Freshman living in North Quad

Colleges and Universities A-Z Claremont McKenna College
1

I found out that I’ll be living in Wohlford this year as a freshman and I’ve heard that it’s hard to make friends/be around other freshmen while living in a North Quad dorm… Is this true? Can anyone who’s lived in North Quad their freshman year talk about what their experience was like? Thanks!!

2

Didn’t live in north quad - lived in Benson my freshman year. Hated my roommate, and didn’t really make any friends around my dorm. However, I loved almost every minute of freshman year mainly because I made tons of friends who lived in other dorms, that were literally 30 seconds away from mine. I frequented Marks as well as Berger hall, which at the time was a mainly freshman dorm. This was back before the renovations with the bare white walls - the freshman would absolutely destroy the dorms on party nights, which was a decent amount of fun (cleaning up was not great tho). So to answer your question, I didn’t like my dorm really at all, but made friends at other dorms, which didn’t really make that much of a difference. North quad is still the social center of CMC, so you’ll be close to the action on Thurs/Sat nights. Be yourself, go out and make friends, find people you like, and everything will be great. You probably should worry more about the lack of AC in September than anything else, I lived in Boswell soph. year and the first couple of weeks/month was like a sauna.

3

@rearview1 Thanks for the response. That’s interesting because I know a lot of people prefer living in hall style dorms, but it’s good to know I won’t have trouble meeting other freshmen. I’m aware that north quad dorms don’t have AC which is why I’m getting a fan, so hopefully that’ll help

4

Lived in bozzie last year,

  1. Buy like two more fans than you think you need. At least one big one for the room and one desk fan/nightstand fan for your face.
  2. Ant proof your room before you move all your stuff in. Buy that spray bottle stuff that creates. "Perimeter" and spray it all the way around your room. Buy ant traps and put one in each corner and one outside your room.
  3. Leave your door open as much as possible, and just wander into everyone else's room if their door is open (they will be). You will make friends with pretty much everyone in your dorm this way. Source: dorm president of nq dorm who was friends with everyone.