Additional housing follow up and Meet-and-Greets

This message was sent by Chris Ossont on July 31, 2025

 

Hello!

I hope your summer is going well and taking in all the summer has to offer. It is hard to believe that your journey at Swarthmore begins in just under a month! In this regard, we would like to share some updates with you about the start of the semester:

Housing Assignments:

As of July 28th, your room assignment has been uploaded to your housing portal in addition to the name of your roommate. We encourage students to connect with one another as you prepare for your arrival. Students can connect with one another via their Swarthmore email as an initial point of contact. Housing will not provide students with phone numbers or personal emails. We encourage you to connect via the college’s main communication channel to establish that initial connection. 

We have been getting a few questions, two in particular that I would like to address to everyone!

1.) Move-in for all first-year and transfer students is August 26th. August 29th is the default date set in the housing portal for all returning students.

2.) Several individuals have asked to see floor plans of the buildings. Unfortunately, we cannot share floor plans via email. There will be opportunities in two weeks to discuss specific community attributes that we address further in this email.
 

 A few quick points regarding your assignment:

  • What will my room be like? - Now that you have your assignment, we are sure you have a lot of questions! While we can’t answer every specific question that you may have, we will do our best to help provide the fullest picture possible. On 8/13 at 2 pm and 8/14 at 10 am our Area Coordinators will be hosting a meet-and-greet to introduce you to the community and answer questions you may have. While we won’t be able to tell you about your specific room, we hope to provide a general overview of the building you will be staying in. A Zoom link will be shared with you closer to the dates listed above.

  • Assignments cannot be changed - We know that students may really want to be in one particular residence hall or find out friends live in other spaces on campus. Unfortunately, we cannot make every preference a reality and we work towards meeting the needs of our students. As we begin this journey together, we invite you to lean into the experience and create the community that you want to live in. A piece of advice from someone who has worked with residential communities a long time: Community is not a building that you live in; it is the memories you build, the friends you make, and the adventures you have along the way. 

  • What if I have a pending housing accommodation? - At this point, individuals who present new accommodations to the Student Disabilities Service Office may be placed on a waiting list to meet their accommodations. While we will do our best to meet those accommodations in a timely manner, a student who does not have an approved accommodation may need to wait for a space to open. If you have already received an approval letter for a housing accommodation, it will be reflected in the assignment that you were given. 


What to pack:

Packing can be a fun, yet very stressful experience as part of your transition to a new place. Our goal is to provide you with a list of things that you NEED to be successful here in the year. I want to stress that when packing you should pack lighter than you think. You will move at least 8 times while you are here at Swarthmore; making sure that you only pack what you need is essential. You can always get something when you arrive on campus, but removing it is sometimes more difficult. 

 Keep in mind that everyone’s packing list will look slightly different. For individuals who live close by, you may only bring what you need for the immediate future and switch some things out over fall break. For students that live far away, you may be bringing everything you need for the year! A full list of what to bring, and what not to bring, can be found here. Below are just a few additional reminders:

  • Talk to your roommate about what you are bringing - keep in mind that your space is not infinite. The more things you bring the less space you may have. We encourage students to only have one mini fridge or microfridge per space. 

  • Minifriedge update - While we are in the process of updating our websites, we wanted to highlight one change. Please note the following about minifridges and microfridge: mall, residence hall-size fridges may be brought by students so long as they are energy-starr rated; recommended dimensions are no larger than 24" high, 18" deep and 18" wide. Unless rented through th MyMicroFridge program, microwaves are not allowed in the residence hall rooms.

  • What not to bring - We want to highlight the things that students SHOULD NOT BRING  to campus as they are violations of our Student Code of Conduct. 

    • Large pieces of furniture such as coaches or futons

    • Air conditioners

    • Space heaters

    • Cooking appliances (toasters, toaster ovens, Foreman ™-style grills, hot plates, and/or anything with an open heating element)

    • Candles, halogen lamps, incense , and/or flammable substances

    • Microwaves ("MyMicroFridge" units contain a built-in microwave; these are the only microwaves permitted in individual dorm rooms )

    • Pets of any kind

    • Wireless routers (they can interfere with the wireless network)

This is an exciting time of year for all of us! We know that you will have plenty of questions as you prepare to arrive on campus and the team is happy and ready to assist you. Please note that this time of year the OSE gets a high number of emails and calls. We will get back to you as soon as possible to answer any questions that you may have.

We are looking forward to seeing you in just a month and welcoming you to campus

Regards,

Res Comm Team