<p>Is there anything I can do to get it?</p>
<p>No, you can't pick unless you want sub-free (Brown).</p>
<p>it doesn't just sound like the best . . . it is the best</p>
<p>I envy every freshman in that dorm. grrrrr</p>
<p>however bell tower does act too much like a hotel.... it is a little too fancy... personally i like being on the main quad</p>
<p>i live in gilbert-addoms ("g-a") this year. i'm from new york, and i remember walking into my new dormroom in august and thinking that I'd never felt that kind of heat in my entire life. But g-a had it's advantages--especially at the beginning of the year. It's a very social dorm, and most people keep they're doors open, since there's no air conditioning anyway. Eventually you can find some sort of effective system of air circulation with some good fans and you can regulate the temperature. after a month or so, the heat isn't really an issue at all. the rooms in some of the older dorms like g-a, are rather large (200 sq. ft). i think you can request air conditioning on the application, but there's no guarantees. in my opinion, no matter what your situation is, you'll be able to adjust smoothly and live comfortably as a freshman on duke's east campus.</p>
<p>For a current student:</p>
<p>Is there any disadvantage in the fact that Belltower has a police station integrated into the building?</p>
<p>well i don't live there, but i don't think it's really noticeable. no one liives on the first floor of belltower. it's just common rooms, and a few classrooms and offices. most major parties at duke are on west campus, where they're permitted. something on east, (a room party or the like) would much more likely be busted by an r.a. than the cops. in general, police are important to campus safety, and i think it's a pretty good location for them.</p>
<p>I hear the police station in bell tower is like a 2x2 room basically. Plus there's a ramp that goes straight to the second floor entrance, so you never really have to go through the first floor.</p>
<p>Yea, that's true. Sometimes, the police station in Belltower isn't even staffed. Plus, to be honest, the police are that big on busting underage drinking. As was said, it's much more likely (if at all) you will get busted by an RA. The general unspoken rule of RA's, though, is that if you keep your door closed and don't get obnoxiously loud, they won't come knocking to see what you're up to. The officers seem to be much more concerned with making sure you don't hurt yourself in other ways and also want to just keep the campus generally safe at night.</p>
<p>Even the police can't do anything if your door is shut, I think. Some people were smoking drugs next door, and the GA called the police. They banged on the door, but since nobody answered it, they couldn't do anything. :eek:</p>
<p>I wouldn't like living in Bell Tower. I had one of my classes in there last semester, and it was a long walk.</p>
<p>Initially, in the first week, Belltower appears the best because it has air conditioning, plasma tvs on every floor, and spacious rooms. However, I've lived in Alspaugh this year, and after a year here, I would much rather live on the main quad (Alspaugh, Basset, Pegram, Brown, Giles, Wilson, Jarvis, or Aycock) because you are near all of the activity. Both Belltower and Southgate seem removed and don't really seem as much a part of the main quad. However, my friends in those dorms have still had great experiences at Belltower and Southgate. In the end, you will probably have a great time whereever you are placed. PS One secret plus of living in Basset and Alspaugh is that you get to become good friends with the basketball players because you live with them.</p>