<p>I'm really stuck between which dorms to pick as my 1st, 2nd, 3rd choices etc...
Here are the pros and cons of each dorm in my opinion:</p>
<p>Dorm #1
Pro: Apartment Style Housing, Living-Learning Community for Civic and Service Learning
Cons: Only 20 freshmen are admitted to the program, it's an upperclassmen dorm. It would be my #1 dorm because I like the community service program but I am worried that the lack of freshmen and the fact that it's slightly out of the way from other freshmen dorms will wreck my social life next year.</p>
<p>Dorm #2:
Pros: Coed dorms, larger rooms, in the center of campus and right next to all of my classes, lots of storage space
Cons: Oldest dorm on campus and everybody says it sucks, the walls are made of metal so you can hear right through them and it leaks when it rains. Overall great location but poor quality dorms</p>
<p>Dorm #3:
Pros: 1,500 freshmen live right in that area so I'll be close to half of the freshmen class. Not too far from my classes, however, it's the only dorm choice that does not have a sink in the room and has much smaller rooms than the other dorms.</p>
<p>Dorm #4:
Pros: Located right next to the athletic facilities (recreation facilities, football/basketball stadiums), best dining hall on campus, rooms are relatively big
Cons: a little far from most of my classes</p>
<p>Dorms #2-4 are all typical residence halls.</p>
<p>What is the number of under-classmen in dorm choice #4? How much further away is #4 than other choices? Will you have to deal with harsh winter conditions or possibly trudge through snow to get to your classes?</p>
<p>there will be about 600 people living in dorm choice #4, half of them however are living in a living-learning community (floors for all business majors, agriculture majors, engineering majors etc…) and I am not.</p>
<h1>4 is a little bit farther, about a 5-10 minute extra walk to the farthest class and no I will not have to deal with harsh winter conditions.</h1>
<p>Dorm #3. The size and sink aren’t that big of a deal. I mean, unless they are to you for some reason. You’re not going to live there forever, but the relationships you create will be with you for all your years at college… and maybe a few of them well beyond that.</p>
<p>I agree with rentof2…you’re going to want to be social and make friends your first year. #3 sounds like the best choice for that unless the quality of your room is extremely, extremely important to you.</p>
<p>I lived in an upperclassmen only dorm my freshman year (due to accessibility issues) and while I didn’t make any “dorm friends,” I still made plenty of friends through classes, clubs, and, later, Greek life, labs, and work.</p>
<p>I’m not an athlete but I do want to work out if I have time for that during the week, but that’s not a priority for me. The cost is the same for all the dorms.</p>
<p>So #3 should be my first choice? How about a 2nd or 3rd choice in case I don’t get that choice?</p>
<p>I would put #4 second and #1 third…#2 has a great location but while small rooms shouldn’t be a deal breaker, I don’t think I would want to put up with leaking and metal walls.</p>
<p>I’d say 3, 4, 1 in that order. Walking a few extra minutes to class isn’t really that big a deal, while feeling comfortable in your room and making friends, especially freshman year, is.</p>
<p>When I was a freshman I thought I’d rather live with a mix of upperclassmen so that’s what I chose. It worked out fine, I found they were open to making new friends. In fact, I made a few too many friends who were seniors. I was also located fairly far from the cneter of campus. I enjoyed the walk. In retrospect, I do think I’d have been better off where most of the freshmen were and the college no longer gives freshmen the choice, because they believe that class spirit is more important than choice.</p>
<p>Personally I think the best sort of dorm is one where everyone leaves their doors open and socializes on the corridor. Suites tend to do less of this. I think public bathrooms help, but aren’t an absolute necessity.</p>
<p>I’m going to go against the flow here; I recommend 1,3, 4, 2.
You seem to feel strongly about the service community, so I say stay true to your principles.
Your upperclass dormmates will be invaluable sources of insight as you adjust to the workings of your new school.
You are already aware of a potential isolation component so you will make efforts to make other freshmen friends in classes and activities.
Your freshmen friends will at times tire of the noisy dorms and seek a chance to visit a friend in another dorm - yours.</p>
<p>3,4,1, and 2. Size and distance from classes shouldn’t be the deciding factor, unless your school is huge w/ a huge campus…but I think you would have said if this was the case. </p>
<p>Most typical dorm rooms don’t have sinks in there for you and roomie, so don’t cross off that dorm becase of that. As far as the upperclass dorm goes, there’s nothing wrong with making older friends :). </p>
<p>I would definately have old, worn-out leaky buildings as my last choice as well, but you do what’s best for you.</p>
<p>In my personal college experience, living in the primarily freshman dorms was not considered very desirable. There was a reason the nickname for North Campus was “The Jungle”. I will note that it was 35 years ago and the drinking age was 18.</p>
<p>Quite clearly, things have changed. However, I am not sure that the Jungle is considered desirable even now.</p>