Are dorms really that bad??

<p>Hi! I want to apply winter early decision to Swarthmore. I think Swarthmore is the perfect fit for me. However, the only reason I am still thinking is because I was told Swarthmore has terrible dorms. I know it sounds silly to not go to a great school because of its dorms, but I have been to boarding school and terrible dorms really makes me uncomfortable. So my questions is are dorms really that terrible ??</p>

<p>No. They range from fine to great. The ones which are perhaps physically the worst are sometimes socially the best, and also the problems are aesthetic and not really substantial - things are generally clean, not broken, generally windows are of a good size, everyone has green views etc.</p>

<p>Swarthmore has little chance of winning the “dorms are like palaces” award, but I’d hardly call the dorms terrible. Some dorms are nicer than others, of course.</p>

<p>Between my two kids, they have lived in 5 different dorms so far. None could be classified as “terrible.” They ranged from “OK” aesthetically (but with good freshman social life) to “great,” because a great dorm with good social life. Don’t know where you heard there were “terrible” dorms. Some locations more desirable than others? Yes. But I’m guessing that’s true at every school.</p>

<p>As a current Swattie, I can attest to the opinions already asserted. Having visited at least 20 schools during my college tours, and visited with my friends at other schools in the Northeast, I can say confidently that Swat dorms rank in the upper-middle echelon of dorms. Granted, yes, there are a couple of dorms that leave something to be desired, aesthetically, but rooms are sizable, heat is quite adequate, and hall life is abundant on most floors at Swat. Definitely don’t let the dorms hold back your app. It won’t be a deal-breaker, IMHO.</p>

<p>To be honest, I don’t care about room size nor walking distance. The only real concern are the bathrooms, are they generally clean or crowded??</p>

<p>I live in Mertz, which is a nice dorm, and I can say the bathrooms are very well kept on my hall. There are cleaning crew people that come daily and spend the day cleaning, so I’d say it’s not something to worry about. Other colleges I’ve visited are very different in that respect.</p>

<p>I’ve used bathrooms in several of the “worse” dorms (Willets and PPR)–they are perfectly clean. Even Willets, which is known as the underclassmen party dorm, has spacious showers with a latched changing area.</p>

<p>Thanks!!! If bathrooms aren’t a problem then there is nothing I need to worry about.
Anyways, I already applied ED2 :)</p>