Choosing a Dorm

My son was just accepted to Iowa State for Mechanical Engineering next year. He would love Friley but I know it fills up quickly. Trying to decide on what his list should be for dorms after Friley. I know they are more but was thinking Martin/Eaton so he would be closer to campus, but I was unsure how many Freshman are in that dorm. I want him to have a great experience with peers. I have heard bad things of Helser. So that leaves RC which is farther. I know he will most likely have classes all over campus as a freshman. From what I see Maple/Larch/Willow are the next most popular. How far is the walk to the engineering from there. What would you suggest as the best dorms for a Freshman after Friley.
He is not a big partier but I want him to have a fun time.

I’m not sure about what’s most popular among the freshmen right now as my D went there as a transfer. However, when I was there many moons ago, I lived in Maple and did the trek to engineering - it’s a bit of a hike, but certainly not horribly far. My D is actually in Frederiksen this year and majoring in math so she’s got a long walk to Carver but she likes getting the exercise. On especially cold or rainy days, there is always Cyride.

When I went to ISU a loooong time ago, I lived in Larch hall for four years. It was great for getting to engineering classes and the cafeteria was right there in the complex. Maple, Willow, Larch is very convenient.

My Son was accepted to Iowa State back in August and there is a very good chance that is where he will end up going. He has already accepted and filled out his residency preference. He is going in as a Business major and I’m trying to convince him to move into a dorm with a business learning community. However, he is resistant to that idea because the residence hall with the business community is an all male hall. Any advise regarding this that I can pass along to my son would be greatly appreciated.