<p>hello-</p>
<p>i know a girl posted before about info on stone davis, but are there any current students that could shed some light on all the dorms? how nice/old/new/so-so they are? or maybe dorm reputations? anything of that sort would be immensely helpful...</p>
<p>thank you!!!</p>
<p>Hmm, okay. Freeman, Bates, McAfee and I think also Stone-Davis are considered the "new dorms", although they're really not new (Freeman, Bates, and McAfee were built in the 50's and are part of one complex, Stone-Davis was built even earlier I think but has been recently renovated). Stone-Davis is on the lake, and has one of the better dining halls. It's pretty popular. I lived in Freeman this past year. Freeman, Bates and McAfee are considered less desirable because they are further away from the academic quad and are stereotypically less social than West Side dorms. I made lots of friends in Freeman though and generally enjoyed the people there, so don't feel cursed if you are placed in those dorms. They also have the advantage of having the largest rooms on campus, and from what I can tell much nicer bathrooms than West Side dorms. Also, they are closer to the town of Wellesley, and since I am a Starbucks addict, I really enjoyed that. I did get a little sick of the walk, though, so I decided to move to the Quad next year. </p>
<p>The quad is on your right as you drive in the main entrance to campus. It includes Beebe, Cazenove, Pomeroy, and Shafer. The Quad and the Tower Court complex are the more quaint, picturesque dorms. Of course, that also means that they come with smaller on average rooms and less nice bathrooms. Beebe, Caz, and Pom all have their own dining halls. Beebe is pretty much just a normal dining hall, while Caz is nut-free and Pom is kosher and vegetarian. The Tower Court complex is generally considered the most desirable choice. Tower has it's own dining hall, which I think is considered to be pretty good. I had a friend who lived in a triple in Claflin (part of the Tower Court complex) that I thought was pretty nice. Because it was a triple, it was two rooms. Tower Court is also on the lake. </p>
<p>Then there's Munger, the most maligned dorm. It doesn't have it's own dining hall and is generally not considered desirable. It's next to the Quad (so sometimes the Quad is called the Quint). I've only been in it once, so I can't say too much about it. The other dorm First-Years might be placed in is Dower, which is a "small hall" with all first-years. It's next to the Freeman-Bates-McAfee complex and doesn't have it's own dining hall, but fosters a really good sense of community from what I can tell (and I knew quite a few Dower-rites this year).</p>
<p>Are the living assignments done at random?</p>
<p>^^For first years, unless you indicate a roommate on your housing form, roommate assignments are done at random. If you did put down someone's name on your housing form, and they put down your name, then you will be roommates. </p>
<p>Dorm assignments are done totally at random, ie you cannot request Stone-Davis or whatever. There might be some medical exceptions, but I don't really know anything about that.</p>
<p>Munger is unfairly maligned. I lived there for three semesters and regretted moving out of it for my senior year. The rooms, although they're small, are bright and cheerful, the bathrooms are kept impeccably clean by the two fabulous custodians, the hallways are spacious and well-lit, there are three living rooms, and the old dining hall space is great for studying. It's also one of the friendliest dorms.</p>
<p>Stone-D is not new by any remote stretch of the imagination and can't be counted as one of the New Dorms (which were built in the 1950's). It was, however, remodeled in the 90's. The rooms tend to be small, but that might be a matter of perspective: the furniture is oversized.</p>
<p>It's random first year, so I guess it doesn't matter what's potentially wrong or right with the place you live. But I would say there's no con that you can't overcome or learn to tolerate. It depends on your priorities in community size, relative distance, facilities, room size, etc, but you can learn to work around everything else. I would be hesitant to say there's a dorm that has it all.</p>