Dorms

<p>They said in the acceptance package that housing info will be out in 3/05. But, to get a head start, which is the best dorm?</p>

<p>Thurston and HOVA are the top two on my list. My tour guide told me that Thurston will be the center of freshman life and most kids live in suites of four or six (except us ED kids get first choice so usually are in doubles or triples). Hall on Virginia Avenue of course is the hotel at which the stake out for the Watergate break-in was planned and every room has its own bathroom. If you join a Living and Learning Community, you'll have a pretty good idea of we're you'll be living, for example "The Press Room" is in HOVA and "Healthy Living" is in Thurston. But we've a lot of time to decide!</p>

<p>Yeah, I want HOVA because of the pool on the roof!!! I hope it's not too isolated from the other freshies, but I love the area of HOVA, so I will probably go with that dorm. kryptonandy, congrats!!!</p>

<p>GW is known for its very posh dorms. HOVA is obviously the most decadent freshman dorm- and if you want to live in it, this is your only chance, as the district council or whatever is banning freshmen from residing in HOVA beginning next year (or the year after), due to its technically "off-campus" location.
HOVA is a renovated hotel- (read:private bathrooms. and the bathrooms are marble on the 7th floor). If you like your space, go for a double rather than a triple. Doubles are much bigger for space-per-person than triples (although triples are extremely nice as well), and also, I've observed that less roommate conflict goes on in doubles than in triples. You get maid service once a week (they vacuum very nicely), HBO and Showtime on TV, a balcony if you live in a double, and of course, the pool on the roof which is awesome. The maid service applies to all freshmen dorms.
Fulbright is another option that isn't too shabby- the location is great, right in the center of the main campus. There are kitchens in Fulbright, but personally I didn't like the fluorescent lighting, hardwood floors, and bunk beds. You can debunk them, but the it gets VERY crowded, especially in a quad.
Thurston- I'm ambivalent about. But that may be because I don't live there. Almost everyone I know who lives in Thurston loves it and wouldn't trade it in for anything. I should warn you that if you treasure any sort of quiet time at night, then Thurston is not for you. Also, on weekends it reeks of stale pizza and vomit. I kid you not, once I was in the elevator there and there was still vomit dripping on the wall. It was <em>disgusting</em> and every since I've refused to set foot inside that dorm.
Mitchell is also popular because it is a freshmen singles dorm. A lot of people just aren't compatible for the whole roommate thing which is fine-and Mitchell is a great option. There's a 24 hour 7 11 (the convenience store) in Mitchell, but no private bathrooms.
lafayette is the honors dorm- good location near center of campus, but again, HOVA is much better and many honors students choose to live in HOVA anyway.
people always ask if it's an annoyance to live in HOVA because of its slightly off-campus location, but it truly is not. it takes a COUPLE of minutes to walk to campus, and plus it is located right across the street from safeway, CVS and other stores in the watergate. a lot of people do their grocery shopping in safeway, so the convenience factor is unbeatable. it's also one of the closer dorms to the metro stop (your lifeline if you want to travel around DC), and a short walk to georgetown by the waterfront.
if you have more questions, feel free to ask.</p>

<p>any thoughts Fairytoes on living out at Mt Vernon as a freshman?</p>

<p>I am a Freshman at GW and I live on the MV campus. Personally, I like living on MV- it's a nice bridge into living in the city. The main complaint of most MV residents is the pain of the shuttles and getting from campus to campus, but generally if you give yourself enough time to get places it's not bad. Having a book to read on the shuttle also helps to utilize time that is seemingly wasted. As for the dorms on MV, Somers has gorgeous rooms. I live in the new section in Somers in a double, which is connected to another double by a bathroom with two sinks, shower, ect. There is a ton of storage and just a lot of room. I would recommend touring the MV campus to see the rooms and get a feel for it. I am a tour guide, so maybe I will even see some of you there! Good luck!</p>

<p>Are many freshman classes offered at MV campus?</p>

<p>mount vernon is a small and pretty campus located about 10 minutes from the main foggy bottom campus by shuttle. green lawns, trees, red-brick buildings, a quiet and well-maintained library, and a cafeteria with good food. many students take classes at mount vernon, i had one class there this semester, and i have no complaints other than that i had to leave my dorm a bit early in order to catch the shuttle.
i know some people on mount vernon and they seem to genuinely like living there. somers is considered the best dorm on mount vernon, and it rivals and surpasses some other freshman dorms on foggy bottom. also, in trying to boost "the vern"s popularity, a lot of events and activities are hosted there.
to each his own . . . so if u find that u get "stuck" living on mount vernon, don't sweat it, it's got a lot of perks.</p>

<p>is it possible for honors kids to live in HOVA? i heard that its possible to live on honors floors in a lot of the dorms, and im hoping HOVA is included. if not, where do they usually end up and whats it like? i heard lafayette, but i have no idea what thats like.</p>

<p>According to the Hatchet, freshmen and sophmores will not be allowed to stay in HOVA after August 2006 due to DC zoning laws. (See the full article at <a href="http://www.gwhatchet.com/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.gwhatchet.com/&lt;/a&gt;) We'll be the last freshmen class to stay there!</p>