What makes your dorm special?

Students across MIT dorms shared meaningful moments within their communities, and their hopes for the future of their unique dorm cultures.

Partnering with the Division of Student Life, we organized conversations during the 2024-2025 academic year facilitated by each dorm’s Area Director. Students reflected on the strengths of their unique dorm’s culture, sharing moments when they felt supported by their community as well as their hopes and concerns for their dorm’s future.

The Questions We Asked

Think about a time when you felt supported by members of your house. How did that experience impact you?
What is one strength of our community that you value the most? How have you witnessed or experienced that strength play out in the house?
Now I would like to ask you to look ahead and share a hope, or a question, that you have about the future of your community.

The Answers We Received

Students find deep support in their dorm communities. Whether they’re coping after a difficult exam or learning how to cook for themselves for the first time, friends in the dorm consistently step up to offer help and share knowledge without judgement.
From participating in quirky, dorm-specific traditions to simply being present with one another and offering mutual respect and understanding, students form long-term bonds in their dorms and are emotionally invested in seeing their dorm’s culture thrive into the future.

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Our Partners

Tasha Coppett, Associate Dean of Residential Life at MIT
Kat Howell, Associate Director for Training & Development / Senior Area Director
Sandy Alexandre, Associate Professor and Head of House
Sandra M Teixeira, Assistant Director of Residential Life/Area Director
John Ross Campbell, Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Residential Life
Margaret Patton Hanagan, Assistant Director, Residential Life/Area Director
Rebecca Kjaerbye, Associate Dean for Peer Leadership Development
Rachael Beaumont, Assistant Director of Residential Life/Area Director
Akimmie Parker, Assistant Director of Residential Life/Area Director
Amanda Putnam, Assistant Director of Residential Life/Area Director
Jas Boyd-Perry, Assistant Director of Residential Life/Area Director
Jacob Oppenheimer, Assistant Director of Residential Life/Area Director
Alejandra Villa, Administrative Assistant 2, Residential & Community Life
Madeline Cheeka, Floating Area Director/Program Coordinator, Residential & Community Life

JS Needed

Next Steps

We plan to support the Division of Student life in continuing to hold these community reflection conversations within the dorms in the coming 2025-2026 academic year. Highlights from these conversations will feature on future dorm websites to give prospective students a glimpse at what each dorm’s culture has to offer.

Get Involved

Check out our opportunities, fill out the interest form to pitch your own project, or email realtalk@mit.edu with questions! We would love to hear from you.