Anyone have any info on the dorms? Any details would be fantastic!!
If you could be more specific about what you’re looking for, perhaps we can help.
Just wondering about the condition of the dorms (are some more run down than others?) Are there “party dorms”?? (want to avoid those). Is it possible to get a single as a freshman or very unlikely? Are there any that should be avoided for any reason? My DD needs to put down her top 3 picks and wasn’t sure which would be best to choose.
I only have experience with two dorms. My D15 chose “substance free,” so she ended up in 609 her first semester. 609 is a little rough around the edges, but the kids seem to form a close-knit community. There is no a/c, so it’s hot for the first month, but quickly cools off. For her second semester, D moved over to Wood Hall where the SPIEL (sub-free programming) interest house is located. She has continued to live in Wood this year. I got my first look at it over the weekend and think it’s a step up from 609, but still a little rough. I asked my D about some thefts that have occurred in Peet this semester and she told me that it’s a party dorm.
Pretty much, my impression of dorms on college campuses is that they are all a little worn around the edges, except for one dorm I saw at Pomona College which looked like a luxury hotel.
I think there are opportunities for singles, but, Beloit is actively trying to increase enrollment, so those opportunites may not be as prevalent as they’ve been.
Thanks—that helps!
My d was in Aldrich last year (freshman year). She liked it a lot and I thought her room was pretty nice–pretty view looking out into the lawn (and air-conditioned). It’s also close to the commons where the food is. This year she’s in a 2BR/1BA suite in 815. I haven’t seen it yet but she likes it & thinks it may be a bit larger than her room last year (though view is worse and it’s farther from commons). My sense is that singles are not that easy to get, especially with the increase in freshman class size the last two years. My d tried for one this year but instead ended up rooming with a friend who was also trying for a single. I hear the new dorm, Emerson, is very nice, but juniors and seniors are more likely to have dibs on it. I think Beloit allows “squatting,” so kids who really like their rooms can keep them.
I should add that my d’s first choice dorm for freshman year was Chapin because most of the rooms have sinks and it’s where the commons is. She ended up being glad that she got Aldrich instead because she thought Chapin would smell too much like the food they’re cooking.
My DS, who is a freshman, has a sort-of single room-- he’s in a 2-room double in Bushnell (one of the '64 halls). Two small adjoining rooms with a single entrance. So he has to walk through his roommate’s room to get to his, but it does add some privacy. Some students set it up with both desks in the front room and both beds in the second room.
He originally wanted Aldrich, but that hall seems to be in big demand.
So helpful! Thank you!!!
My freshman daughter is in Aldrich and loves it, but that may be more because of the community than the actual physical space. The dorm is in a great location and the lounges are nice, but the rooms are small.
My older daughter was in Chapin and had a sink in her room, but that didn’t turn out to matter too much because she had to go down the hall for the bathroom and shower anyway, so usually ended up brushing her teeth, etc. in the communal bathroom.
I gather Aldrich can be a bit of a “party dorm” because it’s big and has a lot of first years, so that can make it loud; and that Peet has a rep as a “party dorm” – but also as the “artist dorm.” So depends on what’s meant by party / not party. My S didn’t really want a party dorm but he did want coed, so he put those two as his first choices. He ended up getting neither one; he’s in a dorm that’s single-gender by hall, but likes it. The room seems pretty big, actually. And the college seemed to do a good job of matching roommates; gotta love that questionnaire with all the music choices!
My kid decided not to go to Beloit, but we thought Beloit’s dorms were the nicest we saw. The others we visited were Occidental, Macalester, Lawrence and Puget Sound. The Beloit dorms had very inviting common areas and the individual rooms were clean and well maintained.