Resident: George Nagel
Year: 2010
2007 Lottery Number: 2500's (In a range from 1500-2999)
Location: Latin Way E Tower
Pros: Spacious doubles, kitchen, proximity to Davis Square
Cons: Potential flooding, strangely shaped rooms
Difficulty of getting as a senior: Moderately high
Set between South and Haskell Hall on Powderhouse Avenue, Latin Way offers apartment-style living to sophomores, juniors and seniors. Latin Way consists of four floors, each with eight apartments, separated into six towers (A through F). Groups of four to six students can apply to live here (accepted students usually consist of juniors and/or seniors). the Office of Residential Life and Learning also makes selected doubles available for the regular housing lottery which often go to sophomores.
George Nagel is a sophomore who has lived in two suites in Latin Way. "Latin Way was our first choice," he said. "We knew that we wanted to live downhill." He found the dorm to be as far away from his engineering classes as South Hall, but a floor-plan check showed bigger doubles in Latin Way.
Nagel says that the presence of kitchens is an asset to the college lifestyle. "People bake, people make dinners, it's a definite pro," he said. Like many sophomores in Latin Way, Nagel previously lived in a double whose suite was made up of upperclassmen who had chosen to live together. "It's a good way to get to know upperclassman," Nagel said. Sociability within suites varies, Nagel said, but each suite tends to operate as its own island. "Unless you already know people from other suites, people don't tend to go from suite to suite. It's sort of isolated, that way."
Nagel said he believes that Latin Way can be made aesthetically pleasing by those who live there. "It's really up to the occupants. It's not inherently appealing, but depends on how you decorate the suite." However, Nagel experienced serious problems with flooding. "Our bathroom used to flood 2-3 times a week," Nagel said.
