Is New House the best dorm at MIT?

Love this dorm. Super new and modern. Love the culture houses and the numbered houses. It’s easy to make friends with your house. Some have their own “meal plans” that offer lunch/dinner. It’s cheaper than the MIT meal plan and it’s homemade! Everyone I’ve met outside my house is also really kind. It’s a bit of a walk but you get used to it. I find the walk worth it for the culture and personality of New.

I am a recent alum who lived in New House (French House) before it was renovated (back in the day when most people had a single in my cultural house... I think the times have changed, though, sorry). I have also visited it after the renovation. Honestly the best thing about the house are the people and the food. The "meal plan" is an order of magnitude cheaper than the official MIT meal plan, and you get to cook together with teams of your friends and learn how to make different cultural dishes. That said, it's definitely not a "party" dorm, so don't expect tons of "cool" events. Lots of people do really varied activities like the outing club, theater troupes, dancing etc. Best years of my life happened here, being able to mingle with people simply over tea or fancy wine and cheese nights, talk about everything from philosophy to languages to poetry to planning random trips outside of the city for hiking and sightseeing... if you're this type of person, you will love it.

Newly renovated and filled with huge kitchens and cozy lounges. Strong house culture - one of the most inclusive dorms from what I've seen. Distance can be annoying for getting to class in the morning but wasn't a dealbreaker for me. It's also right next to Next and Simmons which are the best dining halls (though a lot of people cook for themselves)

The cultural houses are amazing! Super tight-knit. Many of them have a cooking co-op style, where everyone pitches in to help the house.