DD requested a double in Balch Hall but was assigned a single, 3444. We are wondering if anyone has experience with this room or unit? She is a little concered about a single vs double for meeting people but also understands that there are some advantages to the single. She might submit a housing change request hoping for a double. Thanks in advance!
My D was in the same wing but on the 5th floor her freshman year. The singles on her floor were pretty nice. She was in a double that was awful, as it was just about the same size as a single, but with 2 people. They literally had to climb over one of the desk chairs to reach the mini-fridge, and their beds were only about 1 1/2 feet apart. Some doubles in the 1 and 2 wings are large, but beware of some of the doubles in the 3 and 4 wings.
patatty. Thank you so much for taking the time to reply! Those older buildings have been divided up in so many ways. My daughter was sent a pdf from 1931 that was a guide to the women’s residence halls and her room was originally designated as a double. No floor plan but fun to read the rules etc. The cost of a room back then was $561. Wow! She will most likely stick with her assigned single. Thanks again!
Sticking with the single is a good idea. My D also had a double in Balch — and would have much preferred the space in a single.
On the social front, do encourage your D to attend a pre-orientation program to get a head start on making friends, and to make an effort to reach out to classmates during orientation. Balch has a reputation for being a bit more “quiet and studious” than some of the other first-year dorms, so it’s good for students to make an effort to make friends in the early weeks of freshman year.
There’s a facebook group for parents of the class of 2023 called Big Red Class of 2023 Parents. There is a lot of discussion about the various dorms that students have wound up in. You should join the group and you can get more info as it pertains to your daughter. Make sure you join this parent group and not the one called “Cornell University Class of 2023 -Parents” as that group is a fake group not run by parents, whereas the big Red group is a parent group run by freshman parents.