<p>I finally accepted my financial aid offer and want to pay my housing deposit ASAP, but I have no idea what dorms to pick!
I am not sure if I want to rush, don’t want to join the honors program, and am unsure of the LLC’s (theres not one that really seems to fit my interests- education, family and child studies, etc.). The three main choices are South Russell, Collins, and Kokernot.
I am pretty girly, not into partying all the time (a little never killed anybody though;]), prefer quite study areas and rooms, and would prefer a pretty welcoming and tight knit community setting.
Collins worries me because I’ve heard thats where all the sorority people live and if I choose not to rush I don’t want to be left out…
I’ve heard that Kokernot is small, grimy, and that some of the people can be kind of weird.
And finally, South Russell seems to have the best dorm sizes, but I am worried about hearing the construction on North Russell the 2014-2015 school year and if I would fit in with the atmosphere there.</p>
<p>Any advice on these three dorms?! I am also open to any LLC and sorority information </p>
<p>Thanks bunch :)</p>
<p>Sorry you didn’t get any responses! I would guess you have already picked your dorm, but if you’re still on, I’ll fill you in on my experiences - but they’e from 25 years ago. :)</p>
<p>We went with our daughter to the Premiere this weekend and toured a few of the dorms. In no particular order, here is our daughter’s opinion - she is also “pretty girly”: Others may have a different opinion, but from what we read online for independent reviews, this is pretty much the norm from what we heard:</p>
<p>Kokernot - really grimy - not impressed at all - common areas have dingy/ripped couches, and a dungeon basement to share for laundry with the whole building. Unless you are on an extreme budget, would recommend passing on that dorm. No vanity/sink in the room - community bathroom - scary. Dorm is located next to the freeway. The good - a neat/funky bohemian style coffee shop is located across the street.</p>
<p>Collins - one notch above Kokernot. The good - has a sink/vanity in the room. The bad, the community bathroom is shared with an average of 50 girls. The dining hall will be closed next year to make room for a new common area/workout room - so could be nice, but will be under construction next year - not sure when they will finish. We definitely got the feel that there is a tremendous amount of hall traffic - not really conducive to studying, but in fairness, most dorms are not. In general, the dorm could use some upgrades and has the downside of not having an in-dorm dining facility next year, which in our opinion is a negative - the existing dining is actually pretty nice - too bad it is closing.</p>
<p>South Russell - since it was under construction no tours were available. As you mentioned, the North Russell will be under construction, so the central grounds will probably not be available - not sure about the noise as well.</p>
<p>Dawson - about the same as Collins.</p>
<p>Teal (Engineering) - outstanding in every respect. Clearly the best living option on campus - new, clean, larger rooms. Laundry machines are free. Cove rooms are limited to 8 girls for the common bathroom (much better than Collins’ 50 girl arrangement!). The dual shared suites were huge! The Teal dining hall is amazing and most popular on campus. Downside - if you are not in one of the selected (female) majors (Engineering, Computer Science, Nursing, or Business), you will not be able to get in.</p>
<p>We were at premier weekend, too. We toured the north village (Texana, etc.) and it was pretty nice. My daughter is a CS major entering next year and applied to Teal two months ago… waitlisted. Spots are full, so if you want in there go for early decision and apply right away. We’ll probably put Russell down for an option. I understand about the construction, but I imagine that will be going on during the day only. At least the rooms will be new/clean.</p>
<p>There is some movement between terms so if you don’t get where you want to start try to stay on the waiting list. . </p>
<p>My D is in Memorial ( loves it!) but her rmate moved to Teal between terms as she was pre-med and all her classes were on that side of campus. Her new rmate was in Collins and decided she wanted to move to the HRC. Both girls got where they wanted to start the year but were put on waitlists to move when they decided other options were better once school started. </p>
<p>Update - Teal Dorm application (Round 4) - currently waitlisted.</p>
<p>Thank you @mytwods, we are going to stay on the waitlist for Teal and hope for movement soon. Didn’t get an offer off the waitlist this round.</p>
<p>We were taken off the wait list for Teal today. We’re thrilled!!</p>
<p>I wouldn’t be too concerned about what you hear about certain people in dorms. People tend to generalize entire buildings on one or two people, who are likely aberrations rather than norms. You should consider the HRC (where I’m staying) if you’re looking for a little less party. Having a professor on site to help is a huge draw (plus your own bathroom). Although some may argue it’s a weird crowd in your dorms, no one is forcing you to stay in your dorm to hang out. You’ll meet other people through your sorority if you rush. If you don’t rush, you’ll still find your way around from the parties. </p>