<p>Does anybody have suggestions for dorm or food plan selection?</p>
<p>We've been told that the students don't like the food and often eat of campus. The suggestion was to get the lowest meal plan (you're required to have one) and give our S more cash to eat at the significant number of places off campus. We ate on campus during a recent visit and found it much better than the dorm food my S's been getting at his current school. There were lots of places to eat between CMU and Pitt, though.</p>
<p>I'd be interested in hearing a dorm recommendation, too. Our guide said that most freshmen who could got into New House across Forbes street from campus. It's nearly new and one of the few dorms on campus with air conditioning. The rooms do look small in the virtual tour and there are only places for 261 students.</p>
<p>Donner House looked like our second choice.</p>
<p>Strick: As a parent, I was a little wary that we were not allowed to see any dorms on our tour last summer, not were we shown anywhere to eat. How did you go about getting to see anything? I was considering just going on our own to see what we could, although this is certainly not the best system.</p>
<p>Strick11, my S lived his freshman yr in Donner, this was 4 yrs ago before New House. His first choice was Morewood, second was Donner. I know he enjoyed Donner...the location was great, but most dorms are convenient because CMU is compact. Altho it doesn't win any beauty contests for it's exterior, his room was quite large. The common areas had just been re-done, like floor lounges and kitchens so they're "new" as of about 5 yrs ago. He lived on a basement floor with just one bathroom, which didn't bother him (it was an all male floor in a coed dorm, which he ended up actually really liking). It seemed to be a very social floor, I think Donner in general is known for this. </p>
<p>I think your assessment on the meal plan is about right. My S never complained but he isn't picky. The options are numerous but I'd agree go with the lowest required meal plan.</p>
<p>lkf725, we saw plenty of dorm rooms on our tour so I don't know what was up with that. If you don't live too far from Pittsburgh, I would hope if you called Admissions with your concerns they would accommodate you on a return trip.</p>
<p>The places to eat are scattered, many right there in the University Center. One thing I don't like is there is not one main large dining room, like a lot of other schools have. I think it would be good socially as well as for the food, and I think I would have included this when they built the UC a few years ago.</p>
<p>lkf725, we really didn't get to see the dorms either, other than to catch a glimpse of New House over our guide's shoulder as she described it. We intended to but ran out of time. I'm basing things on our guide's description and the virtual tours you can take at CMU's Housing website. Except for our concern over room size, New House, built in 2003, did seem nice, much nicer than my S's current dorm (he's finishing high school at a nearby university in a dual enrollment program).</p>
<p>I just came back from a trip to Pittsburgh. I saw New House - my friend currently lives there. The rooms ARE smaller than other floors but the great thing about that, my friend says, is that nobody spends much time in their dorms. The social scene in New House is great, people hang out in the lounges and such. The rooms were not uncomfortably small AND the bathrooms were amazing. - Everything was new.</p>
<p>Newhouse is the place to be. The rooms are a tad small, but everything is new and it has air conditioning. Also, make sure that, if you can, you try to go out to eat in pittsburgh at some point. There are a lot of good places to eat.</p>
<p>Henderson House is a very nice dorm. It is for those that want substance free housing.</p>
<p>We took a lesser meal plan this year and put the money in Campus Express so that our S could eat on and off campus, (like Subway). This seems to be working well.</p>
<p>When we visited my S and I got to the hotel a little late. The pub the guy at the front desk directed offered 1/2 priced food after 11 pm. My S thought that other restaurants in the area did the same thing. I don't know how often he'd take advantage of it, but my S found that appealing.</p>
<p>Just visited....Campus food is pretty awful. I spent a night clutching my stomach after eating at their mexican joint " Si Senor". Donner House is the default freshman dorm, but New House is enviornmentally friendly with smaller rooms and air conditioning. The best place to eat on campus is Gingers- located in the Tepper School of Business.</p>
<p>Never eat Tex-Mex north of the Red River.</p>
<p>DIG33-</p>
<p>What type of food is at Gingers?</p>
<p>Soups, Sandwiches, Salads- Pretty healthy stuff compared to the rest of the campus places.</p>