<p>My son will be a freshman this fall studying engineering. He definitely wants to be in Lakeside, Riverside, or Ridgecrest. Which one is preferred for close proximity to classes and/or dining hall? What else should he consider when choosing dorm location? He has room selection on April 17 from 8 til 10 so he may not have a whole lot of choice by then. Any thoughts or suggestions would be so greatly appreciated… Thanks</p>
<p>Riverside West is very close to Lakeside Dining…so is Lakeside West.</p>
<p>However, for engineering, Riverside East is close to eng’g and to Lakeside Dining. </p>
<p>None of the honors dorms are far away from eng’g or dining. </p>
<p>Riverside west is also very close to a bus stop.</p>
<p>If your son is staying on campus for more than two years, Riverside will also be very close to the new buildings that are under construction, including a new dining hall and rec center north of Riverside.</p>
<p>^^^Yea! When is the new rec center proposed to be finished? Don’t mean to hijack, but a quick answer would be appreciated. And will it have a pool?</p>
<p>I’ve heard that the new rec center will NOT have a pool. I guess they figure that those who want swimming can use the one in the main rec center or the Aquatic center or the Pool Complex. </p>
<p>I’m guessing that the new rec center will be an abreviated version of the main one…just to help relieve some of the overcrowding with the machines and weights and stuff…and maybe have a gym for basketball and volleyball, since the gyms in the main rec center are often busy.</p>
<p>I’m guessing that the new build will complete the dorms first (since those need to be done on time for classes to start - I think in Fall 2013)…while the 2nd rec center and dining hall wouldn’t have such a time constraint.</p>
<p>My son is not very motivated to find a roommate, he just wants to choose his room and let his roommates be random. Any successes or nightmares with roommates found randomly? Maybe it’s a “guy” thing… he says the roommate finder site just feels strange. I am more concerned about his roommate than he is.</p>
<p>My older son did “potluck” and was fine. </p>
<p>However, I think if he were to do it today, I’d suggest Riverside since those seem to be the “calmest halls” with some older students. But, I’d still try to have him pick a suite with mostly frosh.</p>
<p>Sometimes the “mostly frosh” or “all frosh” halls can be a little more crazy because all of the sudden you have hundreds of kids away from home for the first time.</p>
<p>Personally, my D is happy with her potluck roommate. They are nothing alike and rarely even see each other and it works out well. Each has their own set of friends and goes their own way. If your son feels comfortable with it, he may want to try the FB page, but in reality you are still actually getting potluck unless you already know someone or are able to spend substantial time together beforehand. Her first experience was a disaster. You never really know what you are getting, so I say at least there are no expectations either way with potluck. Good luck.</p>
<p>“Potluck” …like it. Yeah, you are right that even if you know their names and have chatted on fb doesn’t guarantee a good fit. I guess I worry, he is my oldest of three so kind of uneasy about making mistakes or forgetting something.</p>
<p>My son did well ‘potluck’ as well. On the other hand, a friend’s daughter went to another school and roomed with a good friend… didn’t go well! Living together can infringe on good feelings and the opportunity to meet new people.</p>
<p>You’re a mom, that’s what we do. I was in your shoes last year so I totally get it. Our D did have a bad experience, but that was quickly corrected. I’m just suggesting that there is no guarantee either way, so if he isn’t interested/comfortable with the roommate finder or FB, he may be just as well off with potluck. I don’t think any of us will ever stop worrying for/about our children. I sure hope they remember that when we are old!</p>