<p>which dorm is the "best"? pro's and con's of each? </p>
<p>i like how mcmahon/hagget/mccarty are right on the campus and close to the hub, etc. but i also like how lander is close to the ave. </p>
<p>as a freshman, how hard would it be to get the dorm you want?</p>
<p>any insight would help. thanks!</p>
<p>i checked out lander and mercer today...and I would hve to say mercer has the biggest dorms...but I'm thinkin about mcmahon cuz have you seen their "cluster" layout? its pretty tight.</p>
<p>i heard about it.</p>
<p>how did you get into the rooms?</p>
<p>My son is in McMahon and likes it. He's in a cluster with 10 other guys, but actually has a private room! My tip on getting the room you want is this: apply as early as possible on the first day they take requests. Details are on the housing section of the website.</p>
<p>He enjoys being so close to classes, plus the cafeteria downstairs is one of the best on campus. His main complaint has been bus noise -- he's on the second floor, facing the campus, and busses run right past there. But hey, he's got a window!</p>
<p>South Campus: </p>
<p>Almost completely freshman. Quicker access to the ave, giving you a real alternative to dorm food. On average a little further from your classes. It's a little easier to a catch a bus, specifically downtown. In general a little more loud/roudy than north campus.</p>
<p>North Campus:</p>
<p>The bulk of campus is closer. Easier access to the HUB and 8 for food. The interior of the dorms are generally a bit nicer and roomier. Usually more quiet, but you get groups on the street making noise all through the night if you end up situated on that side of your dorm. If you've got oodles of free cash U. Village is right there. Although you've got freshman all the way up through upperclassmen there, they usually stick the freshman together. </p>
<p>...</p>
<p>I'd just advise to stay away from Mercer. The rooms can get a bit crowded. Usually you won't get much of any view out your window. There's alot of brick, and the building in general looks more like a prison than anything else. On the other hand they do like to tout their sense of "community" in their mutual hell, and some people do genuinely enjoy it there. Just take caution before putting it as your first choice.</p>
<p>And the cluster system in Mcmahon... You'll get to know your 8-10 cluster mates <em>really</em> well. Unfortunately you probably won't meet too many other people from your floor since everyone else sticks to their own cluster.</p>
<p>I don't know of any freshman making it into McCarty but I could be wrong. </p>
<p>If you end up completely dissatified with the dorm you end up in it probably won't be too difficult to swap.</p>
<p>Moominmama </p>
<p>So does everyone staying in McMahon get their own little "room" within the larger cluster? That is how the dorms are at UAA here in anchorage when I went to a summer program. I thought it was nice to get your own room but still get the dorm experience through the cluster of 8-10.</p>
<p>i think its 4 double rooms along with maybe 2 single rooms?</p>
<p>something like that.</p>
<p>Most McMahon rooms are four doubles, a common area, and a multi-person bathroom. My son is in one with 4 doubles and two singles, but I don't think there are very many of those. His cluster sort of wraps around an elevator shaft, which I think is part of what determined the layout. </p>
<p>They have a links on the Housing page that show you typical room layouts for each of the dorms, but I think exceptions happen in all of them.</p>
<p>Based on my own experience, Haggett and Mercer should be avoided like the plague. </p>
<p>Specifically, the rooms in Haggett, while they may be centrally located, have linoleum floors and are hexagon-shaped. The building is very 1930s and reminiscent of Stalinist compounds. A very weird space to be living in. I have a friend who (while intoxicated) slipped on his linoleum floor and actually got a concussion in Haggett. This is just my advice, as I'm not aware of anyone who would put Haggett as their first choice. </p>
<p>Mercer is very prisonlike, as one of the earlier posters said. It is also hidden way down in south campus and not conveniently located to anything except the Med. Center. And few of the rooms have views.</p>
<p>On the other hand, Lander and Terry are very close to the Ave and really just a short jog (5 min. walk) from the HUB, Odegaard, and the Liberal Arts Quad. They have decent-sized rooms, a restaurant (1101), and have great views of Portage Bay and Downtown. I would recommend these two halls above all others.</p>
<p>McCarty is a pretty good residence hall, the rooms are decent-size. But the location is way on the north side of campus and not very convenient, esp. if you have any business in montlake or capitol hill.</p>
<p>Oh and don't choose Hansee unless you are looking to house with a bunch of Mormons and religious zealots (jk!). The hall is completely dry by law, no drinking/smoking/substances by penalty of death.</p>
<p>Just my observations.</p>
<p>great info. thanks</p>
<p>choose Lander if you can, its all freshman and the BEST way to meet people</p>
<p>what's the common area like in mcmahon?</p>
<p>The common area in the dorm cluster is pretty small. In my son's cluster there's a couch, a round table that can seat 6 if they are <em>very</em> friendly, and a combo fridge/microwave unit. There's room to put in a tv and couple more chairs if you want, but it's not what I'd call spacious. </p>
<p>The common areas on the ground floor (off the lobby) are quite large. There's a TV lounge area, a game room, and a couple of nice aquariums to zone out in front of. The cafeteria downstairs is very nice to hang out in -- comfy chairs, lovely view from the windows.</p>
<p>Is Lander the freshmen dorm? I heard that the freshmen dorm parties everyday and quite a mess, is that true?</p>
<p>I'm looking for a dorm that is not too loud (at least not on the weekdays and during exam time) and is close/equal distant to the classrooms, the hub, and dining areas. In other words, what would be a good dorm for a freshmen?</p>
<p>Lander, Terry, and McCarty seem like the best dorms for freshmen. Also McMahon if you're ok with the "cluster" concept. I haven't heard that about parties in Lander - by far most of the worst parties come from Greek row. But in my opinion Lander is still the best way to meet new people for freshmen. If you're interested, Lander does offer "quiet floors" that have a lights-out policy by 11pm, as do the other halls. You'll have to check <a href="http://hfs.washington.edu%5B/url%5D">http://hfs.washington.edu</a>
for more info. Also Hansee is a substance-free, very quiet dorm, though you'll have to see if they take freshmen. Good luck!</p>
<p>is it hard to get single rooms? i decided to apply early to hopefully get a single room as a freshman. Is it hard to get one? i dont think i could have a room mate and not get frustrated... Are single rooms just for sophmores + ?</p>
<p>It's not impossible to get a single as a freshman -- my son has one. But, I think they are in short supply, and likely have more requests than there are singles available. Getting your application in as early as possible is key, I think. Good luck!</p>
<p>what hall is he at? I have hagget now as my first choice because it seems the only decent one that offers single rooms? Are there any others that might have decent single rooms?</p>
<p>He's in McMahon, so has a single room within a cluster. I've heard that most dorms have a very small number of singles -- maybe squeezing one in per floor if there wasn't enough room for a double.</p>
<p>Is there anywhere there are any pictures of the rooms? I have looked around the HFS site and there is nothing but a general description of the hall. How are we supposed to choose housing? are the dorms so bad that they cant show any pictures? or am i just missing a link somewhere that has all of them? Its been frustrating me ever since I applied to UW.
Thanks</p>