For the first time since 2019, Lowers at Andover are now sharing dorms with Uppers and Seniors. This shift stems from an unexpected overcrowding issue, where the number of incoming ninth and tenth grade boarding students exceeded the available beds in dedicated lowerclassmen dorms. As a result, many new Lowers have been placed in traditionally upperclassmen-only dorms — Stimson House (Stimson) and Stevens House (Stevens) — sparking a unique dorm dynamic and blending experiences across grade levels.
Troy Turik, a house counselor in Stimson, emphasized the advantages of the recent dorm changes for new Lowers. He noted that Stimson’s current environment, which includes many students new to the dorm, fosters a supportive transition into Andover’s community.
“The mentoring that the upper class students do for the tenth graders really benefits them. So I see a lot of benefit to our tenth graders. Stimson this year has all new tenth graders, so they’re not only tenth graders, but they’re new to the school as well. It’s been really neat the way the Seniors and PGs especially have looked out for these students already,” said Turik.
Turik continued, “We had ten new tenth graders in the dorm out of 39 total. We have 12 returning Seniors, two of them are new. We have four PGs, and then the rest are returning eleventh graders… We’ve made our Proctors very well aware of the makeup of Stimson, so that they know who to check in on, who’s new, who’s been returning. We’re also unique in that only two students who lived in Stimson last year are with us, so it’s almost like everybody’s new. We have a new adult staff as well, so there’s a lot of newness in Stimson.”
Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Andover had dorms that contained a blend of Lowers, Uppers, and Seniors. Last year’s housing system — where dorms were categorized as Junior/Lower and Upper/Senior — is the result of a pilot program from 2019.
Susan Esty, Dean of Students and Residential Life, explained how this pilot aimed to ease the transition from Junior to Lower year by providing predictability to residential life. It allowed students to transition work-life balance skills from Lower year into Upper and Senior year.
“[Lowers] are still exploring clubs, activities, and friendship groups. In terms of cognitive ability, there’s a turning point at the end of Lower year, typically. The school work shifts in Upper year to being more abstract, with bigger and longer-term projects. That’s when we allow more freedoms. For the Uppers, we trust students more to manage their own sleep, nutrition, exercise, and health in general. By Upper year, they manage it better than they would when they first arrive and their parents just dropped them off,” said Esty.
Edward Cha ’27, a new Lower from South Korea who lives in Stimson, shared his positive experience with the dorm’s mentorship. He added that there are plenty of resources outside of the dorm for new students.
“In dorm meetings, older kids give useful advice. We just had a meeting where they talked about how to call home and gave school advice… In a ninth and tenth grade dorm, we probably wouldn’t get advice like that since everyone would be new… [Also], dorm meetings aren’t focused on new student advice. That’s what orientation is for… [so] I don’t think it’s a big issue since there are other programs to help new students,” said Cha.
Esty also spoke about how Andover’s approach to housing is evolving. She emphasized the importance of staying in the same dorm and pointed out Andover’s goal of fostering deeper connections between new students.
“We’re thinking about what residential life should look like at Andover now and in the future, especially for boarding students… What does it mean to be an Andover student? Are we supporting them the best way we can? These are the questions we’re discussing,” said Esty.
She continued, “We won’t force students to move dorms, especially if they want to stay as Uppers. Continuity matters. But I don’t know if we’ll have new Lowers in those dorms next year. We’ll fill the [Junior/Lower] beds and see. I’m curious to hear from the Lowers about their experiences.”
