<p>Hi, I'm a prospective Rochester student and wanted to know what is generally considered the best dorming hall for freshman. I know first year students are limited to: Susan B. Anthony Halls, Gilbert Hall, Hoeing, Tiernan, and Lovejoy Halls. Based off of your experiences with these halls I would like to know which single dorm hall is best , aesthetically, whether it be the bathrooms, laundromats , or overall sense of community. Any input is appreciated. Thanks:D</p>
<p>I don’t think there’s much difference at all because the community varies each year and the other variations aren’t large. So for example, you can have a better view at SueB but you could get stuck looking out at the roof below. </p>
<p>I think any of the freshman halls are fine. The upper quad dorms have bigger rooms and are closer to classrooms, but Sue B has a dining hall inside the building. </p>
<p>Community cohort changes from year to year so it’s impossible to say.</p>
<p>My guy (now a junior) has lived in freshmen housing all three years - the first year as a freshman (Quad) and the other two working with freshmen as a D’Lion (Sue B) and an RA (Quad). He really prefers being on the Quad. But that’s him. Who knows what you’d prefer? As mentioned earlier, there are pros and cons to each place.</p>
<p>Hey! Gilbert and Hoeing are the best halls imho - great location and best room size/quality. Sue B might be best if you are trying to make friends, but from my friends’ experiences, that period for making friends is usually first semester. In short: over the course of frosh year, Quad (Gilbert, Hoeing) is the best option. I lived on the Quad and loved it. </p>
<p>My son lived in Tiernan. His room was quite large. He became very close with all the students on the 3rd floor and has remained close to them now 2 years later. I think what I liked about the Quads is there is grass and pathways when you walk out the door. Susan B is a high rise like apartment building so it may be more familiar to some. </p>
Which dorms are newer and have better facilities? If there is a difference, how big is it? I was leaning toward Sue B but I’m not so sure anymore
Amjiee, what is important to you?
The quads are closer to the the gym area. Susan B has a dining hall in the building. They are each about the same distance to Wilson Commons.
Hi! This is Creekland’s son. As my mom mentioned, I have lived in Freshman housing all 3 years, both in the Quad and Sue B.
Personally, I agree that Hoeing and Gilbert are the best dorms to live in (although, I prefer Hoeing due to the smaller floor size that helps build floor community, and it is slightly closer to Wilson commons). The Quad is closer to Wilson Commons (which is mighty convenient for midnight snacks and when walking to club events, etc.), has nicer bathrooms, is closer to Retner/LeChase (some of my favorite study areas), has bigger rooms, the convenience of not having half the student body living in your building (bringing in sickness, noises, and extra dirt), and leads to you leaving your dorm more to make friends from all other parts of campus. However, you do need to leave for your meals and will need to exit the building to visit friends in other buildings.
Sue B does have food on its first floor (both Danforth and Hillside Market). This is great if you want easy access to food when you don’t want to leave your building. However, it makes it really easy to get to food… too easy if you are trying to not get the freshman 15. They are closer to Gleason Library and the ITS (also popular study areas), house more of the freshman population, and depending on which wing you live on may have a good view (or the dreaded roof view if you’re unlucky). There is a stereotype that Sue B people don’t know anything about the Quad… this is not always true, but tends to be the norm. Also, a lot more people share your bathroom… which can get annoying (especially when people who don’t live on your floor “invade”).
Community will vary depending on the year. A lot of that depends on you. Do you want to live on a bigger or smaller floor? Choose the environment that will be best suited to allow you to contribute to your community 
Some of your best friends will be made freshman year. If you have any specific questions feel free to ask. Freshman housing has been my life so I am happy to share and explain my opinions!
My kid was in SueB and then as an RA in the Quad and SueB, as well as in O’Brien when it opened. (Some of these were summer if you are wondering.) I’ve asked: no real preference. The campus isn’t huge and it’s never that far into the tunnel/hallways and those don’t go to the science buildings or the med school. Food is more a preference about which place has food you want or if you tend to buy stuff at the market in SueB (or spend it all at Starbucks, etc.). In some schools, choice of dorm really matters; some are very far or inconvenient for certain fields or have nicer rooms by a lot. Not true at UR, unless you’re talking about the brand new stuff.
Oh wow thank you all for the replies!
I think that the quality of the facilities is important to me, so now I’m leaning toward the Quads. I think I can survive not having Danforth in the building (though I’m wondering what kind of food is sold at the Wilson Commons?), but I’m a little worried that I may miss out on the whole meet a ton of new people experience.
Thanks for the input everyone!
Students at the quads are closer to the Douglas dinning hall which is right next to Wilson Commons. Wilson has a salad bar, i think a Panda express, pizza and perhaps burgers and Starbucks upstairs. You use the declining money part of your meal plan to eat there. I believe they are building a new place where the old bookstore was next door so you are close to plenty of food.
You will not miss out on meeting people. Orientation week you spend time with your entire quad dorm and do things with just your floor so you have a chance to connect with those close to you. I don’t know how Susan B does it, Creekland’s son knows. But he will also tell you that the RA’s, Fellows and D’Lions work hard to provide opportunities for the students to bond. They are really good at that so you won’t feel left out.
This is Creekland’s son again.
I agree with Lakemom, no matter where you live you will not miss meeting people. Susan B isn’t much different than the Quad. At either you go to orientation events with your floor wing (Hollister, Morgan, Gates, or Gannett if in Sue B).
In Wilson Commons they have the following: Panda Express, a grill station, Pizza Pi, a salad bar, Starbucks, Blimpies, sushi, the Common Market (a magical candy shop), and other assorted snack foods. Also, they’re replacing the current Zoca’s with a new gourmet burrito station (for which I’m very excited!).
Orientation is a wonderful time of exploring campus, adjusting to your dorm, and meeting a lot of amazing new friends! Before you even arrive on campus, your RAs, Freshmen Fellows, and D’Lions are all training and preparing to make your first year on campus amazing We do this by planning hall bonding programs and working together to answer any/all questions you may have. Just remember, college is what you make of it. Take advantage of the opportunities your Reslife team offers for bonding… you will have fun and get much more out of the experience.
D spent 3 yrs living on the quad–loved the location, then spent senior year at Riverview apartments. Apartments were extremely nice, and a walk across a bridge from the rest of the campus, or a bus ride if you prefer.
Thank you again for these amazingly helpful replies! I am definitely going for the Quad now. Is there a particular reason why Hoeing and Gilbert are preferred over Tiernan and Lovejoy?
Good question. Gilbert is the largest quad dorm and Hoeing is right next to it. They are next to the gym. Tiernan and Lovejoy are on the Fraternity road side of the quad so are sort of separated by lawns and walkways. I think some of it is the luck of the draw in terms of what type of students are in your year. I believe Gilbert might have some additional rec space the other dorms don’t have.
Creekland’s son:
Both Gilbert and Hoeing are closest to the gym and to Wilson Commons (essential when you don’t want to walk in the snow long distances). Lovejoy only has 1-2 floors for freshmen and the rest are upperclassmen, so it has that different dynamic. Plus, there aren’t water fountains in Lovejoy. Tiernan is located on the far corner of the quad… not super much difference in distance, but it can make all the difference in the snow (or if you just need that extra minute to get to class on time). However, it is closer to the footbridge leading across the river.
Gilbert and and Tiernan are larger (Gilbert being the largest, and Hoeing & Lovejoy being about equal size). Both larger dorms have a public common lounge on their first floor. However, Hoeing just added extra study rooms on their first floor, and as always these rooms are open to everyone… not just those who live in those dorms. Gilbert’s large floors are nice if you want a lot of people on your floor, but I’ve always been partial to Hoeing’s smaller floor sizes (you’re less likely to get “lost” in my opinion).
Quite honestly, you will learn to love whichever dorm/floor you end up living on. The differences are relatively small and it’s just a matter of personal preference among the minutiae at this point. But in general, depending on your living size preferences, I would recommend Hoeing or Gilbert.
With the note that all the rooms at UR are big. I mean bigger than you’d expect for a couple of people.
Thanks for all the replies. Which dorm to choose is now D’s biggest dilemma. I am so happy she is able to focus on that instead of writing more essays or waiting for replies from other colleges.