<p>When should I start applying for housing? Does applying earlier make a difference? Is it first come first serve or does Cornell compile all the housing apps and then do some sort of random drawing thing?</p>
<p>Singles versus doubles? Triples? Quads? Holy cow. Seriously?</p>
<p>Are there sinks in the dorm rooms? I heard only Balch has sinks in the rooms. How do people survive?</p>
<p>How many people usually share one bathroom or shower? Bathrooms are public, right? Does that mean I have to bring my toothbrush and stuff to the bathrooms in the morning?</p>
<p>Is the GB limit for the Internet enough for regular browsing? What about for getting on Skype and watching Youtube videos or something?</p>
<p>Thanks in advance for any helpful comments and such!</p>
<p>there are only sinks attached to the rooms in Balch. you are concerned you cannot survive without a sink in your room? do you have a sink in your bedroom at home? public bathrooms do mean that you need to take a toothbrush, and toothpaste, and soap, and all other water-related products you’ll use. this is pretty standard at all colleges and it’s really not difficult to get used to.
I don’t know the stats on bathroom sharing, and I imagine it would vary based on the dorm. also, it’s not just one single shower per bathroom. (maybe you know that but your wording didn’t make it totally clear.)</p>
<p>singles is a good way to go. you can still make friends, because you won’t be the lone person in a single while everyone else has a roommate.</p>
<p>they will send you housing info, if you haven’t received it already, and I don’t think applying earlier makes a difference since everyone will just find out at the same time. it was mid-June my year. if it was somehow based on when you sent the app I think someone would have figured that out and everyone would know to rush to send it in.</p>
<p>I watch Hulu, youtube, and skype, and lately I have not had trouble with the 15 GB/mo limit. (I had some trouble last year but I’m not really sure what was going on there.)</p>
<p>I think there is something to be said for the Balch sink. You can keep your toothbrush, toothpaste, washcloth, etc. there without lugging everything to the bathroom each time, and it’s really convenient anytime you just want to wash your hands or need the sink for whatever. I’m definitely going to miss it next year!</p>
<p>As long as you apply for housing before the due date, it’s not on a first-come, first-serve basis. Singles are great for the privacy and you don’t have to share your space with anyone else, and all you need to do to meet people and make friends is leave your room.</p>
<p>Most bathrooms on North Campus are hallway-style, but there will be multiple toilet stalls and shower stalls…personally I’ve never had to wait for either and there usually aren’t that many people there at one time. If you end up in a suite, I think it’s about 5 people/bathroom, one shower and one toilet. About bringing soap…Balch bathrooms have soap dispensers and I guess I assumed that the other dorms do as well, but maybe not? You do need to bring soap for the Balch sinkrooms, though.</p>
<p>The GB limit has been okay for me. I watch a ton of Hulu in addition to Youtube and Skype, plus I use it a lot for regular browsing, and the most I’ve gotten up to is 13-14GB on the last day of the month.</p>
<p>I will repeat this again:</p>
<p>You have NO SAY in the housing you get, unless you sign up for Balch or a program house. So it is of NO USE to a) freak out about housing, and b) to start speculating on whether you want a single in Dickson or a Townhouse or a double in Mews.</p>
<p>Because you will apply for housing just like all of the other freshmen, and they will randomly assign you housing.</p>
<p>I think you can specify whether you would prefer a single, double, etc. Since most of the singles are in Dickson, saying that you want a single makes it more likely that you will get a single in Dickson. At least that’s my understanding of the system…</p>
<p>No, it doesn’t work that way.
You saying you want a single does not at all make it more likely to get a single.</p>
<p>Put one down because you want one, but there is no way to game the system by changing your room preferences.
Most students in the Townhouses did not put Townhouses as their first choice, etc.</p>
<p>Question: After you find out what type of housing you got [which is when btw?], can you trade with someone else or switch?</p>
<p>I think putting down a single does make it a lot more likely that you’d get a single than if you marked down something else. consider that many people, at least in Balch, did not even want to get singles and were assigned to them anyway. it would make sense that if you actually did want a single, they’d stick you there first before the people who preferred something else.</p>
<p>trading or switching is really not encouraged, I get the feeling. there’s no standard system for it or anything. </p>
<p>also, I do agree that if you are a girl, you might like Balch for the sinks. they were pretty nice to have. I had to adjust to the communal bathroom for sophomore year and it was not a big deal at all.</p>
<p>I’m getting an annoyed vibe from some of the people who posted. Rest assured, I’m not freaking out about housing nor am I freaking out about the sinks. BUT, I’m really surprised at some of things I’ve heard about Cornell dorms… The sinks thing really surprised me, for instance. I obviously don’t have a sink in my bedroom in my house. I do have a bathroom that I share with my sibling next to my room. I have ready access to the sink, which is really important for me, but I’m one of those people who really like cleanliness… I guess I’ll have to not be so OCD in college.</p>
<p>Chendrix, why would Cornell even bother asking if they were going to put people in a random places anyway? On that note, even though the chance of getting my first choice may be very low, I would still like to specify something.</p>
<p>Anyway, I’m getting the idea that singles>>>doubles/triples.</p>
<p>In my opinion it’s a mere formality so they don’t get angry phone calls from helicopter parents obsessing over every aspect of their child’s lives. I have seen no evidence from talking to students that people who preferenced any dorm style got that.</p>
<p>You will adjust to whatever living situation you are put in. That’s what makes us hearty as a species, adaptation.</p>
<p>^ I agree w Chendrix about the housing situation here. You cannot game the system. I suggest a single. Additionally, balch attracts a very distinct type of girl for the most part, and it is generally considered much less social than the other dorms. Stereotypical “balch girls” are booky, moody, dont really like or get along with guys, and are not that fun in general. Their idea of a fun weekend night is baking brownies and watching a movie in their rooom with a few friends, not going out and partying and such. Some girls are “balch girls” some girls aren’t, and there are a lot of girls in balch that just got put there. I would not chose to live in balch based on the sinks, but rather or not you like the idea of living in that climate.</p>
<p>Well I think I’m going to specify single, but if I don’t get one I don’t get one. I’m perfectly fine with a double I just rather not get a single in a dorm full of doubles.</p>
<p>Can anyone clue me in on the advantages and disadvantages of the possible dorms I’d live in next year?</p>
<p>^if you really care you will do a search on the forum to find out this info. IMHO, the building matter much less than the people that you are with in order to have a nice experience your freshman year anyways. Finally</p>
<p>YOU CANNOT SELECT THE DORM YOU WANT OR EVEN SELECT IT AS A PREFERENCE. </p>
<p>so the moral of the story is just dont worry about it. it will all work out.</p>
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<p>Work on things you can control. Like what student clubs you are going to join. Or what book you are going to read next.</p>
<p>Plan on your whole dorm floor clearing out second semester to pledge frats and sororities. It happened to my kid. Left in the dust.</p>
<p>Cadmiumred, I’m sorry your son seems to have had such an unpleasant dorming experience. But I’m sure that one’s entire floor leaving someone behind so they can all pledge is NOT typical. Everyone I know in various dorms has formed good friendships with their floormates, regardless of whether or not some were pledging. Your description sounds like quite an exaggeration.</p>
<p>What do you think about quads? I stayed in a quad this summer at CUSC in Donlon. I really liked it, since there were two bedrooms and a central study area. Where are other quads located? If I request a quad, will I get stuck in the townhouses? I have heard negative things about the townhouses (i.e. being too far away, not the real freshmen experience, etc.). Which other dorms have quads?</p>
<p>About the clubs and forming a social network here I highly recommend doing Outdoor odyssey before you arrive. It is a preorientation trip where you and 5-9 other prefrosh go backpacking/rock climbing/canoeing/whatever outdoor activity for 4-8 days somewhere on the east coast. I became really close friends with my odyssey group and it different circle of friends than those from my dorm. I would say that I am much closer with my odyssey friends than my friends from my dorm. Honestly, going on odyssey was the best decision I made regarding fitting in/finding friends at cornell. </p>
<p>[Outdoor</a> Odyssey](<a href=“COE | Student & Campus Life | Cornell University”>http://odyssey.coe.cornell.edu/)</p>
<p>^I am planning on doing this! It looks sooooooooooo much fun!!! What program did you do? I love backpacking - which trip would you recommend? I was thinking the six day backpacking trip in the Adirondacks.</p>