For most students here at the college, Housing Day is the pinnacle of their first-year. For me, it was the day I was dreading the most.
It all started before winter break when my proctor started sharing information with us about what was upcoming in the next few months to prepare us for our sophomore year. We had a lot of entryway meetings and discussions with our PAFs about the eventful time. While my peers were buzzing with excitement about the opportunity, I was filled with an unresolved feeling of dread. =
Everyone around me was so excited to form their blocking groups, get dorm-stormed with their friends, and do whatever it took to get a river house. I, on the other hand, couldn’t stop stressing about what my next steps would be. As a first-year, all I had to do was fill out a form to be matched with my roommate by a higher power (the residential deans), but now the decision was in my hands, and I wasn’t sure that I wanted it to be.
After weighing my options, there was really only one thing I could do: block alone. When I described my plan, everyone made it seem like such an outlandish thing to do. Nobody could understand why, when given the chance to choose who I wanted to live with, I was essentially giving up my free will.
Tip #1: Not everyone needs to understand why you do what you do. You understand yourself better than anyone else, so don’t make yourself uncomfortable for anyone else’s comfort.
And that’s what I did. When the deadline came, I officially entered into the housing day lottery as a blocking group of one.
The next few months were a whirlwind. I really went through the motions, including all the entryway meetings covering what to expect on the highly anticipated Housing Day. Even so, it felt like a lot of the messaging didn’t apply to me. All the warnings about not blocking with love interests or the advice to have open and honest conversations with potential block mates. All of this is very important to know, but I couldn’t help but feel like it didn’t even slightly relate to what I was going through.
Tip #2: Reach out! It might seem scary to ask other people all these questions, but almost everyone will be more than happy to answer them.
After talking to some of my upperclassmen friends, including my PAF, I felt a lot more prepared for that fateful day. Even though I was still a bit nervous about what exactly would happen, a lot of my worries were put to rest. And so, on Wednesday, March 6th, I went to bed knowing that everything would be okay.
I woke up early the next morning, filled with a mixture of nervousness and excitement. I was in Greenough my first year, so I received my letter later in the day. Around 9am, I got a knock on my door, and I was informed that I was sorted into the best house on campus: Quincy!
The rest of the day was a blur. In all honesty, I did still feel a bit lost as I went through all the traditions. I went to Annenberg by myself to go pick up my House Merch. I talked to some people about meeting up for dinner in our new dining hall, but I felt like I was just tagging along to their blocking group.
Tip #3: Relax. I know it might be stressful, I know it might feel lonely. But, genuinely, it will all work out how it needs to work out.
The rest of the night was a lot better for me than the start of the day. I ended up meeting up with a few of my friends who also got sorted into Quincy. We went up to the Penthouse to meet our Faculty Deans, headed over to our first Festa, and learned a lot about the house we are so lucky to spend the next three years in. By the time I got back to my dorm room that night, I couldn’t believe I had stressed myself out so much the night before.
