<p>which residential halls are the most preferred by freshman at furman? does being on lakeside or soho make a difference? what attracts certain people to either side??</p>
<p>They're both about the same; both pretty nice. Lakeside is closer to the lake and the arts and music buildings. soho is closer to the athletic fields. It has a sand volleyball court and lots of green grass fields. If you have a choice go with Lakeside but theres not much difference to be honest</p>
<p>Don't go for Blackwell Hall! The rooms are very very tiny, and you're forced to have bunkbeds. I said in another post that there needs to be a facebook group for furman c/o 2012... who wants to start it?!</p>
<p>My daughter is a freshman living in Poteat (S. housing). It's one of the best dorms in terms of space. She is really glad that she lives there. While she really likes the room itself (and never underestimate the comfort of a CLEAN community bathroom as opposed to one you & your roommate never seem to get around to cleaning) ... what she REALLY likes is the fact that Poteat is Engaged Living. Check out the EL info on Furman's website. There are several programs (some may be changed for next year). By getting into the program, she was guaranteed a room in Poteat. The dorm staff is dedicated to working especially closely with EL students. The students in her dorm have become very close to each other, and they get to know the prof for their EL program really well. She recommends it highly.</p>
<p>When I visited Furman over the summer, I saw a Poteat dorm and it looked pretty nice. I would definitely agree that it is pretty spacious. If I remember, don't they have a "Where's waldo?" theme kelsmom? I thought that was pretty cool :)</p>
<p>And JSMcM- Agreed. We definitely need a group on FB!</p>
<p>Yes, Poteat's theme this year is "Where's Waldo." The dorms have themes for Orientation. I know Poteat has stayed decorated that way ever since.</p>
<p>The girls all decorated their doors & hallway for Christmas, too. It's a great living environment. The dorm's custodian gave the girls her phone number, in case they ever need someone to talk to. Parents can rest easy that their kids are well taken care of at Furman!</p>
<p>Each set of hall staff comes up with a hall theme at the end of the previous school year, which unifies the brother/sister hall pairings. My freshman year, our theme was Greece/Grease (Guys were Greeks, like Spartans, Girls were Pink Ladies). Poteat, which is all Engaged Living, had the "Where's Waldo" theme this year.</p>
<p>In terms of housing, both sides are fairly equal. Lakeside does have a few pianos in the basement and is closer to the music building, which might be an appeal. Lakeside also has a few suite style rooms (four people, two rooms, one bathroom).</p>
<p>Blackwell really isn't all that bad. I lived there last year (my freshman year) and it was fine. Sure the rooms are small, but I had a friend of mine from Duke who lived in the brand new Belltower Housing come by and say that his rooms were the same size as Blackwell rooms. Blackwell rooms do not have sinks, but I really didn't mind.</p>
<p>To answer the original question: Hall preference really depends on what type of living arrangement you prefer. I lived in a hall style bath freshman year and loved it and I'm admittedly a Lakesider! Lakeside is closer to the music buildings, Furman and Johns Hall (Social Sciences) and the Infirmiry and Admissions office, as well as North Village. SoHo is closer to athletic facilities, and Science buildings. Lakeside is all interconnected while SoHo is a more traditional quad style arrangement, regarding the acutal buildings that compose the dormitory housing. Frankly, most students love wherever they end up because they dont know any better. I would suggest trying to live on a hall style bath freshman year as it encourages you to mingle and the bathroom becomes more of a common area.</p>
<p>Plus, a clean bathroom is a happy bathroom :)!</p>