When pre-frosh read descriptions of MIT undergraduate residences, the first eye-catching fact about MacGregor is that almost everyone gets a single room. Pre-frosh have traditionally reacted to this unique situation in one of two ways. On one extreme, those who are anxious about having college roommates and strongly desire privacy may blindly select MacGregor as a first choice for this reason alone. On the other hand, those who want to be more social and active in college may view “singles” as a disadvantage, naively thinking that having no roommates and not sharing a floor with fifty to a hundred other students will somehow worsen their college social experience.

Fortunately, ideal MacGregor residents do not fit into either of these extremes. We are not all reclusive hermits who want to lock ourselves up into our own rooms, and, at the same time, we are not all in constant search for the coolest people to be around or the best parties on campus. By living here, we enjoy having the best of both worlds - an active undergraduate dorm experience balanced with a comforting sense of privacy and personal space. Although we don’t get to have fifty to a hundred neighbors on our floor, we’re able to know our ten, twenty, or thirty entry neighbors far better. As a result, we have the ability to create a more personal community within our suites and entries.

MacGregor singles are ideally suited for one person, and many provide great views of either Boston or Cambridge. The rooms remain fairly quiet, so it’s a great place to relax after a hard day on campus. Many people prefer to study in their rooms, but others like to work in groups in the lounges or seminar room.

Each suite has a kitchen which is shared by its six to eight residents.

You can often find suitemates cooking together. These boys are making mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner ... mmm

MacGregor singles are arranged in a suite of six to eight rooms. There are also five smaller two-person suites in the tower. Each suite has a kitchen (refrigerator, stove, sink, and sometimes an oven), a bathroom which is cleaned weekly by house workers, and a private suite lounge. Around dinnertime, you will often see suitemates hanging out and cooking together in the kitchens. Each suite is free to do whatever it wants to its suite lounge – one suite converted theirs into a music room, others converted it into a game room with ping pong or air hockey tables, and some have made it into a TV and music room with big comfortable sofas. In addition, some suite lounges make great study rooms.

Just the right amount of privacy

When you aren’t in the mood to socialize, or you really need to get your work done, just shut your door and nobody will bug you. Most of the time, though, MacGregor residents have their doors open. Kitchens, lounges, TV's, pool tables, and all of the amenities of an undergraduate dorm are just a few steps away when you need them, but when you feel like you need your own space, just shut your door and the outside world disappears (until you open it again).

Everywhere you go on campus there are people who prefer to keep to themselves, as well as people who are very active and social. MacGregor is no exception. Having roommates doesn’t mean that you are automatically a social person, just as having a single doesn’t imply that you are automatically anti-social. Hopefully, watching the i3 video has given you a sense of what we are like as a dorm. Most of us take our work seriously and we value our personal space; however, we simultaneously love the communities and close friendships we build by living in MacGregor. Come by anytime and ask for a tour. You may just like what you see.

Large suite bathrooms contain three sinks, a toilet, urinal, and shower. Only six to eight people share a bathroom, so it is always kept clean and there are rarely conflicts for bathroom time.

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