He says that House administrators, who are in charge of rooming, are made aware of the presence of one-person blocking groups when they receive a list of their House’s rising sophomores listed by blocking group.

Given the variety in the size of rooms available for sophomore Housing, it is up to the individual Houses to determine how to room floaters, according to McIntosh.

Adams House Master John G. “Sean” Palfrey ’67 says that in Adams, floaters are not guaranteed singles, nor do they always ask to be housed alone. He says that the House tries to accommodate their wishes and make them feel comfortable in their new House.

“I think it would be unfortunate if you just had floater rooms that were singles where people would just come in and not know anybody,” Palfrey says. “It would be sad.”

FLOATING INTO BLISS

But that’s not the case.

Frankel describes his decision to float as “the best choice that I could have made.” He says that entering Pforzheimer without a set group of friends forced him to become closer with other members of his House.

Similarly, Christianson says that although he has maintained his friendships with the people he chose not to block with, he too has become closer with his House because of his decision to float.

He also says that he appreciates having a new roommate whom, until this year, he had never met.

“It’s really been an incredible experience,” Christianson says. “It’s an opportunity for growth.”

Christianson adds that he believes that he and his roommate may have been assigned their two-room double, which he describes as “one of the best rooms in the House,” partially because of his decision to float.

He spoke with the Winthrop House administrator, Joanna G. Miller, before entering the House, and advises that other incoming freshman floaters do the same.

“Try to give them as much information as you can because the House administrator really does contribute to your future,” Christianson says.

Floating might not be for everyone, but those who are considering it should not be discouraged from doing so, Hopper says.

“If you want security, you might want to block with someone. But just do it if you’re not afraid to meet new people and not afraid to take a risk,” Hopper says.

—Staff writer Monika L. S. Robbins can be reached at mrobbins@college.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Hana N. Rouse can be reached at hrouse@college.harvard.edu.