Transitioning to life at Georgetown is daunting. But the experience comes with even more challenges for the 228 new sophomore and junior transfer students this year who must acclimate to a new city, adjust to a different academic atmosphere and do their best to make friends with students who have bonded since freshman New Student Orientation. Housing, a cause of stress for most Georgetown students, is especially fraught for transfers, since in almost all cases they have no choice in where or with whom they should live.

Transfer students either fill open spaces in university-owned apartments or are placed in Village C East or LXR, two of the least desirable non-freshman dorms. LXR, several blocks from the front gates, and VCE, with its odd mix of freshmen, transfers and graduate students, are not especially conducive to welcoming new students.

The university should instead consider designating blocks of rooms in either Copley Hall or the Southwest Quad to house sophomore and junior transfer students. Designating part of a floor in one or both of these centrally located, attractive dorms would be an important step in fulfilling the obligation we have to ease the transition for transfer students.

Of course, taking any spaces away from the already highly competitive lottery process might well irk current students whose chances for the best dorms would be subsequently diminished. In this case, these students should reflect on their own transition to Georgetown and remember how difficult that first year can be. It’s a cause worthy of a small sacrifice from the rest of us.

For transfer students, one of the biggest challenges is finding a community within Georgetown. If these rooms are set aside before the spring housing selection, transfer dorms can more easily feel like home.