Dorms, Advisors, and "Bigs"
Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors live in dorms by gender and grade, and our seniors live throughout our dorms as big siblings who support and guide. This is how we do "life together!"
Each dorm features a central common room. This is where you'll gather as a dorm, and where all functions—birthday celebrations, ice cream parties, group games, and other formal and informal activities—happen.
Underclassmen gain a great deal from their dorm parents and seniors, but they learn most about themselves and others by sharing a home with students from a wide variety of backgrounds. Our dorms are an extension of our classrooms, where trust, communication, respect, human connection, and friendship become as essential as anything taught from a syllabus.
Your Community of Care
Living "on dorm" presents a new way of making a home, with new rituals, responsibilities, and people. Our residential life program is structured to support younger students as they adjust to life at St. Andrew's, and it provides older students with opportunities for leadership as they advance toward life after St. Andrew's. Living on dorm builds character and independence, shifts perspectives, and asks student to seek common ground in uncommon places.
The Dorm Team
Right down the hall, you'll find a faculty member—your dorm parent. Perhaps it's your history teacher, your soccer coach—or, in some cases, both! Their door is always open to you. Your dorm parent is responsible for you and the fellow students who live on your dorm. They help you navigate the highs and lows of life at St. Andrew's—and of growing up in general.
Each dorm parent is assisted by a dorm team of three to four other faculty members. Dorm teams are on dorm each evening from 7:45 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. They help students coordinate dorm functions, and support each dorm's senior student leadership team.
The senior residential leaders who live on your dorm are responsible for most of dorm day-to-day leadership and community life. They host dorm functions, hold meetings, work with dorm parents to resolve residential issues, supervise nightly check-ins, and more. Think of them as your go-to resource and guide for anything you might need: they can offer tips on academic success, a sympathetic ear on a difficult day, or deep thoughts to help you explore the nature of life and the universe!
The Advising System
Every student has a faculty advisor; new students are assigned an advisor, and returning students choose their advisor each year. Your advisor mentors and guides you in all aspects of life at St. Andrew's, from the academic to the social and everything in between. Students meet with their advisor regularly—typically at least once a week—in settings both formal and informal, working through everything from academic questions to the everyday business of life at school. Advisors also keep parents connected to what's happening on campus, through conferences, calls, and email.
You, and up to eight fellow advisees, gather regularly for "advisory functions"—dinners at your advisor's home, birthday parties, off-campus excursions, and more. You'll also spend midmorning break together once a week. Your advisory serves as a "mini-family" on campus. Twice a month, the whole advisory sits together for Thursday lunch in the Dining Hall.
Big/Little Siblings
Mentoring a younger St. Andrew's student is the most important responsibility of any senior. Our Big/Little Sibling program pairs each new student with a senior mentor. You and your "Big" will connect each week. One day, when it's your turn to be the Big, you'll reflect on your early moments at St. Andrew's, and how firm a foundation your mentor helped build for you, and the cycle will continue.
