HOUSING

Housing

Can't find what you're looking for? Send an email to fsilg-office@mit.edu

A complete comprehensive spreadsheet on All 75 Official Undergrad & Grad Dorm/FSILG (including data such as distance from campus, room rent price, summer availability, pets allowed, parking availability and additional/security deposit fees) is on the H2GAMIT Website.

General Resources for Dorms

myhousing.mit.edu
mitguidetoresidences.mit.edu
studentlife.mit.edu

Off-Campus Support: mitoffcampus.com

Admissions Blogs About Picking Your Dorms:
mitadmissions.org/.../temp_assignments_and_cautionar/

i3

An Archive of over 390 i3 Videos, Housing Tours, and Building Info Sessions from 2001-2023 are on the H2GAMIT Website.

Housing Exhibitions (REX, Rush, & FYRE)

One of the many things that makes MIT very unique compared to other institutions, especially the other Iv(y/ies) — MIT actually gives their students a say in finding a community that speaks to them and want to live in. This system is called Residence Exploration, or REX.

The Equivalent for Fraternities is Rush! (no, it doesn't stand for anything)

FYRE: You will have a temporary room assignment until you are moved into your permanent room in September. If you want to switch in or out from/to a different dorm, you'll have the option to enter the First Year Residence Exchange (FYRE) to transfer to your final housing assignment.

Tips for REX:

  • Only Unpack as necessary (live for a week)
  • Wait until after the 2nd Week to buy heavy furniture, such as minifridges or couches.
  • Explore EC and talk to upperclassmen
  • House Team as a resource in case of conflict
  • Let other people deal with your parents.
  • Some of our quirks — how most students don't stay in their temp room, the murals, sometimes lacking a dining hall, the apparent disarray, etc.
  • There are teams dedicated to communicating the wellbeing of First-Years, reach out at ec-welcome@mit.edu

Undergraduate Dorms

East Campus

ec.mit.edu
ec.mit.edu/wiki

Admissions Blogs:
A Brief History of Cars on Fire
A Time Capsule of East Campus

Fred Fest — All the cool stuff for REX and Special Orientation Events happens in the EC courtyard. Massive Construction Project, that always needs volunteers. Round the clock grilling (vegan and beef burgers), hot dogs (mystery meat), hair dyeing.

EC is only sometimes rollercoasters, loud music, and parties. Each of the 10 halls can be its own dorm and culture. Email ec-welcome@mit.edu to have a chat and learn about which communities in EC or on campus would be best for you.

HOTES

BenCuts

Free Media Shelf in Talbot

EC Minecraft: youtu.be/1PZGgqbMWdc

Communal Scallion

EC Culture Troves: East Campus Archive

Construction Process

Renncomm
betterworld.mit.edu/.../east-campus-renovation/

Doc-Com
forms.gle/zoPyAQBtEKu557v69

Specific/Meme Mailing Lists

im-hassing-a-personal-problem
im-having-a-blanching-problem
im-having-a-crowdfunded-project-problem
im-having-a-laundry-problem
im-having-a-personal-network-problem
im-having-a-personal-problem
im-having-a-personal-sale
im-having-a-straight-problem
im-having-laundry-problem

East Campus History and Cultural Club engage.mit.edu/...club_id=53238 engage.mit.edu/ECHCC/

McCormick

mccormick.mit.edu
mcctechhelp.mit.edu

Did you Know? McCormick used to have outdoor water fountains but they were removed. Likely for their "unspeakable deliciousness."
mitadmissions.org

Maseeh Hall

maseeh.mit.edu

Did You Know? Maseeh Hall literally used to be a hotel, and even when it was owned by MIT it wasn't Maseeh — it used to be a Grad Dorm called 'Ashdown' and before in the 90's it went through a round of name tennis.
mitadmissions.org/.../mas33h-hall/
mitadmissions.org/.../fariborz_maseeh_hall/

Random Hall

random-hall.mit.edu

Did You Know? Random Hall Had a Milk Carton...
mitadmissions.org/.../milk-cookies-and-dangerous-secrets/

Reading Break

mitadmissions.org/.../the-random-hall-milk/
mitadmissions.org/.../random-random-projects/

MacGregor

macgregor.mit.edu

Did you know? Even though MacGregor was advertised as a Co-Ed Dorm it "somehow" stuck to all males for quite a while.
mitadmissions.org/.../macg-50ish-years-ago/

mitadmissions.org/.../maker-space/

mitadmissions.org/.../life-on-campus/

Burton-Conner

burton-conner.mit.edu

mitadmissions.org/.../burtonconner_floor_rush/
Dance Till You Drop: mitadmissions.org
Apple Bake: mitadmissions.org

Next-House

next.mit.edu

Next Haunt facebook.com/nexthaunt/ next.mit.edu/haunt/timeturner Performing Arts, Theatre, Crafts
Next Act engage.mit.edu/...club_id=52809 nextact.mit.edu Performing Arts, Theatre
Next Sing engage.mit.edu/...club_id=53189 engage.mit.edu/NextSing/ Performing Arts, Vocals, Theatre

Simmons Hall

simmons.mit.edu

mitadmissions.org/.../happy-birthday-simmons-hall/
Gaming Break

New House

newhouse.mit.edu
dh.scripts.mit.edu

mitadmissions.org/.../food-and-cooking-at-mit/

Comedy Break

Baker

baker.mit.edu

Baker Piano Drop

General Resources

Laundry: laundry.mit.edu
Dining: mit.cafebonappetit.com
*See the MIT Facilities Chapter

Guest List and Tapping In

  • Access is only from 8am-12:30am daily.
  • Between 12:30am and 8am, all guests must be signed/tapped in in accordance with the standard visitor policy.
  • The guest must be compliant in COVID Pass to enter.
  • Guests can still sign in at the Security Desk if they forget their MIT ID, but will need to be escorted.
  • Express guests CANNOT bring in other guests. Security staff will report this and the host will be referred to the House Team.
  • Hosts are responsible for the actions of their Express Guests at all times within the residence hall.
  • Guest List Pause: As a standard practice during the holiday and IAP periods, all guest lists will be temporarily paused between the last day of classes and last day of IAP.

Contact: housingsecurity@mit.edu or (617) 324-6407

More Rules

  • Technically supposed to tap your ID at all times,
  • Even if you're not the one who opened the building
  • Express guest list shouldn't tap others in
  • Security monitors the doors and write down times people tap others into the building, tailgate others, or open the doors from inside to let people in.
  • The Consequences of this can be several punitive, express guest lists for entire dorms have been temporarily suspended because of incidents

mitadmissions.org/.../tips-for-a-pleasant-olfactory-experience/

Sub-Leasing your Dorm: sublicensecenter.mit.edu

The Elephant in the Room

mitadmissions.org/.../beyond_the_iron_curtain/
mitadmissions.org/.../structure_and_function_dorms/
saveseniorhouse.mit.edu

mitadmissions.org/.../mit-regressions-2/

mitadmissions.org/.../the_imagination_box/

What Happened to Senior House:

The Case of Burton Conner:

At its most unpleasant it can be this.

Fraternities

Map of FSILGs: FSILG Map

Misconceptions about MIT Frats

Governing Bodies:
mitifc.com
IFC Judicial Committee Outcomes: mitifc.com/ifc-judicial-committee-outcomes

Strong Anti-Hazing Policy:
fsilg-task-force.mit.edu
hazefree.mit.edu
mitadmissions.org/.../fraternities_mit/
mitadmissions.org/.../22-tales-from-tep/

List of Fraternities:

Sororities

mitadmissions.org/.../find-your-home-under-the-dome/
mitadmissions.org/.../i-never-thought-i-would-join-a-sorority/

Governing Body: mitpanhel.com

List of Sororities:

ILGs — Independent Living Groups

mitadmissions.org/.../ilgs_at_mit/

pika.mit.edu
pikans.org/about.html

List of ILGs:

Warning about WILG — Email Thread

Student House — Proudly naming themselves the least-expensive living community. A good bit of the residents come from humble backgrounds, identifying as international and/or low-income students. Daytime shuttle stops are only 2 minutes away. Weekly social events, group outings, an off-campus retreat, and a Fall/Spring formal! Dinner is provided Sunday to Thursday nights. It is a dry house and Drugs are also strictly forbidden.

Apply: Application Form
Fall: Fall Application
Website: studs.mit.edu
Email: student-house-officers@mit.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/MITStudentHouse

Graduate Dorms

graduatehousing.mit.edu

Off-Campus

General House Finding:

campusrent.com
mitoffcampus.com
bostonapartments.com
bostoncityproperties.com
bostonplans.org
mit.uloop.com
cambridgeside.com

Admissions Blogs about the Hunt:
Choosing Your Own Adventure
I Moved Off Campus
Navigating Housing 101

Rental Protection & Safety

TLDR: Don't sign a sketchy lease.

Protect your deposits:

  • You can lose your deposit over technicalities by management companies.
  • Some deposits are not refundable, even if "a tenancy was not created."
  • Never rent sight unseen.
  • Never send first payments through Venmo/cash app/zelle.
  • Take pictures when you arrive and after you leave so your security deposit doesn't get kept from you for no reason.
  • You can double check the owners of the property on the town assessors database.
  • Boston has quite a few rat/mice, bed bug, house centipedes, cockroaches, and just general pests so having a landlord that actually cares can really make a huge difference.

Landlords to Avoid:

  • Avoid properties with Alpha Management / Anwar Faisal — Alpha Management and other Anwar Faisal properties prey upon low income college students. Lower rents at the expense of numerous health code and building code violations. Black mold and roaches are frequent problems.
  • James Herms preys around the east side and sublets out a house near campus to primarily young, queer people who report having their privacy violated and generally feeling unsafe.
  • Have an adult or mitoffcampus help you read the agreements.

What to do with a bad landlord: If you do move in somewhere and see your rents rising or there are maintenance issues, you could try forming a tenants union. Alpha tenants did this in 2020 with help from the Greater Boston Tenants Union.

Legal / Government Resources:

*See Help! For Emergency/Temporary Shelters

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