Boston University students will have the option of living in the Hyatt Regency hotel in Cambridge during the fall 2008 semester, continuing this year’s effort to place freshmen in on-campus residences while upperclassmen fill spots in overflow rooms the school rents.

Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore sent an email to the student body yesterday, urging upperclassmen to live in the Hyatt so incoming freshmen to find housing on the Charles River Campus.

“We cannot underestimate the role of physical proximity during a student’s first year at the University as an important aspect of welcoming and establishing a sense of connection between the student and this vibrant community,” Elmore said in the email.

He said BU was able to house the majority of incoming freshman on the Charles River Campus last year because many upperclassmen opted to live in the Hyatt.

“Overall, our students came through,” Elmore said. “The majority of returning students who lived in the Hyatt found the experience to be an enjoyable one.”

BU has used the Hyatt for additional housing during fall semesters since fall 2002, university spokesman Colin Riley said. Last year, about 150 students volunteered to live in the Hyatt, and 250 students lived in the Hyatt last semester.

Riley said students who live in the Hyatt will receive their first choice of housing for fall 2009, when Student Village 2 will be open.

Sophomore Elliott Smith said he had a hard time making friends with his neighbors when he moved to the Hyatt his freshman year. Students could not leave their doors open because it was against hotel rules, Smith said.

“Being a newcomer to Boston and separated from campus, I didn’t like having to have my door closed all day,” Smith said.

Smith said students chatted with each other when they took the shuttle bus that runs between the Hyatt and Commonwealth Avenue.

“The shuttle wasn’t as well-run as it is now,” Smith said. “It was never on time. I had to run to class.”

College of Engineering junior Ali Hasan said he had no problems with the shuttle bus until he took his final exams.

“It was fine throughout the school year,” Hasan said. “For two of my exams, the bus didn’t show up. I had to take a cab to campus because I had no other option. If I were to walk, I would have been late.”

Hasan said he enjoyed the quiet atmosphere of the Hyatt.

“I was mostly not living with freshman,” he said. “It was not rowdy or noisy.”

Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences sophomore John Mills said the shuttle helped him get to class on time when he lived in the Hyatt.

“If you missed it or you were in a rush, you’d have to walk,” Mills said.

CAS sophomore Elizabeth McNamee said the bus was supposed to run every 20 minutes but took longer to arrive.

“If you wanted to get to class on time, you’d have to leave an hour and a half earlier,” she said.