Pluses & minuses for each of the Frosh dorms. Are there any current students who can weigh in on which one(s) they think are best?
Mather and McBride are known as being more of “party dorms” because they’re not on the freshman quad and I believe upperclassmen can live in them too. That being said I know people who lived there who didn’t party so it’s not like anyone will be forced into anything. So if you like a more social atmosphere those might be worth considering, plus they do have A/C. The dorms on the freshman quad are Lewis, Gund, and Norton. Lewis and Norton are virtually the same except Norton is all girls where Lewis is co-ed, Gund is different architecturally and also has a bigger study lounge (which all students can access) plus a laundry room. The rooms on the quad are a lot bigger than those in Mather and McBride which in my experience was really nice; the dorms themselves are also much smaller (two floors) which usually gives them more of a community feel. Personally, I love the dorms on the quad but the “best” dorm really just depends on your personality and priorities: do you really want A/C or is more space better, do you want to be around more people or be in a quieter setting, etc. Hope that helps!!
Yes, actually this was quite helpful thank you! I didn’t realize Norton was all girls, so that will have to come off the list.
Last year my daughter hemmed and hawed over which dorm to choose. She liked Lewis because it was bigger, but liked that McBride/Mather had laundry in the building and A/C. She was worried about living in the “party” dorm for fear she wouldn’t be able to study and as an athlete would be kept up on weekends when she needed to get up early for meets etc. She ended up in Mather and loves it. She actually liked that is a little more social but says it’s not loud or obnoxious and she studies there quite a bit! The only reason why she goes to Ascension etc. is to force herself to bite the bullet and get to work… not because Mather is too loud. Honestly, it kind of seems like you can’t go wrong wherever you end up. 