Entering freshmen were not given the option to rank their residence hall preferences this year.

In past years, students were sent an information packet the summer prior to their freshman year that included descriptions of the different residence halls. They could then list their preferences based on those descriptions. Although the housing office made no guarantees that they could honor these preferences, this system did allow students some say in their freshman dorm.

According to Georgetown Director of Media Relations Laura Cavender, this change in the housing placement process was made “so that instead of focusing on buildings that students may want to live in, [the focus is on] creating an environment that is supportive of student lifestyles and academic pursuits”.

In past years, residence hall tours during GAAP weekends offered accepted students an opportunity to see the different halls. Students could choose between the different residence halls – New South, with a traditional corridor layout; Village C, which offered more privacy with individual bathrooms; and Harbin, with a cluster layout.

Each layout created a different social dynamic, and Cavender said the university hopes that the change on the housing form will allow them to place students based more on their actual lifestyles – studying and sleeping habits, smoking and music preferences – and not the particular image with which they hope to be associated.