<p>I'm a guy and probably going to major in some time of engineering (possibly mechanical or biomedical). Are there any Minnesota students/alumni who have recommendations for dorms or who would like to give input on learning communities?</p>
<p>Hey, I’ve asked several people about the dorms, so here is what I’ve been told. I’m also going to CSE (ChemE).</p>
<p>T-Hall: A freshman only superblock. Pretty good for newbies like us, but it can get kind of loud. If you plan to go to a lot of parties, this should be your choice.
Frontier: Same as T-Hall, but less of a party dorm. This was my first choice.
Middlebrook: Super nerdy, but sounds like a blast. This was my second choice (I believe).
Bailey’s: Don’t go here.
Sanford: Has the best food.
Centennial: Offers more privacy.</p>
<p>If you are planning on doing science/engineering, then Frontier would be the best choice. Most of the people around me, on the fourth floor, were engineering/science majors. Since most of us were all taking the same classes, we were able to form study groups and work and the homework together. There are a lot of obvious benefits to living there. </p>
<p>Having said that, there are a few things I did not like. One, Frontier does not have a cafeteria, so you will need to walk to Pioneer Hall (They are connected underground though). Two, I did not like having to share the bathrooms with the entire floor (If I remember correctly, Middlebrook has other options). </p>
<p>Middlebrook is on the West Bank so you would have to walk or take the shuttle across Washington to get to the East Bank campus. Now that there is construction, the shuttle drops students off farther away from the majority of classes instead of by Coffman. If you lived in the superblock you can take the tunnels from the Hospital to Coffman. Other than that, it would take around the same time to walk in my opinion. </p>
<p>Everyone I talked to did not enjoy living in Bailey and are in the process of moving out for next Fall. Last year I would hangout with a friend at Bailey’s Hall on Tuesday nights and it was completely dead! It seemed like a completely different atmosphere than the Twin Cities campus. You may or may not like that sort of thing. </p>
<p>Territorial is definitely known as being more of a “party” dorm, but I didn’t see anything special about it. There were plenty of stuff going on in Frontier if you were worried about that. Can you even choose to dorm in Sanford/Centennial? I thought they were only for upperclassman…</p>
<p>In conclusion, you can’t go wrong with any choice. The only place I heard a lot of complaints from was Bailey. Let me know if you have anymore questions.</p>
<p>My bro and his gf (graduated 2 years ago) told me to put this for ranking preference:
1 Centennial (East Bank, idk exactly why it was their favorite, sounds a little too quiet for me)
2 Frontier (freshman only, less party than Territorial)
3 Comstock (no idea, forgot to ask)
4 Middlebrook (nerdy mostly, but theatre/art majors go there too)
5 Pioneer (apparently didn’t have A/C, but they might have changed)</p>
<p>and they said do NOT go to</p>
<p>Sanford (they just said “no”)
Territorial (party, no thanks)
Bailey (no one likes Bailey)</p>
<p>Hope this helps. I personally want Frontier because it’s freshman-only and all 2-person rooms (my friend wants to room with me), and it’s not a party-dorm like Territorial; neither of us party much. But I’ll get more opinions from my other friends who graduated, you should too.</p>
<p>I live in Bailey this year. Unless you like living 5 miles from your classes, antisocial people, paying for and taking cabs, spending 40 minutes on the bus per day and having NOTHING recreational to do off campus near your dorm, don’t live here. </p>
<p>Most CSE students I know live in Frontier and they really seem to like it. I’ve been over there on the weekends and it wasn’t wild by any means. </p>
<p>Avoid Bailey and Pioneer.</p>
<p>Any current freshmen recommend Comstock Hall? I visited my friend’s dorm at Comstock last week and thought it was pretty decent. I would like to party, but not as much as, say, T-Hall. Help.</p>
<p>I don’t live in Comstock, but if I could pick a new dorm, it’d be my first choice. The location is unbeatable, it’s nicer than the dorms on the superblock, and it’s quiet. Not to say you can’t party, but I’d rather live somewhere quiet and have the option to go party if I want to.</p>
<p>I think Comstock is home to most of the Living Communities also, namely the LGBT living community.</p>
<p>Also, T-Hall is really overrated. Realize that the U of M is probably the least of a party school in the Big Ten, and the “wildest” (with emphasis on the quotes) dorm at that school isn’t anything to brag about. One of my friends is a C.A. in Frontier and she says that T-Hall has been remarkably quiet the last two years; probably attributed to the U making admissions harder and attracting kids who are less likely to party all the time.</p>
<p>Centennial’s a good dorm too. Closest to classes of all the dorms on the superblock, and it’s not a dump like Bailey or Pio.</p>
<p>Yeah, thanks for helping me! I really liked Comstock when I visited my gf’s single. You’d think I would still get it since I applied like last week. I am rooming with a friend, so maybe that would bring me up in priority?</p>
<p>I tried to room with someone I met on Facebook and we asked for Centennial, and needless to say, we didn’t end up together. He ended up in Centennial with someone random and they put me over in east-jesus-nowhere Bailey. </p>
<p>If you’re trying to room with a friend, it’s probably REALLY wise to get that submitted early.</p>
<p>Anywhere but Bailey is fine with me, ha, even if I may end up with some random person. Yeah, hoping for the best! I am such an idiot for applying too late. I have Bailey at the last ranking preference. </p>
<p>Thanks for all your help; much appreciated :)</p>
<p>Update: Yeah, I emailed the Housing staff and they said that Frontier and T-Hall are about to be full. I applied like last week and they said it would be fine for the other halls. So, I should be okay with Comstock.</p>