<p>hey girls, this is in case you were LUCKY (and i emphasize that) to land into balch hall. i tell you this because last year i lived there and had an amazing time. many girls at first hate the fact that they live in a girls-only hall, but trust me, balch is one of the nicest dorms on campus (and don't let anyone tell you otherwise!). below are some GREAT reasons why balch is AWESOME!
1. closest dorm on north campus to central campus. cuts your walking time down by a few minutes, and makes rainy days ok when you get to just go in right away!
2. beautiful interiors- wide sweeping staircases, lounges with fireplaces and antique-style furniture. it's old-feeling without actually being old- they replace furniture all of the time.
3. BIGGEST ROOMS EVER. most singles are the size of typical doubles in other dorms, and doubles/triples are GIGANTIC.
4. wonderful in-dorm programming by RAs. i know 2 of them next year and they are AMAZING.</p>
<p>if you have any questions about balch (or housing in general), feel free to post them here, PM me, whatever. i'm at work, but i'll try to answer them as soon as possible! :)</p>
<p>i actually landed a UG double in balch hall and it said that there was a adjoining sink with the next room, so does that mean there's a bathroom between the two rooms?</p>
<p>Not a full bathroom, just a sink.</p>
<p>correct. there are bathrooms for each unit or each section (I lived in 4-2, so both the lower/upper parts had a bathroom). You only get access to a sink/light. Most singles will share a sink (in its own room) between the two rooms, but doubles/triples/some singles have their own sinks. Just work out who will bring the soap! :)</p>
<p>Outside of the fact there are no guys in Balch, it really is superior to just about every other dorm. The facilities are very nice, there is a ton of programming and support, and it is very close to central campus (closer than any other dorm on North).</p>
<p>How many rooms/people are there in each of the units? what does it mean by unit anyway</p>
<p>Ok, this is a bit confusing, but bear with me.
Balch is 'U' shaped- there are 4 units overall. If you're facing the front, standing beneath the arch at the bottom of the 'U', the two units on your left are Units 1 and 2. The two on your right (which also have the Carol Tatkon Center and Balch's Womyn's Center) are Units 3 and 4. There are 5 floors in Balch, floors 2-6. Not each unit will have rooms on each floor (ie. Unit 1 does not have a 6th floor, Unit 4 does not have a 2nd floor because of the Tatkon).
So, for example, my room from last year was 4276 (a fantastic room :D). The '4' indicates the floor, 4th floor. The '2' indicates Unit 2, the left side of the 'U'. '76' is the room #.</p>
<p>Floors are grouped by 'unit'. I was in 4-2. Each unit/2 units has its own RA, and its own toilet. A few units are split by a few stairs, as was my unit- there was a 'lower' and an 'upper' 4-2.</p>
<p>Each section has its own lounge. Unit 1 has a BEAUTIFUL study lounge, Unit 2 has a TV lounge and a study lounge, Unit 3 has a TV lounge, and Unit 4 has a small TV lounge and a study lounge. You can obviously use any of the lounges. A nice benefit is also the fact that you can walk to the Tatkon Center and get a smoothie in your slippers! :)</p>
<p>I hope this was helpful/easy to understand.. if you need more clarification just let me know! :)</p>
<p>Forgot to add, there are roughly 20-30 girls in each section (4-2, etc).</p>
<p>How does the connected sinks work? Haha... like... uh locks on both side? or..</p>
<p>i also heard that even though guys don't live there, they freely roam the halls often if you would still like play out your "oh you caught me after my shower" fantasies lol</p>
<p>lol I didn't see too many just "roaming" around alone. After all, you can't just walk into Balch if you're a guy. You need someone to let you in which means the guys who go to Balch typically have "business" of some sort.</p>
<p>Hmmm, I personally did not enjoy living in Balch.</p>
<p>For starters, the labyrinth of narrow hallways reminded me of “The Shining.” I was seriously expecting to see a crazed, axe-wielding Jack Nicholson running around the building. </p>
<p>And not everyone can revel over a large room. My room was extremely small. Cornell’s tma website even has it listed as “the small double.” I couldn’t fit anything in there other than a small fridge.</p>
<p>Some people really do enjoy living in Balch though.... I just had a horrible experience ( i.e. a severely broken heater, a non-functional sink for 2 months, bathroom lock-downs etc)</p>
<p>Advantages:
-Tatkon Center- My writing seminar was held there. It was nice not having to wear snow boots to get to class.
- It is generally a quiet place to study (except on gray’s night)</p>
<p>Does anyone who lived there have any pictures of the inside? I saw a couple on the classof website, but any other than that? Is it really social, I mean, I know it changes with who is where and what not, but are the girls typical? Are there mainly singles/mainly doubles?
I think that I'm happy about being in Balch--apart from the horror stories from some people. oh..just curious. what does the unit 4 side overlook? I'm in the 4360s...just curious.
thanks for the help! I enjoy reading about whats going to go on next year : )</p>
<p>what does UG stand for???/
mine's like UG single...</p>
<p>undergraduate</p>
<p>i mean....I can't think of anything else that it could be.</p>
<p>seuferk - I lived in the 4360s this past year in Balch. If you message me your room number, I can tell you exactly where you'll overlook and send you a pic of the outside of the room that indicates which window is your room. And you're actually in unit 3, not unit 4. The first number indicates the floor.</p>
<p>UG stands for undergraduate</p>
<p>And my experience in Balch was great as well. The tatkon center downstairs is really nice and there's even a cafe. So you can go down and grab food or drinks really conveniently. Also, guys are allowed in Balch and can even stay the night as long as they're escorted by someone who lives in the building.</p>
<p>ooops, I'm an absolute idiot. I wrote the wrong thing. I'm in the 3460s....I'm not really sure why I wrote the other. Really about the guys? wow..in a freshman dorm that kind of surprises me. Haha, I'm sorry for the confusion, but I really appreciate the help that you could have given me ;)</p>
<p>I'm glad that you enjoyed it--I'm kind of sick of it being called the "nunnery"</p>
<p>galgrl24...tell me something about 4360s?? since mine is 54...so do you have pictures and stuff to show???</p>
<p>I'm a guy, but lived in Balch last summer as part of my research stipend. I've lived in several dorms at more than one university, so here are my two cents:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Balch is really hot during the summer. Get lots of fans or be ready to fight for couches in the air-conditioned common rooms when the heat is unbearable.</p></li>
<li><p>The rooms are huge. Square feet per person, the biggest dorms I've ever stayed in. Large windows mean they're nice and bright too. And big closets to boot! Mine had kind of a musty smell, though.</p></li>
<li><p>Good location. Right across the footbridge to academic buildings (the road bridge is out, though).</p></li>
<li><p>Weird rules. Don't know if it's different for regular term, but I got threatened with a citation for carrying beer to my room even though I was of age. Apparently I was pressuring other people to drink merely by possessing alcohol (that's what the RA told me). I went to a state school for undergrad, and by God if you were 21 you could have a full bar in your room if you wanted...so this was a little strange to me.</p></li>
<li><p>Beautiful building. But then again the whole campus is picturesque.</p></li>
<li><p>Frustrating elevator. It's old, and requires you to shut the door behind you, or it won't operate. Comes complete with an obnoxious buzzer for you to ring if you need someone to close the door. Even with just a few dozen researchers living in the building, the thing rarely worked without running up the stairs to close open elevator doors. A hall full of freshman seems like it would render the elevator effectively inoperable, but maybe not. The buzzer, however, always works.</p></li>
<li><p>Might be magical. I'm going back to Cornell for graduate work this fall, and so is my girlfriend -- whom I met in Balch while I was there last year. My research advisor, a Cornell alum, met his wife at Cornell while she was living in Balch -- over thirty years ago.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Thank you for reading my meandering, unhelpful response.</p>
<p>AGHH....you guys already know about housing?? Is it posted online or was it mailed??? I am an incoming freshman in HE by the way..</p>