<p>Visited this past weekend for engineering open house. DD was very excited until she saw the dorms. We visited WISE -lee hall. To get to the romm you traveled by an exterior hallway and then entered a suite via a locked door to a group of 4rooms which share a common bath. It was very dark in the hallway but what bothered my DD most was the fact that you can't walk down the hallway to chat with someone because each room is behind those locked entrances. It doesn't seem like it would be an easy place to meet people on your hall. Are all the freshman dorms like this? It just seems so limiting. Thanks</p>
<p>Saw Tucker/Owen last month at Accepted Students Day, and they are very typical dorms with long hallways, all rooms right off the long hallway. Nothing like what you are describing. Size of the rooms was perhaps a little above average for other dorms I have toured recently at other universities. My DD liked it a lot, but that looks likely it’s where she’ll end up as those dorms are mostly for FYC freshmen.
The suite idea seems great, though. I would think it has its own advantages.</p>
<p>snowspud, </p>
<p>The West campus dorms (Lee, Sullivan, Bragaw) are all suite arrangement, as you discovered.</p>
<p>Your daughter sounds like she wants a traditional dormitory layout (i.e., interior hallways, with rooms off the hall). These types of dorms are available at NCSU, but they are not on West campus. They also may not be home to the “Housing Village” your daughter wants to join, but she will have to decide the pros/cons. </p>
<p>Take a look at this guide, and avoid the dorms that have a “suite” room arrangement.
<a href=“http://www.ncsu.edu/housing/forms/facilities.pdf[/url]”>http://www.ncsu.edu/housing/forms/facilities.pdf</a></p>
<p>Thanks, it’s that external breezeway entrance that was bothersome. Reminded us of an old motel/ hotel. Are all the suite style units designed with an external entrance? Son’s school is suite style but has a traditional internal hallway so it’s easy to walk down hall and find someone to talk to.</p>
<p>The towers on central (Metcalf, Carroll, and Bowe) are suite with interia hallways.</p>
<p>LOL, my DH…NCSU '81…lived in Lee Hall for three years. He finally moved off campus for senior yr. It was fine with him. I guess he got used to it.</p>
<p>S1 lived in Owen his freshman yr. He loved it and got to know a lot of guys on the hall but I wouldn’t say he got to be really close friends with more than six or eight which is about how many are in a suite.</p>
<p>My S2 ( a jr at another NC university) spent his freshman year in a dorm exactly like Lee. It was built in 1962 and appeared to have had very few updates since!<br>
He became good friends with the seven other guys in his suite and did make friends on other floors. A boy from two floors above him was his roommate for soph. yr.<br>
S2 said they all left their room doors in the suite open a lot because it made it seem larger.
He liked it better than the hall dorm where some of his other friends lived.
The suite doors lock automatically but the kids can prop them open if they want to.</p>
<p>Question about suites … Is each student assigned to a specific room within the suite or is it first come first served? Also, can the students within the suites swap roommates as desired to accommodate similar study/living/sleeping habits …? When roommates are assigned, do you learn who all of your suite mates will be before the first day?</p>
<p>Yes,roommates are assigned a specific room in the suite. Your student gets his room assignment letter in the summer. I suppose they could swap rooms if they wanted to. Seems like you would have to live with someone for awhile to see how it was going to work out though. Then it might be a pain to move all the stuff.<br>
Then what if two guys wanted to swap but their roommates didn’t? Seems like it could get dicey. No, you don’t know who your suitmates are until move-in day.</p>
<p>Last year when my son started he was told who his roommate was going to be. I am guessing he will know who his roommate will be, but not the other kids in the suite. There may be a facebook page for the dorm where they might be able to determine who else might be in the suite.</p>
<p>I’m showing my age, but in mid-80’s I lived in Sullivan freshman year, Tucker sophomore year, and a Tri-Tower (Bowen?) for 1 summer session. </p>
<p>Each had pros and cons, but overall, Tucker was by far my favorite…especially if they still have rooms in the basement like I had. In the days of no A/C and lofting your beds, that was the roomiest bachelor pad on campus. The interaction with guys on the hall (and in the hallway!) was great. However, I also had great friendships that developed in the suite dorms. Thay all worked out pretty well. I never lived on North (East) campus, but knew people who liked it. It always seemed so far away, both geographically and academically, since I was not a Design student.</p>