First Year Dorms

<p>So im going to kenyon next fall and i cant wait! but im thinking about which of the dorms i want to live in....
i know i want it to be co-ed by room as opposed to co-ed by floor. the more girls and guys in one area the better. i also think it would be cool to live in the quad... im pretty easy going and can deal with hot/cold rooms.
any suggestions??</p>

<p>Unless they have changed the policy, you don’t actually get to request a dorm. However, you do get to request things like sexual division (divided by room, hall or floor). The only downside of the dorms on the quad is that they don’t have air conditioning. Lewis and Norton (sex divided by hall) have the largest Freshman rooms which are about 200 sq ft each. They are pretty nice with linoleum floors and a large window. Gund (sex divided by floor) has the best lounge although unlike the dorms across the street none of the dorms on the quad has a kitchen. Congratulations on your acceptance. Good luck next year.</p>

<p>Norton all the way!</p>

<p>McBride 4 life!</p>

<p>take a wild guess based on my screenname :)</p>

<p>Gund is one of those places that if you’re made for it, you’ll LOVE it. If you’re not, forget about it. I LOVED coed by floor, though i wasn’t expecting to. It did nothing to stop everyone from hanging out, but it did mean the floor was cleaner and it was easier to bond as a hall.</p>

<p>i think quad dorms are more communal by FAR than mcbride and mather, though they certainly have have dorm pride. To me it feels more like a shared experience though as opposed to a real, personal closeness with the people on your hall like gund, norton, and lewis. Quad people know everyone in the building, mcbride and mather people might know everyone on their floor.</p>

<p>I have several questions regarding Kenyon. </p>

<ol>
<li> Are there kitchens in freshman’s dorms?<br></li>
<li>How to get from Columbus airport to Kenyon when I am traveling alone, let’s say for school breaks?<br></li>
<li>What kind of medical care is available for students on campus?</li>
</ol>

<p>Mather and McBride have kitchens (I think). The others do not.
During peak travel time there’s a shuttle called the Kenyon coach which you can reserve a seat for online and pay or just show up and hope there’s room.
There’s the health center (North end of campus near freshman dorms) and the Knox Country Community Hospital which is 4 or 5 miles away.</p>

<p>Thanks for answering, foolsgold! One more question: are electrical tea kettles allowed in the dorms?</p>

<p>Yes, electrical tea kettles are allowed. And live in Lewis.</p>

<p>What dorms tend to have kids that party more? I have a very outgoing personality and I want to be surrounded by people who want to go to the fraternities on weekends and things of that nature. Is there a specific dorm that has a more social reputation?</p>

<p>It’s a toss up. It just depends on the year. Res Life tries to pair roommates who appear compatible based on question that will suggest a persons partying tendencies or lack thereof. Mather has the substance abuse free living (sorry I’ve forgotten the name for it). Every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday night at about 10:30 there’s a line of freshmen walking south. Especially at the beginning of the year, you’ll have no trouble finding people to go out with regardless of where you live. Any dorm would be fine, but I’d try to avoid Mather.</p>

<p>That’s very helpful. Thanks a million foolsgold!</p>

<p>From everything my son has told me, I totally agree with foolsgold. </p>

<p>He’s also said that he thinks the school did an EXCELLENT job of “roommate matching.” As long as you put some thought into the housing questionnaire and answer it honestly, you should be fine. The actual dorm you end up in isn’t as important as the people you’re with.</p>

<p>(By the way,he’s loving life at Kenyon, and is very “social” - which I’m using as a good euphemism for liking to go to parties!!!)</p>

<p>McBride tends to be the “party” dorm, but I chose it because I like having it coed by room and not floor. I don’t really agree that Kenyon did a very good job with roommate matching (I am extremely studious and was paired with a girl who frequently become drunk and threw things at the wall), but luckily I was able to switch a week before the semester ended. After the first semester you are allowed to mutually switch rooms so I ended up a good friend. I’m not a big fan of the quad because I love having a kitchen in the dorm (McBride and Mather do) and air conditioning.</p>

<p>There are also downstairs apartments in lewis and norton where there are kitchens that you can use to cook. I definitely recommend living in the freshman quad during your first year. THere are a lot of activities and chances to meet people when living in close proximity to others. Although Mcbride is loud and really lively, it’s awesome living in the freshman quad and definitely something that everyone should experience.</p>

<p>also, you’re allowed to request what dorm you want to live in. they give you the list of dorms and you give them your ranking, 1 to 5. and, for the most part, it seems that people have gotten the first dorm they requested.</p>

<p>Don’t necessarily count on getting your first choice. My son didn’t, but he’s definitely happy with where he ended up.</p>