<p>Do any parents here know of U's that have great dorm life? I particularly like schools where you don't really need a car because everything is on campus. </p>
<p>Wake Forest and Davidson are two that come to mind. </p>
<p>Just interested if anyone has encountered especially great dorms and dorm life. Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>Two different kinds of dorm life I have seen are first where Freshmen live together on campus together but after that they disperse to frats, apartments. The Other kind that many Ivys, ND, Rice have is residential colleges where students of all grades live in a residential college for atleast 3 years and social life revolves around the residental college. Personally I think the residential college system is far superior.</p>
<p>Some campuses have both types. For example, everyone always talks about the predominant Greek life at NU but they also have residential colleges for those who are so inclined, and then “just plain dorms.”</p>
<p>Vanderbilt has a freshman campus area (I’m not recalling the name) where all the freshmen are housed together, a bit separate from everyone else. I leave it to others to discuss whether that’s a pro in building community or a con in that it’s the blind leading the blind.</p>
<p>All depends on your definition, wouldn’t you say?<br>
You wouldn’t need a car on an urban campus, but that might not be the “feel” you are looking for.
Also, while some kids (and especially parents!) might love the idea of a dorm or residential college for four years, there are students who can’t wait to move out of dorms and into apartments nearby.</p>
<p>Greenville Spartanburg area, upstate South Carolina:
The dorms at Wofford are something else. Almost everyone lives on campus all four years. There are a lot of grills and sand volleyball courts, etc.; it feels like a resort. Freshman dorms are fairly typical, but the dorms get better/fancier every year, until the senior year dorms, which are like condos. The young admissions office person who gave our “talk” said it was depressing graduating and moving to a nice but typical regular “young person fresh out of college” apartment after having lived in those senior year dorms. If you are looking at Furman (just outside of Greenville), check out Wofford. I also like the way the campus it is on the edge of downtown Spartanburg. You can walk to stores and restaurants.</p>
<p>Notre Dame is like its own city (not actually a “city” but an [unincorporated</a> community](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre_Dame,_Indiana]unincorporated”>Notre Dame, Indiana - Wikipedia)). It has its own police, fire department, post office, FedEx, power source, water utility, and they even grew their own food until the '50s. You don’t have to leave campus at all if you don’t want to, and the dorm system (you stay in the same dorm for 4 years, each has its own traditions, colors, mascot, sports teams, rivalries) fosters camaraderie.</p>
<p>It’s a good thing, too, because South Bend isn’t so great.</p>
<p>Thanks all. All opinions are appreciated. </p>
<p>I want thank Mom2kids because up until recently both Wofford and Furman were on our radar. But, to make a long story short, we’ve all but decided S won’t play football in college. We like the Wake’s, Elon’s, Furman’s, Wofford’s and Davidson’s of the world but if he isn’t going to try to participate in football he’d prefer to stay in Florida. </p>
<p>Still, I can’t give it up completely until he is actually on campus some where. Your comment about giving Wofford a look is helpful because Furman was still in the picture (again assuming he changes his mind about football) but Wofford wasn’t. It is interesting that a local would perhaps favor Wofford over Furman. Is that right or am I am misreading some? </p>
<p>In the end, I don’t think he wants a small school even if he gets to play football. I am the one who can’t give it up not him :-). Hell, I’d walk-on if they’d let me.</p>
<p>very few if any Greenville natives would recommend Furman over Wofford unless they have some ties to Wofford (graduate or children graduates). I must admit though that the football program has been alot better at Wofford than Furman (basketball also) over the recent past but Furman just hired most of the coaches from Vanderbilt so expect that to change soon. Furman is more expensive than Wofford but its twice as large in students, has a larger campus and arguably is the best school in SC</p>
<p>^^^^^^I’m assuming that you meant to say “very few if any Greenville natives would recommend Wofford over Furman” </p>
<p>Not being a Greenville native, but working frequently in the area and with employees from the area, I would agree - Furman’s reputation is much higher in the upstate region than Wofford’s.</p>
<p>yea. thanks for the catch. must have been caught by one of those double negative things :)</p>
<p>Personally I am a fan of universities with residential colleges where the vast majority of students spend all four years in dorms and there are institutions in place to help facilitate interactions between students, faculty and grad students as well as students with each other.</p>
<p>UW-Madison has a lot going for it dorm wise, especially with the meal plan. No minimum required spending amounts, dining halls and snack bars open to everyone (dorm residents pay less for their food), all a la carte… plus good food. Dorm room refrigerators, students can provide a microwave oven, Res Halls food service has a pizza/sub dorm delivery. Many different dorms some with special programs. Of course no reason to have a car on campus- useless on campus and no reason to leave on weekends.</p>
<p>Of course you need to first determine if the other factors of a college appeal to you first, then let the dorm life play a role in your decision. I would never choose a college because of great dorms nor would I let less appealing dorms remove a great academic U from consideration.</p>