Choosing RBA: Housing Choice + Advising Choice = RBA Choice

To participate in Residence-Based Advising (RBA) make sure you follow these three important steps:

• Housing Choice: If you want to live in an RBA residence (McCormick Hall, Next House, Chocolate City or Spanish House), be sure to rank these dorms in your top four choices, when you enter the Summer Housing Lottery. Remember that Next House and Spanish House are co-ed, while Chocolate City is open only to men and McCormick Hall is open only to women. NOTE: the deadline for the Housing Lottery and submitting your advising preferences is June 13.
  
  
• Advising Choice: Students living in McCormick Hall or Next House, choose from among the select group of RBA Seminars designed for each residence, or choose to be advised by a RBA traditional advisor, who is committed to being actively involved in programming within the residence. In seminars, advising is integrated with a seminar class taught by your advisor. In the Traditional advising option, advising occurs in the course of meetings with your advisor.  RBA Seminar options available specifically for RBA residents of McCormick Hall and/or Next House are available from the RBA Seminars section of the Freshman Advising Seminar Descriptions section.
  
  Note: If you are assigned to Chocolate City, you will participate in the Freshman Advising Seminar SEM.135: Race, Identity, and Academic Achievement. If you are assigned to Spanish House, you will be advised by a Traditional Advisor.
  
  
• RBA and Learning Communities: You may participate in any of the Learning Communities (e.g. Experimental Study Group [ESG], Media Arts and Sciences [MAS], Terrascope, Concourse) and still be part of RBA. You’ll learn more about this during Orientation. However, keep these considerations in mind as you make your advising decision :

• If you plan to apply for Terrascope and Mission 2012, you must elect Traditional Advising.
  
  
• If you wish to participate in the MAS Learning Community, you must elect Traditional Advising.

For more information about the Learning Communities at MIT, please refer to the Learning Communities page in the Right Now section.

See the Advising section for complete information on advising options, plus advice on selecting the type of advising that is right for you. 

• Placement is limited to the number of freshmen spaces in each RBA residence.   Therefore, follow the instructions provided on the Summer Housing Lottery site carefully, so that you properly elect your other options. If you choose RBA and are not placed in an RBA residence by the Summer Housing Lottery, UAAP staff will contact you over the summer to discuss another advising choice.

For additional information on Residence-Based Advising or to pose questions specific to RBA, contact Dan Chapman, RBA Coordinator, at 617-253-9764 or rba-info@mit.edu.