said.
Students living in mostly upperclassman buildings said amenities and services, such as front desk security, are almost equally available to them as other freshmen.
Evan Walker, a freshman who lives in the Pennsylvania House, said he is happy to be living in the building, although the residence hall lacks ethernet connections for students.
Jackie Jaworowicz is one of many freshmen who said they have the same social opportunities as the rest of their class.
“There are mostly freshmen in Madison this year so it’s easy to meet people here,” she said. “It’s just a lot quieter than Thurston.”
