Entering the Housing Lottery
With the arrival of beautiful spring weather, 73% of Choate students will soon face the decision of ranking their dorm preferences for next year. What you put on the rooming card is vital, but, ultimately, the housing lottery is more random than the Mega Millions. Thanks to our form deans, it doesn’t matter whether you draw a high or low number. They make sure to switch up the selection system each year — low to high, high to low, or somewhere in the middle. Once the deadline arrives, the deans forward their rankings to Mr. Pat Dennehy, Director of Residential Life.
Seismic Shifts
The 2022-23 school year will be one of major housing changes. The disbanding of Memorial House, the only third-form boys’ dorm, will take place as recommended by the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Task Force. “[It] aligned with our mission, what we wanted to do on the residential life side of things,” said Dean of Students Mr. Mike Velez ’00. In addition, Archbold will be a fourth and fifth-form boys’ dorm; Logan Munroe, East Cottage, Atwater, and Mead will be third-form dorms. More changes can be expected in the coming weeks.
Potential Aftershock
With the changes to the housing model, some ripple effects are expected in terms of student reactions and lottery implementation. For instance, in the past, rising fifth-form students students have been offered priority for dorms that they stayed in. The drastic shifts, however, would disable some students from obtaining that advantage. “We are trying to figure out what the most equitable way would be to provide that same kind of level of preference and opportunity,” said Mr. Velez.
Singles/Triples/Quads vs. Doubles
Two separate rounds of housing lottery occur: first, the singles/triples/quads, and second, the doubles. For both rounds, students fill out a rooming card where they rank all the available dorms. They will then head to the Deans’ Office to get a number that determines which dorm they will live in or, in some cases, whether they are admitted for a single/triple/quad. For doubles, two roommates will submit a matching rooming card. The form deans will grant special accommodations to students with medical exemptions.
AGH Application
Students who wish to live in All Gender Housing (AGH) submit a separate application before the regular housing lottery. Now in its third year, Choate’s AGH program continues to create an inclusive boarding community. Unlike last year, applicants are no longer required to inform their parents or guardians of their choice, although it is still strongly encouraged. The results of the AGH application will be released in the coming weeks to allow those who are not selected to enter the regular housing lottery.
