Love for Hodgdon Hall
There is only one thing for every first-year student that is equally nerve-racking and uncontrollable. It is hard to believe that something so small can determine your future. And it is even more staggering to realize that your future is contingent on a single housing questionnaire and an algorithm that places you in one of 1,6000 possibilities across 12 buildings in Medford, Somerville, and Boston. That’s right—I’m talking about freshmen dorms.
When I got my random rooming assignment to a triple in Hodgdon Hall, I had no idea how attached I would become in just a few short months. While one side may claim to be superior in the “uphill versus downhill” rivalry, both sides of campus have their pros and cons. And luckily for me, there is no better dorm than Hodge.
Only a few steps from Hodgdon-On-The-Run, one of the retail and food court dining options, my dorm is the designated place for take-out and a night in. And if my friends and I do decide to get soft serve, Hodge is close enough to Dewick (the main dining hall) to go in slippers and not get any weird looks. It takes less than 3 minutes to walk to the Crafts Center, the Women's Center, and even the Campus Center (talk about a “central” location). And I can always count on the Davis shuttle that leaves every half an hour within a minute's walk from my front door.
When you meet someone from Hodge and they say they live on “2.5” or “1.5,” don’t be alarmed. Even though the floors are divided into East and West, the colloquial name of the “halves” is a part of the Hodgdon charm. And across the floors (0.5 to 3.5), there are plentiful kitchenette areas, three laundry rooms, and a spacious common room home.
In my triple, there is no lack of wall decor or books. We all wake up to a shared alarm but go to sleep depending on each person's homework load. Under my lofted bed is my desk, drawers, and a corkboard sporting some of my most recent memories at Tufts. We trade our natural sunlight for holiday lights when we show movies on our projector, make tea on cold Winter mornings, and put my mattress on the ground to binge shows like Derry Girls. So many memories have already been made in this room and outside, too. I have gotten to know my floormates while brushing my teeth or realizing they look familiar in our shared recitation.
Every year, 200 lucky students live in Hodge. And fingers crossed that whoever has room 233 next year appreciates it as much as I do!