<p>Hi all,
I know that there is another thread over this that is a couple of years old, but I wanted to make another one to answer some specific questions I had. I am an admitted student, and have put down my deposit.
I) Room Size
The housing website lists Max as 10<em>12 doubles and BJ as 12</em>10 singles? Is this accurate; a single being almost as large as a double? For residents of Max, does your room feel small?
II) Bathrooms
Max has private bathroom, BJ shared ones that are cleaned daily. Are the ones in BJ older? Is there a solid wall between showers, or only a curtain?
III) Community
I have heard that the house culture at BJ is a lot more tight, which I definitely like. Is having a single a disadvantage when it comes to making friends, or does the tight house culture kind of make up for this? If I am somewhat introverted, but want to and will try to make friends,is it a bad idea to have a single, even as spacious as they are? Would it be more easy for one remain socially isolated in Max?</p>
<p>Other Questions
If I put BJ as my first choice, and paid my deposit in February,will I likely get it? Is it difficult to go without AC in BJ? About how long is the walk to the Reg? And is the area of Hyde Park a runner-friendly area?
Thanks!</p>
<p>Answering for my 2nd year son(he won’t make an account here), I can help with a few of the BJ questions.</p>
<ol>
<li>Most of the single rooms are large at BJ, especially the rooms available to you after 1st year. The few doubles are really large.
2.Bathrooms are communal, and older. Very clean (and you don’t have to do it yourself). Don’t remember about showers, though. Most are co-ed, which works out surprisingly well.
3.House culture is tight. Many activities are planned within each house, and most everyone participates-at least in my son’s house. He is somewhat introverted, and having a single was initially a concern-mostly for his parents who were worried he would stay in his room all day and night.But he keeps his door open and participates in many of the planned house activities. Having a single is just fine for him.</li>
<li>Don’t know if you will get BJ with a Feb. deposit. With the 2 years ahead of you over-enrolled and Pierce is gone, housing is tight. But it doesn’t hurt to list it 1st and see what happens.</li>
</ol>
<p>The walk to the Reg is maybe 10-15 min, but it seems like most students in my S’s house go to Harper. It is right across the street. </p>
<p>Good luck, and hopefully students from both dorms will answer as well.</p>
<p>Hey ewigewig, I’m a parent but I’ll take a shot at what I know. My son is a first year, but not in BJ or Max. He sent his deposit in late so he did not get his first 3 choices, which included both BJ and Max. I will add that though he didn’t get any of his first 3 choices, he’s fairly happy with his physical location and set up, and very happy with his house mates.</p>
<p>If you send your deposit in February, you’ve got a good shot at either BJ or Max because you will be ahead of all the RD applicants and many of the EA’s.</p>
<p>I can’t imagine AC is a big issue at UChicago. Because of the quarter system, you are not in your dorm room as a first year till the third week of September. You will be out of the room by the third week of June. The weather between those two dates is mostly moderate to cold. </p>
<p>In my opinion Hyde Park is runner friendly. It’s not Corvallis, but its a very good environment for an urban campus. The neighborhoods all have sidewalks, and if you’re serious you can find your way to the lakefront where you can run pretty much unimpeded into downtown Chicago. The neighborhoods to the East and North and certainly around campus are safe. The outside running environment is more restrictive of course when the snow piles up and the temp gets below 10, but still doable. My son loves to run, and he does it as much as time and weather allow. He just happily texted me about going out with some new running partners this coming Saturday morning. </p>
<p>BJ to the Reg is about a 10-15 minute walk, depending how fast you go. Staight accross the midway, accross the quad and you’re there. </p>
<p>Good luck to you!</p>