<p>So I’ve been looking for threads about housing, but maybe I didn’t search far back enough. I’ve read all the info. on the website, but I’d like a student’s perspective. For example, I’m interested in Haffner b/c of international theme to it. Any advice on any of the dorms? How hard is it to move off-campus in later years?</p>
<p>I’m a current student. Haffner is nice because you will definitely get a single, even as a freshman, but it tends to be a quiet dorm and you may never see people in the halls. It is also in a good location - close to dinning halls. </p>
<p>As far as other dorms are concerned, I would probably advise against Brecon. It’s actually not that far off campus, but there is a giant “valley of death,” through which you must walk to get to class, the blue bus, or the libraries. Some people really like the walk, others find it burdensome (especially when carrying books). On the other hand, living in Brecon is a good excuse to bring a bike. </p>
<p>Most of the other dorms are basically the same. Of note: As a freshman you will probably have a roommate, but if you live in the Pems you may end up in a three room triple.</p>
<p>Thanks, Madwoman. Is housing all the same price? I can’t seem to find anything particular about housing costs on the Bryn Mawr website.</p>
<p>The college charges a flat rate for housing, regardless of whether you live in a single or a quad.</p>
<p>Incoming students don’t get to choose where they want to live, but you can express a preference for or against Haffner (language-themed housing) and Merion (winter break housing - someone else might live in your room over break). Haffner and Erdman are the only dorms with singles for freshmen. Most freshmen live in doubles or triples and there are a small number of quads. </p>
<p>As MadWoman said, the dorms are pretty similar but there are a few differences worth noting. Every dorm has some attractive feature as well as some disadvantages:</p>
<p>Brecon is a really nice dorm with a pool table and some gigantic freshmen doubles. Upperclass students choose to live in Brecon because of its strong sense of community and/or because the distance to main campus forces them to get regular exercise.</p>
<p>Radnor is known as the party dorm. Some students have voiced concerns that Radnor is too cliquy and that students who are not as interested in the social events are having a hard time integrating themselves into the dorm community.</p>
<p>Merion is very centrally located and has some nice rooms, but the bathrooms are in dire need of renovation.</p>
<p>The Pems and Denbigh are popular dorms and on the social side, but they can be noisy.</p>
<p>Erdman has the largest freshmen and sophomore singles on campus, provides summer storage space and has many small bathrooms (only shared by 5-6 people each). The bathroom situation is quite ideal during flu season, when infections are usually contained in small hall groups instead of spreading to the entire dorm. Erdman residents can go to breakfast in PJs when everyone else is wearing snow boots to breakfast. On the downside, the building is plain ugly. It looks and feels very much like a prison: bare concrete walls, bathrooms without windows. </p>
<p>We also have two co-ops on campus. They house a small number of students (7 and 13) who are interested in a common topic: Batten is an environmental co-op and Perry is the Black Cultural Center. The co-ops have kitchens, unlike the dorms 
Freshmen are not eligible to live in the co-ops, but they are an interesting option to keep in mind for the future.</p>
<p>I visited Bryn Mawr for their “fall preview days” last November and my host-roommate was in Brecon. The distance from the main campus wasn’t so bad, but I wasn’t overly fond of having to go down a flight of stairs and then back up a different set of stairs before reaching the main campus. It was good exercise though! My host-roommate told me Brecon’s motto is “best legs on campus” :)</p>
<p>“Haffner and Erdman are the only dorms with singles for freshmen.”</p>
<p>They don’t put freshmen in the skylight singles of Rock any more?</p>
<p>How do you like Haffner and Erdman?</p>
<p>I’ve only seen the Haffner and Erdman dining halls. I really like Denbigh, though.</p>
<p>I am also facing a similar dilemma. I would prefer a single room. I didn’t really like Brecon. The others seemed good. I checked out Haffner and Erdman on BMC’s website as they are the only ones offering singles to frosh. The former is a language centre n the latter a black cultural one. I am from Pakistan. I haven’t taken any foreign language. Will this inhibit me from taking a room in any of them?</p>
<p>Perry is the black cultural center. Erdman is a regular dorm, and with more than 150 beds one of the largest on campus. I have lived in Erdman for two years in a row and I would have drawn into Erdman again if I wasn’t moving to an apartment next year. It’s my favorite dorm on campus: decent-sized rooms, nice bathrooms, close to food, close to transportation and close to town. </p>
<p>I should point out though that the freshmen rooms in Erdman kind of suck. The frosh singles are located right underneath the dining hall and get all sorts of interesting noises: chairs scratching on your ceiling, music from the dishroom, water running through the sewer pipes that go right through your room, etc. It can be a bit depressing down there.</p>
<p>b@r!um–can you describe Rhoads? The advantages and disadvantages?</p>
<p>rhodes is a great dorm - newly renovated, nice wood floors in the rooms, great view of the pond from the back side, instant access to both canaday and carpenter library (including the lusty cup cafe and 24hr printing).</p>
<p>note though, that a lot of people I know who got placed into Brecon as a freshman tend to still love Brecon.</p>
<p>Also, it’s not that far.
I’m from Haverford and visited my friends over there all the time.</p>
<p>Also, as Pem is going to be having it’s bathroom redone this year. 
They currently have ridiculously small bathroom stalls in some places so that should be nice.</p>
<p>Also, note: I know WAY too much about Bryn Mawr. >_<</p>
<p>I’m an incoming freshman who’s black-Does this mean I’m going to have a higher chance of being put into Perry? Because I’m not really sure that’s what I want.</p>
<p>Don’t worry, there are no freshmen in Perry! </p>
<p>I was uncomfortable with the idea of segregated dorms, but that’s not really what Perry is. It is a small co-op that’s usually occupied by a group of 7 friends. Students choose to live in Perry because it’s by far the best dorm on campus. Seriously, I am jealous.</p>
<p>I just sent in my housing form today. The way I wrote, I’m pretty sure I indicated that I wanted Haffner, if only because I love learning new languages. Can anyone give anymore information on that one? Someone on college ******* indicated that it was one of the worst dorms (though it was said that even the worst house is better than any other college’s).
Specifically, does it have the issues b@r!um mentioned? Would I hear dinner being cleaned up every day? Are the rooms nice? And how exactly is it one house with multiple languages being practiced?</p>
<p>Sorry for all the questions; My visit really only included two dorms, and Haffner wasn’t it.</p>
<p>Edit~
Uh, I don’t know why Pr_owler was blocked out. I didn’t write a curse word, I promise. </p>
<p>Also, do Haffner residents become good friends? I’ve been a loner for the past few years, and I’d like to stop that before it gets worse.</p>
<p>I don’t know a lot about Haffner, but I visited in April and I did get to see parts of it and one student showed me inside her room. It’s not a bad dorm, but it’s not like the other dorms at Bryn Mawr with window seats, fireplaces, etc. It’s just more modern and doesn’t have as much character. They’re not terrible- they’re just average. They’re all singles, though, which is nice. </p>
<p>The issues with the sounds of meals being prepared were for Erdman, not Haffner, so don’t worry about that. </p>
<p>Haffner actually has three separate buildings with a shared courtyard, and I think each language has its own floor. I could be wrong, though, so current students should feel free to chime in here. </p>
<p>So, to sum everything up, the Haffner dorms are fine. They’re just not as interesting/unique as the other dorms.</p>
<p>yeah - but haffner also has a dining hall. however, during my visit it seemed as though the dining hall was removed from the residential parts of the building so hopefully no erdman-like trouble. i wonder - why is it that people on college p r o w l e r said that denbigh is the worst dorm. what are the complaints there?
i didnt specify where i wanted to live on the form but i hope to be in rock, pembroke or denbigh</p>
<p>Is there a policy where internationals are placed with an American roommate if the room isn’t a single?</p>
<p>When you apply for housing, you will complete a housing preference form which is used to match you up with a compatible roommate. It asks about your sleeping schedule, how clean/messy you are, if you want the room to be a quiet or social environment, stuff like that. </p>
<p>The majority of international students seem to have an American roommate, but there are also plenty of international students who are matched up with other internationals. I don’t think that the residential life office usually pays attention to nationality. However, if you have a strong preference for or against an American roommate, you can certainly state that on your housing preference form.</p>
<p>After your first year, you will pick your room (and roommates if applicable) yourself.</p>