Best Freshman Dorms at Tulane?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Tulane University
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<p>Alright… So, I haven’t posted on this forum for a while. But after being here at Tulane for a semester and knowing everything around campus, I can give you an overview of freshman dorms. Butler, although honors dorm, has fallen to the level of sharp and Monroe, at least this year. There are more TEMS (Tulane Emergency Medical Service) calls for Butler than any other dorm, mostly alcohol related. Honors kids also party very hard, at least this year.</p>

<p>I lived in Wall the first semester, and absolutely loved it. It’s definitely a better condition and closer community. I can say that because I am living in Sharp now, as an RA. Sharp’s living condition is night and day compared to wall. If you want to party, you can party anywhere. But if you want to study, and you live in Sharp, you have to go fight for a place in the library of B school. If u live in Wall, there are awesome study lounges.</p>

<p>If anybody ever has any questions regarding Housing and Residence Life, don’t hesitate to message me. I’m currently an RA (Resident Advisor), so I know mostly everything about Housing.</p>

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<p>That is pretty surprising about Butler. My D’s year (2009-2010) it was not like that at all, and no one seemed to think that last year either, at least not those living there last year that posted on here. Perhaps just an aberration this year, I guess time will tell.</p>

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<p>The problem was that this year Butler has a lot of non honors kids and wall had lots of honors kids. So the atmosphere kind of shifted. Maybe it’s just this year thought. I put in both of them as preference for my RA reapplication, so I’ll see how it is next year too.</p>

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<p>I have to second guhengsho on Butler now being a major party dorm. If you walk by Butler on any given afternoon/evening, there are pretty good chances that there is or will be a TEMS truck there. </p>

<p>At least last year (when I lived there), things seemed to be pretty segregated by floor. For example, the 8th floor was known as the party guys, 6th floor was known for quiet girls who kept to themselves, etc.</p>

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<p>Well, not that it matters, but I think that is not a good development regarding Butler. Seems to me it was nice that each dorm had a dominant character trait, so to speak, and that it gave students with different wants and needs a real choice. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying it should be a monestary, but this seems to go too far the other way. I wonder how much the last two class sizes being so large has to do with it?</p>

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<p>S2 lived in Sharp and did quite well academically (and socially). He said he is very happy he moved into Sharp. (He also said the girls side was more wild than the boys.) One can succeed anywhere. He said studying wasn’t much of an issue either in his room or elsewhere. He did move off-campus this year (figured out a way to do it as a sophomore) and loves it, and has lined up a great place for next year right next to campus.</p>

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<p>I’ll have to say that no matter where you live, you’ll like it. There’s always some people who are like you in your dorm, so you’ll definitely make some friends. And try to be an RA, it will make your living condition a whole lot better and cheaper!</p>

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<p>Thought I’d provide some information on Patterson since it is one of the smaller dorms so maybe that’s why not as much is said about it. Son is a freshman, he wasn’t sure what he was looking for when he did the housing app last year, so he chose 1 typical freshman dorm, looked at the options and chose Patterson. He has been very pleased with his choice and in fact, though he did apply to 2 special community programs for next year, will be staying in Patterson if they don’t work out. His roommate has applied for an RA position, so there maybe a roommate change, but he’s made several friends and isn’t concerned about finding a new one. Although it is billed as the wellness dorm, that does not mean there is no drinking, partying, etc… going on, but it does seem to be at a moderate level, though this may have something to do with size, as some of the other options and it doesn’t seem that there is a problem with including those people who don’t choose to indulge. They’ve had a few TEMS visits, sadly one the very first night, but at least some of these are due to residents of other dorms showing up already on their way, so to speak. </p>

<p>Probably a little more pot usage than son was expecting, but again, with the exception of a few, most still attend class, make their grades, etc… It seems, as the wellness dorm, “natural” is a preferred choice. He tells me there are a few real hippies there, though I’m not sure what he considers a hippie. </p>

<p>More LGBQ than he even thought about really, maybe not so much more, more open, not hidden, but again, he’s not had a problem. Though to be honest, he’s really a live and let live kind of guy, he likes who he likes, based on the person, trite though that may sound. Does a much better job of it than I do, to be truthful. </p>

<p>They have a popular common room, he tells me kids from other dorms actually come over fairly often. There is always something going on, and while he’s definitely not that into yoga, meditation, vegan etc, he has actually attended a few programs and had a few conversations leading to things he has called and said “why didn’t you ever tell me this”; now keep in mind, they’re usually things I did tell him, he just didn’t listen. So he’s walking, working out some (he’s trying to work up to every but not there yet), making healthier choices in meal, so he’s actually lost about 12 pounds. So while it’s not in your face, some wellness stuff is certainly sinking in. </p>

<p>They make their poor floor adviser work really hard sometimes to get them to come out for programs, meetings, etc…, so she’s resorted to bribing cookies, pizza etc… which works pretty well for guys. </p>

<p>He tells me not just his floor gets along, pretty much the whole dorm does. It is a mixed dorm, freshmen & up and he tells me that of course there are 1 or 2 kids that think they’re a cut above the rest, but basically he says they greet each other walking across campus, drag each other out to different things, (which has been good for son, giving him experiences beyond his norm, which to me is one of the things college should do). </p>

<p>Due to events son didn’t want to miss, he actually came in several times last semester (we’re about 7 hours away), which means I’ve been in the dorm several times. (that part of freshmen not being allowed cars has not been fun), and not only were the kids I saw out friendly to son, they also were friendly to me, not the least bit put off by having a parent show up. </p>

<p>So really, if you’ve got a student or are a student, who wants a mixture of quirky, unique kids as dorm-mates, if you like to party some, but don’t think you have to get wasted every weekend and are willing to get out in the city and try some different experiences, if you’re serious about your studies, but are working on that balance between school and fun, and are at least willing to listen to the wellness stuff, Patterson works. I don’t know if it’s like this every year, if this is just a really good year or what, but son is happy enough to stay next year.</p>

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<p>Scribbulus - I have to say, that seems like as good an experience as one could imagine. Great friends, new experiences, healthy lifestyle and balanced academic focus. Not sure if one could script it better. Thanks for the info.</p>

<p>Just one minor thing for those trying to do a search. It is Paterson with one “t”. Wouldn’t have mentioned it if not for the search issue.</p>

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<p>can anyone explain why on the Floorplan of Monroe there are Women’s and Men’s Bathrooms, but on the Sharp Floorplans there are only Unisex Bathrooms? What does that mean exactly?</p>

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<p>Meklove: You can probably see that Sharp has two wings that are perpendicular to one another. One wing of each floor is for men, the other for women. The bathrooms on each side are assigned to whichever sex is living in that wing. Some years, I believe there have been entire floor dedicated to women because there have simply been more females in the class. Men and women do not share the same bathroom if that is your concern.</p>

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<p>thank you kreativekat that makes sense, of course. No i didnt think they SHARED, it just didnt make any sense, but now of course it does.</p>

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<p>Are there any freshman dorm rooms with their own bathrooms? Or at least with a bathroom connected between two rooms? And if so, in what dorms are they in? Are they nice bathrooms? It seems that Sharp and Monroe only have communal bathrooms.</p>

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<p>I think the only dorm with a suite arrangement that a freshman could get into is Wall.</p>

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<p>As usual, fallenchemist beat me to it. Wall would be my recommendation for the desired bathroom request. What about Paterson? Does it have adjoining bathrooms?</p>

<p>** Here’s the floorplan for Paterson: <a href=“http://tulane.edu/studentaffairs/housing/under/upload/PATERSON-Floorplan.pdf[/url]”>http://tulane.edu/studentaffairs/housing/under/upload/PATERSON-Floorplan.pdf&lt;/a&gt; It works for the OP’s request</p>

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<p>Oh yes, Paterson also, although I think Paterson is a mix of hall type and some suites. Not sure, I never spent much time in Paterson. Thanks, jym.</p>

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<p>Wall is the best freshman dorm as living condition goes. It’s a whole different kind of community than sharp or monroe. The relationship you develop in the normal party dorms is party buddies and frat bros, sorority sisters. The relationship in wall is more mature and neighbor like. If you want to live somewhere nice and new with your own sink and bathroom, I would suggest wall. I lived there for a semester before I became the Sharp RA. And I liked it so much that I’m going back to wall as an RA next year.</p>

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<p>I’m looking at freshman housing for the Fall semester of 2012. I’m looking at the smaller dorms such as Wall and Paterson mainly because they’re quieter and not as party crazy. However, I still really want to meet new people and be a part of the social scene. How hard is it to get accepted into Wall? Would it be a bad decision to put it as my first choice if there’s a chance of getting rejected? And is Paterson really a good balance between fun and being laid back? Also, is it easy to meet a lot of people if the dorms are smaller?</p>

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<p>Where’s the best place for a lesbian?</p>

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<p>Northampton, MA ;)</p>