I have committed to UChicago, so now I just have to fill out my housing sheet. I’m curious if anybody on the board can help me with their own personal experiences or perspectives on the dorms I’m looking at. I definitely want a sense of the UChicago culture in my dorm, but I don’t know whether I could handle the super-quirkiness of Snitchcock, even though it is right in the middle of campus! I want to be surrounded by people who are open to going downtown and maybe a little bit more independent, but still pretty social – I want to be able to make friends and get to know house-mates easily! Right now some of the dorms that interest me the most are Blackstone, Breck, BJ, and maybe Snitchcock.
I’m interested in Blackstone, because it is a good middle ground between campus and the Metra for getting downtown, but I’ve heard that it’s a pretty quiet dorm and maybe isn’t the best for first years – I want a pretty strong house culture, so if you have anything more about Blackstone that would be great! Also, I’m from SoCal, so a long walk is a worry for my parents, so any feedback on long walks in the winter would be a great help!
Breck and Snitchcock are of course interesting to me, but I’ve heard them characterized as very “quirky” which worries me somewhat, because I’m not super “quirky”, even if I am somewhat, which is why I applied to UChicago! Any personal experiences at Breck or Snitchcock?
Also BJ is where I prospied, and I liked it! Again, I’m just looking for any personal experiences!
Any feedback on house culture and your own dorm experience at UChicago would be great!
My son is a 1st year and I asked him quick. He says Blackstone and Breck are very small and far from campus, particularly the dining halls. He also says that they’ve been told they are probably closing Blackstone and Breck and a few other small, far, and old dorms when North Campus opens in 2016. He assumes this means the houses from those dorms will probably be moved to the new dorm. That is something to consider. The nice thing at Chicago is that the residential house system makes for a smaller community in the bigger dorms, like BJ. He lives in South and loves it there. Even though it is supposed to be the more social dorm, it is far from “Animal House” with people who like to party and people who like to stay in and play board games with friends. You will find your people wherever you live.
Current Snitchcock first year here. I love it here! I also don’t consider myself super quirky – maybe a little quirky, yes, but relatively normal for UChicago. I picked Snitchcock primarily for location. For either here or Max Palevsky, you can’t get any better in terms of convenience. But Max P is ugly so why would you ever want to live there? I can wake up five minutes before class and still get there on time (not recommended). I have also found the community in Snitchcock to be very close-knit. You will find people you can be comfortable around. Much of your dorm experience can come down to who you’re roomed with or other factors not dependent on the specific dorm you’re in, such as roommate. For instance, I know some roommate pairs who just don’t get along. That is not because they live in Snitchcock.
I’d love to talk to you more about this, but I’ve got homework to do! I don’t log into CC much, but send me a pm and I’d be happy to answer any questions, dorm-related or otherwise, about UChicago. Cheers!
Hi,
I have a first year student at Uchi who is at Broadview which is one of the smaller faraway dorms.
While it is nice to have the single room, my student is already tired of the constant need to plan shuttle trips to the dining hall and other facilities -came home having lost weight from eating only one or two meals a day. On the other hand the single room does give you freedom . She was also thinking that Broadview would give her easier access to the city but in reality once course work starts you don’t have much time.
I think access to food should factor into your decision.
Think about the very conveniently located MaxP this way: if you live in it you don’t have to look at it!
I thought MaxP has a lot of athletes live there, because it opens up before school starts for athletes. So if you are athletic you probably will find common interest there.
@Emberdee I assume you are now at Uchicago. Which dorm do you end up with? Also, my son is looking into UChicago and it is still early but we want to hear what you would suggest, dorm wise. 
If you like modern amenities and a social environment, Granville-Grossman (called South) is a great dorm. It was built in 2009 and has its own dining hall. There is also late night dining, I think 9 pm to 12 am Monday through Thursday. My son is a freshman living there and loves the dorm, the convenience of the dining hall and the kids in his house. He had made so many friends and always has people to do things with. He also loves that it is quiet there at night. A new dorm called Campus North, will be ready for next year. It looks very impressive, with its own dining hall, but may not be as quiet as South given its location. My son already knows he is staying in South next year. Look online at the UChicago website. They show you what the dorms look like. Good luck.