<p>this is kinda a stupid question, but how are the college houses different from dorms?</p>
<p>no. they're just synonyms.</p>
<p>oh. i thought i heard something about professors and their families living there too.</p>
<p>Yep, professors and their families live in the dorms (at least in the Quad they do, pretty sure each house has faculty who live in it.)</p>
<p>r students randomly assigned? which ones are supposedly the best?</p>
<p>You apply for colleges houses. When you get accepted, you will out a form and rank your top picks. Then you go into a lottery. Assignments are based on lottery order.</p>
<p>some profs w/ there families are in the college houses. some don't.
For residential programs, most students get assigned selectively. However, if u dont get into a residential programs, u get into a lottery. </p>
<p>i love my suite and my residential program. we really get to know each other and have fun together most of the time. </p>
<p>Which dorms are the best? It's hard to say. </p>
<p>Hill is extremely hot when it gets hot, less luxurious, and has scary bathrooms. However, people who live at Hill really have college experience. Freshmen can always find people who take the same courses within Hill. This makes it so convenience and fun to group up in labs or project works. Besides all the socials, Hill dining hall is the best at Penn. If you are an engineering or science major, everything is just in 5 minutes of walk. (except for biology but you still have to take math, phys and chem even if you are a bio major.) I've heard people complaining about roommate problems and the noises (I dont know how many ambulances have passed hill since I've been here). But so far i love hill for the people i get to know.</p>
<p>the highrises are mostly upperclasses who usually don't try to get to know others. This would be a pain if you are a freshmen living in a high rise. However, you are less likely to find bathroom pet-peeves since you basically know all your roommates who share the bathroom. The rooms are air-conditioned and carpeted. You have built-in kitchens and refrigerators. It's in good distance if you're considering wharton, but in painful distance if you're doing science/engineering. Also, if you are afraid of roommate problems, noises, or being sexile; consider the high rises single. </p>
<p>The quad rooms are beautiful than Hill and KC. The bathrooms are nice. The rooms are large enough to pack some people to party. I've heard some people saying that it's not as social as hill though. The quad is close to the medical school and the biology department but is far away from everything else, including the dining halls. </p>
<p>KC has big rooms which are all doubles. It's not air-conditioned. It's less noisy because it's not so close to the traffic. It's in good distances to most classes, but the dining hall really has limited hours. </p>
<p>Just what I feel when I visit my friends' rooms... u'll want to know more when u get into penn. if u have a chance to visit, definitely see the dorms.</p>
<p>All College Houses have faculty living in them - that was the whole point of changing the system.</p>
<p>Each College House has a Faculty Master who lives in as well as a House Dean (who sometimes is also faculty, other times just an administrator).</p>
<p>There are also Faculty Fellows (other faculty who live in) and Senior Fellows (other administrators who live in).</p>
<p>The whole idea was to make the houses a living-learning experience.</p>