<p>Now that the Freshman know which Dorm they will spend the next year, can any seasoned WM and Mary people give them the pros and cons of each dorm? Maybe helpful hints or any other great advice to help them? Thanks!</p>
<p>check out the Residence Life Page on freshmen residence halls. It gives virtual tours, room dimensions, and logistical information about each building so you can plan and prepare.</p>
<p>[William</a> & Mary - Freshman Halls](<a href=“http://www.wm.edu/offices/residencelife/oncampus/residencehalls/freshman/index.php]William”>Freshman Halls | William & Mary)</p>
<p>I’m starting my Sophomore year in the fall and would be more than happy to help. Any specific dorm you’d like to know about, or all of them? I had friends in nearly every one, so I’ll do the best I can :)</p>
<p>Tell me about Jefferson Basement :)</p>
<p>A good friend of mine lived there this past year and had a positive experience. Freshman only live in the Basement (last I heard), and it’s a mix of boys and girls. Bathrooms are separate by sex, of course, but nothing else, to my knowledge—it’s possible the boys are clustered together in the hall, though. This past year I believe only 1/4 of the residents in the basement were boys, but I’m not 100% sure of that ratio.</p>
<p>Like other small Freshman living spaces on campus such as Taliferro, the residents in JBase are very close-knit. As a Freshman I lived in the Botetourt Complex and had a similar, enjoyable experience. And that was without the luxury of air conditioning! JBase has A/C and you’ll be grateful for that come time for move-in and orientation, for sure, along with the rest of August, parts of September and most of May.</p>
<p>Proximity to Old Campus and the Sadler Center are huge appeals of Jefferson. While smaller than the Caf, Sadler is great to be near because it houses the student mailboxes, a convenience store known as The Student Exchange (or, more fondly, SExchange), free pool (courtesy of the Student Assembly), and the Commonwealth Auditorium where performances and AMP events are often featured. The Sunken Gardens is just a great place to lay out, read, or hang with friends…not to mention the biannual event, Screen on the Green, and two dances—Green and Gold Affair in the fall and King and Queens Ball in the spring. Being close to Wawa is nice too, open 24 hours and very student-friendly. </p>
<p>Cons: Only about 30 residents (you’ll probably get very tight with most of the residents but get tired of some by the end of the year and keep to a smaller group, but this is not untrue of many freshman dorms and experiences); far from the gym, Swem, and New Campus (granted, no Freshman dorm is right in the middle of campus and “close” to both Old and New Campus, though Barrett is most so).</p>
<p>That is…all I’ve got 
You gave me a hard one! In order, I know the least about Taliferro, Monroe, Hunt, and then JBase so I hope I was remotely helpful. Good luck with move-in, have a great first year, and welcome! Go Tribe!</p>
<p>can you talk about barrett please? =]</p>
<p>Sure! I honestly don’t have much else to be doing the rest of the summer, just anxiously waiting to get back on campus. And that is no lie, I promise. W&M Honor Code at work, perhaps? ;)</p>
<p>There are two freshman dorms that are most desirable at William and Mary and Barrett is one of them (DuPont the other). Barrett used to be an all girls dorm but has been co-ed for years. This past year, male residents were on the second floor while both wings of the first and third floors were female. Barrett is not air conditioned but residents can get window units if the get a doctor to sign off on it (because of allergies, asthma, or another medical condition). Rooms tend to be a bit on the narrow side, compared to others on campus, but the ceilings are quite high. Because of such, many residents end up bunking their beds—and comfortably! The student on the top bunk has enough room to sit up tall and still have at least 12 inches of space between their head and the ceiling. Some girls can nearly stand!</p>
<p>I’ve heard nothing but good things from those friends whom lived in Barrett. Of all the freshman dorms, I’d say that Barrett is the most centrally located. With two entrances/exits, one facing the back of Washington Hall and the other Landrum Drive, residents can take one to get to Old Campus and the other to get to New. To those in Barrett, Old Campus is but a 5 minute walk, if that, and New Campus a 10 (closer to 12 for to get to Morton Hall). </p>
<p>Downfall of Barrett’s location lies in its proximity to dining halls. The Caf is clear on the other side of campus near Botetourt and Yates. Sadler is across and down past the Sunken Gardens, maybe 7 minutes away. Barrett is at the corner of Landrum Dr and Jamestown road. Five minutes away from the dorm is the Marketplace dining center, which is not all you can eat like Sadler and the Caf but is still accepting of mealplans. The Marketplace is not open on weekends, to my knowledge.</p>
<p>Just as with Jefferson Basement, students are very close to the Sunken Gardens and all the events that occur there. Going down Landrum students can get to Swem Library to cram for an exam in a matter of minutes or travel instead down Jamestown Road to get to Colonial Williamsburg for a mind-clearing walk. Also like Jefferson Hall, residents of Barrett are far from the gym. I forgot to mention in my last post that a fair number of students like to run through CW, so there are still ways to get in your exercise without having to walk 15 minutes to the Rec. And with a bike getting to the Rec, or anywhere, can be accomplished in a very timely manner.</p>
<p>All freshmen at the College are offered great opportunities to interact with their hallmates and socialize. Barrett even held their own cotillion this past year! Because Barrett is medium-sized residents are able to make lasting relationships and new friendships at the same time. Just enough people to please those who enjoy small and large populations. </p>
<p>Barrett is also just a darn attractive looking place. Tour groups that take potential students through a dorm usually stop by Barrett (though DuPont is thrown into the mix, as well). </p>
<p>Good luck with your year, enjoy your experiences, and welcome! Go Tribe!</p>
<p>jefferson is also near CW =)</p>
<p>one of the nice things about W&M is that the campus is fairly compact (and has a lack of car traffic). You are never that far from anywhere. You don’t notice it when you are there, but if you visit some other schools and it becomes very apparent. There are no large roads running through campus, and all the walks are short. Many schools have walks that are in the 30 minute range.</p>
<p>can u also talk about yates plz?
I know it’s one of the biggest dorms…i am kinda worried that the dorm will always be noisy full of parties and such lol… how is it?</p>
<p>Yates is the second largest Freshman dorm and is desirable for its A/C, though being the former dorm of Jon Stewart doesn’t hurt either, of course.</p>
<p>Yates does tend to be a big noisier than other Freshman dorms but I honestly believe some of that can be attributed to the dorm’s architecture. Yates is one straight hallway, only sectioned to Left, Right, and Center by two lounges per floor. But really, Yates <em>is</em> a large dorm and more people often means more noise. No one I know who lived in Yates ever seemed to complain too much about the noise. And if you’re more sensitive to that, you’ll adjust, I promise. College makes you very adaptable, from living with another person to using a hall bathroom (which are not bad at all).</p>
<p>Because Yates is near the frats, I’d say that more often than not the parties stay there. Why bring that back into a Freshman dorm and risk running into trouble? Yates is also right across from the Caf and a few minutes away from the Rec Center, making it a well-situated dorm. A trip to New Campus from Yates is but a 5 minute walk down a path leading from the left of Yates (if facing the Caf), and 8 minutes or so to Old Campus. Both walks are a bit longer if you’re going to either Morton or the Wren Building.</p>
<p>Yates residents also have a prime location for sporting events. You can practically roll out of bed and be at W&M Hall for basketball games and Zable Stadium is 5 or 6 minutes away. You can be outside Yates on game day and hear the commentator clearly! Going to sporting events is a great way that many Freshman make memories with their friends. Just in front of Yates is a large pitch of grass known as Yates Field were many students go to throw a frisbee, toss a football, roast marshmallows, or even just study outside on one of the picnic tables. A bunch of my dormmates and I played Capture the Flag and Tag there at 11:30pm last April and had a fantastic time.</p>
<p>No matter where you live, I guarantee you’ll make friends and have many enjoyable experiences. Because Yates is so large you’ll have an even greater opportunity to meet people from other halls and floors. Four friends of mine from Yates, whom were on two different halls became fantastic friends and are blocking together this coming year (living next door to each other, sharing a bathroom). </p>
<p>Hope I helped a bit Good luck with your first year, have fun, and welcome! Go Tribe!</p>
<p>Can you please tell me a little bit about Monroe Hall? Thanks so much for your replies!! :)</p>
<p>Another hard one but I’ll give it a whirl :)</p>
<p>Monroe Hall is home to not just Monroe Scholars but other, also very smart W&M freshman Like Barrett, Monroe is not air conditioned so many residents acquire doctors’ notes so they can get a window unit. Again, an A/C unit is not necessary but it’s nice to have. Fans will get you by, though, speaking from personal experience. And I’m sure enough people will tell you that making friends with people that do have A/C is a lot of fun. A bunch of people in my Freshman dorm planned on having a sleepover in the air conditioned lounge and although it never ended up happening it’s the thought! Bonding over lack of A/C is actually not as horrible as it might sound 
Really, while this summer has been more hot and humid than usual, students only really benefit from an A/C during the first and last month and a half.</p>
<p>Another thing my friends and I in Botetourt enjoyed were group visits to Wawa when SExchange and Java City (mini convenience store-coffee place at the Caf) were closed. Monroe residents are very lucky to have Wawa right outside their front door! There’s nothing like grabbing pints of Ben & Jerry’s and taking them to the Sunken Gardens at midnight with good people. </p>
<p>Located on the opposite side of the Sunken Gardens as Jefferson Hall, Monroe offers the same proximity to Old Campus and CW right down Richmond Rd (onto which Monroe backs up). Like Jefferson and Barrett, Monroe is not as close to the dining halls as Yates or Botetourt halls but it’s still not more than 7 minutes to the Sadler Center. Monroe is similarly ill-located as Hunt, Taliferro, and Brown Halls in relation to New Campus and Swem Library. As soccerguy highlighted, at any school other than William and Mary, this would sound horrible and unappealing but at the College, this just means you have to walk 15 minutes to get there. Other schools it takes at least 20 to get to the nearest academic building. </p>
<p>Monroe Hall has a very nice size to it; like Barrett it is considered medium-sized. Just enough people to know a lot of people but still be able to make new friends in the building. Monroe offers two lounges on each floor, one per wing/side. Three different staircases per floor is also nicely convenient. I’m not sure whether boys and girls are separated by wing or floor, though Monroe Scholars tend to be clustered together. However, just as not all residents in Monroe Hall are Monroe Scholars not all Monroe Scholars live in Monroe.</p>
<p>Monroe is a very nice dorm, though it does not have the clout of DuPont or Barrett. Speaking as someone who lived in Botetourt, it’s not the dorm so much as the people, and William and Mary’s student population is more than just smart. I hope your Freshman year is wonderful and unforgettable! Welcome!</p>
<p>Wow thanks so much! :D</p>
<p>I am excited to live there and get close to the people…Although I really wanted DuPont or Barrett haha but then again, who doesn’t?</p>
<p>When you say far from the library and Swem, is it terribly far or just a little far?</p>
<p>Also, how close is Jbase to like Aromas and WM Bookstore? I can see the map but I don’t know all the wooded ares in between and stuff so… :D</p>
<p>Thanks again! You should write a campus guide or something :P</p>
<p>I’m sure you’ll have a fantastic experience! I wanted those dorms too but found myself more than happy in Botetourt.</p>
<p>Honestly, nothing is terribly far from anything else at W&M. You might not agree with your backpack loaded with books from Swem, however Compared to it’s proximity to Old Campus, I was figuring that Jefferson Basement was “far” from the library and the heart of New Campus (the sundial). Still only an 8 minute walk or so. The Rec Center is closer to 15 minutes away.</p>
<p>Have you seen this map? [College</a> of W&M - Campus Map](<a href=“http://web.wm.edu/tenniscenter/campusmap.html]College”>http://web.wm.edu/tenniscenter/campusmap.html)</p>
<p>Aroma’s is down Prince George Street and the Bookstore you can get to by going straight down Duke of Gloucester Street or by going a big further down Prince George and crossing the street (this way gets you to the back of the store where to your right, upon entrance, are the stairs down to the textbooks). I would estimate that Aroma’s is roughly 11 minutes away while the Bookstore is 12 minutes down DoG Street or 14 down Prince George. Not 100% sure as I lived on the other side of campus last year and always leave too early to get places but I hope I helped nonetheless :)</p>
<p>You are very welcome; it’s really my pleasure. Enjoy your year—it’ll fly by!</p>
<p>I don’t think Aromas or the bookstore could be more than 6 or 7 minutes from Jefferson. I’m loving the summaries of the dorms, i’m_me!</p>
<p>And here is an updated campus map:
<a href=“http://gisfiles.wm.edu/campusmap/wmmap.pdf[/url]”>http://gisfiles.wm.edu/campusmap/wmmap.pdf</a>
And to get to know where the wooded parts are, you can try google earth or google maps.</p>
<p>Yeah, I agree, actually. Just checked Google Maps for the distance to Aroma’s from Jefferson and it said 6 mins, and the time to the Bookstore going down Prince George is 8 minutes. You can check the distance between Jefferson, or any other dorm, with a lot of places using Maps. For dorms (which are not always recognized by the site), start by using just William and Mary as an entry and your destination, then drag the W&M arrow to somewhere more specific on campus.</p>
<p>I always walk slow around W&M because it’s so pretty! Haha :)</p>
<p>Thanks! I’m glad you like them!</p>
<p>I would say Morton is closer than 10-12 minutes from Barrett/Jefferson too. I did Morton to Tyler in less than 10 for a semester. I wasn’t meandering since the professor in Tyler was extremely fussy about being late (refused to take your work due that day unless you were there when he called your name for roll… and you were expected to be leave your other classes early if you needed extra time to walk rather than ever be late for his class), but I’m not what you might consider a fast walker by nature. Those dorms really are great for location. Even for food… I always thought the Marketplace had some of the better food (loved Zoca in particular). But I guess it can be a little repetitive and the UC is not good, so it’s a good walk if you want to go the Caf.</p>
<p>um, btw… monroe is the best freshman dorm ever. the end. </p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>if you like to sweat while you go to sleep in august and september. =P</p>
<p>Hey I’m applying to W&M right now as one of my top choices. I visited the campus this past summer and got a tour of a typical freshman dorm room… I don’t have a huge problem with the lack of A/C, but the space looked incredibly cramped with one bunkbed, two dressers, one small closet, and minimal walking space. I’m a little worried that there wouldn’t be enough space to put my clothes and other things. Is this a problem for anyone? I can’t tell because I haven’t actually lived there.</p>