For many Emerson students, the commute to class is a quick walk on Boylston Street or a scenic one-block route from Paramount. However, for the second year in a row, some students on campus don’t call Downtown Boston home.
“I feel like a commuter student without any of the benefits,” said Max Bodwin, a sophomore mechanical engineering major at the Wentworth Institute of Technology who lives in Emerson’s Little Building as part of a “mutually beneficial housing arrangement” between the two colleges this academic year.
Wentworth reached out to Emerson as they have a “strong, collegial relationship with many of [Boston’s colleges],” says Christie Anglade, Vice President of Student Affairs. After Emerson confirmed that they had accommodated all students requesting on-campus housing, they opened their doors to Wentworth students.
“[It’s] really hard, truthfully,” Bowdin said of his commute to Wentworth. Wentworth is located two miles away, which he said usually takes 32 minutes on the Green Line from Boylston to MFA, plus a walk to reach campus every morning.
“Once I get on campus, then I’m there all day until it’s time for bed because it’s too hard to go back and forth,” he said. Wentworth students living at Emerson do receive a free MBTA pass for the year to help cover commuting costs, according to Bowdin.
Bowdin’s experience is not unique; he is one of the all-male sophomore and junior Wentworth students living in Little Building this year. Wentworth’s student population is 73.5% male and 26.5% female, according to U.S. News and World Report in its 2025 data.
He said the communication he received from Wentworth before he was finally assigned to the Little Building over the summer was confusing.
“They just kept putting off the date when they would tell us. I kept emailing [administration], but they just said to be patient,” he said. When room assignments were released, Bowdin said he was given only two weeks’ notice. As a result, he had to move alone because his mom didn’t have enough time off work.
Anglade confirmed in a statement to The Beacon that the student selection process was managed internally by Wentworth.
Once their list was confirmed, Emerson worked with Wentworth to assign specific spaces and coordinate logistics to make the transition “as seamless as possible,” Anglade wrote in the statement.
Housing & Residential Education at Wentworth did not respond to multiple requests for comment on their selection process.
Wentworth students receive five meal swipes per week for Emerson’s campus, and they have a different supplemental meal plan at Wentworth. The Wentworth plans are similar to Emerson’s, where students can opt to use more meal swipes or their dining points at on-campus convenience stores or cafes.
In comparison to other floors, the dedicated floor for Wentworth students lacks community, said both Bowdin and other Wentworth students. There are minimal flyers and decorations on their floor, while other floors in the first-year dorm building have a much bigger personality, with floor themes and decorated bulletin boards. These concerns echo that of the Boston Architectural College students who had a similar agreement last year.
“I have an Emerson ID and email, but that’s it,” Bowdin said, adding that his interview with The Beacon was the first time he had spoken with an Emerson student.
According to Anglade, in addition to having a dedicated Emerson Residential Assistant who provides the same residence hall programs and community-building activities offered to Emerson students, Wentworth students also receive support from Wentworth Peer Advisors who live on site at Emerson.
“Staff from both institutions meet regularly to coordinate communication, address questions, and ensure the students feel supported and comfortable during their time on campus,” Anglade wrote in a statement to The Beacon.
For Wentworth athletes, their schedules are even more complicated. David Sader, a sophomore civil engineering major, said that being a fall athlete living at Emerson makes his routine exhausting. Sader, who runs cross country, described his morning as waking up at 4:30 a.m. to catch the 5:20 a.m. train just in time to make a 6 a.m. practice at Wentworth’s Fenway campus.
“I essentially don’t sleep,” Sader said.
With many of the Wentworth students spending most of their time off of Emerson’s campus, there isn’t much time for on-campus activities.
“I try to spend as little time here as possible,” Sader said. “All my friends are at [Wentworth], and I don’t have any friends here except my roommate. I never see anyone on this floor, and when I do, we just nod and go about our own lives.”
For Sader, feelings of isolation extend beyond location to the cultural differences he sees between Emerson students and Wentworth students.
“Everyone here has been nice enough, I guess,” he said. “But the thing about theater kids is for sure true. I hear a lot about shows and performances and less about real school.”
“[Emerson students] have a look to them. I don’t mean that in a bad way, it’s just a look that I can’t describe,” Sader continued.
Anglade described the early stages of the housing cooperation as overall steady and cooperative.
“The students have engaged respectfully with our community, and both colleges are in regular contact to address questions quickly and ensure a positive experience,” she wrote in a statement.