I was recently accepted to UVA c/o 2020. So, I little big of background, I go to a boarding school here in SC and so I’ve lived in dorms for the past 2 years + 1 summer, and so as expected, I’m kind of done with dorms at this point. Or at least with roommates. I was looking into possibly trying to get a single, though there is not much information available online. I know that there is the Brown residential college that is kinda like singles (apparently you have to walk through your roommates room if you are in one of them?? I’m a bit confused on the setup.)
Anyway here are my questions:
How does the process work to select a single dorm?
Where are the singles located? I hear they are in worse dorms, (and someone said they attract “weird” people, any thoughts?)
Just generally pros and cons of singles
Also, about doubles, how likely is it to be in suite style? My dorms here are suite style, so I feel like it’d be a major bummer if I went from this to communal bathrooms.
And my final question isn’t about freshman year, but how many people move off campus to apartments? How affordable are apartments in C-ville?
There are just a few single rooms available for incoming first year students. There are some in hereford, some in IRC (both of these, upperclassmen tend to claim the singles) and then some in gooch/dillard and some in mccormick. The mccormick singles are basically a bed lofted under the staircase. The other 3 dorms listed are farther away than the other first year dorms. The singles are very small, the size of a closet. I would really recommend not having a single.
If you are visiting UVA ask to take a tour of Brown college if none of the descriptions have made it clear for you. It is not really a single.
I think you can put a preference for single dorm on your housing application. I had a friend who chose it because it is substantially cheaper to live in a tiny closet room single vs regular sized double room.
Re: suite style: most of the first year dorms are hall style, but even the suite style dorms have tons of girls sharing one bathroom. You only get a more private bathroom in Brown if you land a room in the corner, otherwise it is 8 to a bathroom. IRC is hall style and so is hereford. Gooch/dillard is suite style with again up to 10 sharing a bathroom.
Honestly I had the best “bathroom parties” in Brown so bathroom socializing is a fun part of the experience. Sorry you’ve already done it in high school but you will do it again your first year.
Most students move off grounds. The more roommates, the more affordable.
@elbritt I attended a chat session, and the moderators, who were students, said that dorming is all random. You don’t get to choose which dorm you’d like
@doglover1998, they are right that assignment in the traditional buildings is random, but students can apply for the residential colleges.
During Days on the Lawn, there are dorm tours that visit Brown, one McCormick Road hall (“old,” traditional dorm style), and one Alderman Road dorm (“new,” some suite style options).
A number of years ago, UVa used to let students pick a dorm. It was found that the engineers were often picking one set of dorms and the preppies were picking another set of dorms (where their fathers lived), etc. A policy decision was made that it was better to have students live with a cross-section of first year students, which is when random assignments were made. The U. still tries to match roommates by whether they are morning or late night persons, etc.
Can anyone tell me if there are any first year dorms that have singles with a private bathroom shared by people? Like basically suite style with your own room but a common bathroom or living area for like 3 or 4 people.
I think there are some singles in Hereford. Most of the new residential halls were built in a hall-style arrangement (like the old dorms on McCormick) because students said they found them to be more sociable than suites. Almost all first year housing is doubles. I believe there are still a couple Alderman buildings from the 1960s that are still left that have suites of 10 students (5 double rooms with a living room). In any case, a first year student doesn’t get to choose unless they pick a residential college, and most of the residential colleges are double rooms
Are freshman dorms all one price? I know the kids can’t chose a specific dorm, but my DS would need to chose one of the cheaper dorms if the cost is less. I have 3 kids starting college so cost matters. I can’t imagine the dorms cost the same…they have some with A/C and some without, some with a bathroom in the suite and some that are shared down the hall. My DS actually liked the older dorms better…he wouldn’t have to clean a bathroom and it was very close to the Engineering buildings.
So I guess what I’m asking is do new dorms with A/C and a bath cost the same as older dorms with a shared bath and no A/C?
I believe the first year double-occupancy rooms are all the same price. The U. is spending tens of millions to renovate the old dorms and to add air conditioning, but I don’t think it will be done for a couple years.
As far as saving money, the key will be to convince your kids to eat as many meals as possible within the mandated meal plan, instead of going to restaurants all of the time. I told my kids that if they go to a restaurant, they had to pay for it from the money they earned during the summer.
@laughandlearn23 Gooch/Dillard dorms are as you describe. 4 or 6 singles sharing a common bathroom and living room. My son was in Gooch as a first year and he had a single in a 6 person suite. However, and this is a big however, UVa has been renovating these dorms and converting the singles into doubles. How many suites are still left that are singles? I don’t know,but I’d say a good portion of them have been converted over to double rooms. The way housing works for first years is that you request your first, second, third choice and so on of room type (single, double, triple) but you cannot request dorm. Housing tries its best to match your preference. So when my S was a first year he requested (1) single, (2) double, (3) triple. He received a single in Gooch and he was quite happy. However, he could also have ended up with a single in McCormick (hall style) as I understand there are a few singles there but they are not suite style. It’s my understanding that Alderman is all doubles hall style. I hope this helps.
@laughandlearn23https://www.virginia.edu/housing/options.php?id=gooch&type=fy Housing says there still are single room suites. The photos show a renovated suite with double rooms. The renovations look wonderful. When my son was there two years ago it was nice but older, not renovated. That double room they show I can see that what they did was take two singles and knock the wall down between them to turn it into a double room. Looks like a nice size double I liked Gooch/Dillard because it’s close to the Athletic Center and its dining hall Runk is outstanding.
@elbritt it is not easy or hard, it is about fitting in with the culture. Take a look at the application and see if it is something that intrigues and entertains you. If so, do apply!
I liked Gooch/Dillard because it’s close to the Athletic Center and its dining hall Runk is outstanding.