Hi all! I’ve been accepted at GWU as a member of Class of 2022. I was checking out the housing situation, and would appreciate some recommendations from current students. I’d prefer to stick within range of the estimated room&board cost ($13,850). I’ve heard a lot about Thurston, both good and bad, and I’m on the fence. I’ve heard some describe it as “dirty” and “smells like vomit” and I’m pretty OCD, so I’m not sure if I could handle that, if that really is the case.
Thank you!
Hope to hear from current students too, as my son was accepted. Until then check out the GWU sub on reddit. Discussion currently about the party culture in Thurston.
I’m also interested. My daughter was accepted & would like more detail.
I lived on the Vern my freshmen year and have been an RA for the past couple of years, so I know a decent amount of information about housing.
THURSTON
Many people have a wide range of opinions on Thurston as pros for some are cons for others. It is a pretty loud dorm in general no matter what time it is, which is the consequence of putting 1000+ freshmen together. Whether it is a “party” dorm or not really depends on the people in each separate room, but there are often parties going on Thursday/Friday/Saturday nights. While some people have wonderful experiences with their 3-5 roommates, others have horrible experiences. There are rare double rooms, but typically, the rooms have either four, five, or six people. However, the five/six person rooms are a bit different from what one may expect. Six person rooms actually have three rooms attached to each other - a big room (which is what the four person rooms have), a double room, and a closet sized single. I would say the biggest plus of living in Thurston is students get to meet so many other freshmen. I felt that the people with the most friends lived in Thurston. Also, it is a block or so away from Elliott, which can be convenient for Elliott students.
POTOMAC
Pros: I would say Potomac is the nicest freshmen dorm. When I did housing tours for admitted students last year, many parents and students commented on how spacious the rooms were. The style of the rooms is very similar to the Vern, which has the best rooms for freshmen. There are about 40 students per floor, and most floors have their own RA. Each room (of two students) share a bathroom with another room (of two students). It is also really close to Elliott, which is helpful for Elliott students.
Cons: There are not a ton of study spaces within the dorm itself. There is the basement, which has a kitchen, and a study room on the first and second floors. The basement is pretty big though compared to most dorms.
MADISON
Pros: It has a great location that is super close to all classrooms, except for Elliott, and is across the street from the library. A lot of athletes live in this building, but for others, there is a variety of options in the types of rooms available.
Cons: It is kind of an older dorm.
MITCHELL
Pros: All the rooms are singles, so no need to complain about roommates.
Cons: It is the only dorm on campus with communal bathrooms. It is pretty close to Elliott as it is adjacent to Elliott, but otherwise, it is the farthest dorm on campus.
LAFAYETTE
Pros: The location is convenient, the rooms are pretty nice. They only started letting freshmen live here last year, so I am honestly not super familiar with it. It is a freshmen/sophomore dorm, so I believe it is quieter usually than the other freshmen dorms.
Cons: Since it is a freshmen/sophomore dorm, so one may not get the traditional “freshmen hall” experience.
SOMERS (ON THE VERN)
Pros: The rooms are nice with two people per room sharing a bathroom with another two person room. There is a study lounge and “living room” (with a TV) type of space on each floor. This dorm is next to the Vern library (and the Hillsides are on the other side) and the shuttle picks up people right in front of it. There is also a cafe (within an academic building) next door.
Cons: Multiple “special programs” (i.e. Politics and Values, Women in Leadership) are in this dorm, so some people have an automatic community while others do not. The third floor is not affiliated with any group, but for the others, it is usually split. I have heard some people having trouble with this.
WEST (ON THE VERN)
Pros: The dining hall is downstairs in this building, along with mail package services. The rooms are really nice with each person having a single to themselves, and each four singles having a “living room” to themselves. There is a study lounge on every floor. Safeway is included on our meal plan, and Safeway is a very short 10-ish minute walk from the Vern in general, but West is closest to it.
Cons: It is the farthest dorm to the shuttle, compared to the other Vern dorms.
COLE/CLARK/HENSLEY/MERRIWEATHER (THE “HILLSIDES” ON THE VERN)
Pros: There are only 30-40 people in the entire building, so everyone gets to know pretty much everyone in the building. There is one RA per building. Each building gets a nice “living room” type of space with a kitchen. They are very quiet buildings and extremely close to the Vern library.
Cons: Merriweather is an all girls dorm. Having such a small dorm can be a con since one might not get to know as many people as they potentially could elsewhere. It is farthest from West, which is where the dining hall is.
PROS OF THE VERN IN GENERAL: Free movie rentals from the Vern library and Vern students receive priority registration for Vern classes for second semester. All students have to take a UW course their freshmen year, which are all on the Vern, so all freshmen have to take the trip to the Vern anyways regularly their freshmen year. They are also changing the dining hall on the Vern next year to make it an all-you-can-eat option, which is wonderful compared to how it is now. Additionally, Safeway is on our meal plan and Safeway is a very close walk (about 10 minutes) from the Vern. Lastly, the Vern is usually a pretty quiet space, and the Vern has its own separate library. The Foggy library can get pretty crowded during the year, but the Vern library only is during finals.
CONS OF THE VERN IN GENERAL: The shuttle can be extremely annoying at times. My only real complaint about the Vern was the shuttle. I would not live on the Vern for more than one year, but like Thurston, many people say living there for one year is completely fine. I honestly feel like people appreciate living on Foggy so much more anyways after living on the Vern for a year.
Let me know if anyone has any other questions about housing or anything else at GW! If I could have been placed anywhere my freshmen year without money as a factor (as it was for me), I would have picked Potomac. If I could have picked any dorm on the Vern without money being a factor, I would have picked West.
Hi all, congrats on your acceptances! I am a current freshman at GW and would love to share my insights. I do not live in Thurston and personally I am much happier not being there (I live on the Mount Vernon Campus with the honors program which is a whole different story) but I do spend a lot of time in Thurston because most of my friends live there. I know plenty of people who love it. Most of the freshman you know will be living there and that makes it so easy to hang out with almost anyone. Thurston has doubles, quads, and six person rooms and they all vary in layout and size. In general, the quads are extremely small and surprisingly, the six person ones tend to have more space per person, often partitioned into several parts. There’s a kitchen in the basement and lots of study space which is nice as well. However, it is a very old building. While the rooms are okay, the bathrooms (which are private to each room!) are fairly dirty unless you relentlessly keep up with cleaning them, several of my friends have had instances of black mold. While the university tries to do their best to keep up with it, its currently unfeasible to renovate and update the building because they have nowhere to move 1100 freshman while they do so. That said, it is certainly not unlivable and if you just keep it cleaned it really isn’t bad at all. In terms of partying, weekends will be loud a lot, but it definitely depends what floor you live on. This is what I am happy to be away from, because I can experience the fun then go back to my own dorm which is almost always quiet. I’ve never noticed a bad smell throughout the whole building, more like it pervades some of the boys rooms who aren’t so clean but it in no way constantly smells like vomit. In general plenty of people do love living there, but it can be loud and isn’t the cleanest. Manageable though.
If you have any other questions about other freshman dorms or more specific questions, I’d be happy to share more info!
Hi - thank you for responding to my post, it was very insightful.
Currently, I’m looking at (1) Madison (Foggy Bottom) - 6 person unit (2) Hillside Hall (Mount Vernon) - 2 person unit (3) Thurston (Foggy bottom) - 4 person unit or 6 person unit. Price definitely is a factor for me, so that’s why I chose these arrangements.
How exactly does the whole housing situation work? For example, can I just selected “Hillside Hall - 2 person unit” and that’s what I will get it? Or is it more of a toss-up and you can put preferences, but you really don’t know?
And, has anyone here shared a 4 person unit before? Is it tough not being able to have privacy or does it work out?
Do all the dorms have air conditioning at GW?
@ayekha You get to list your preferences from #1-10 on a form you fill out online. From there, it is random on whose housing applications they go through first, so while a lot of people get their #1 choice, a lot of people do not. It also depends on what dorm you place as your #1. Potomac is a very popular dorm, so many people do not get Potomac, whereas if you put anywhere on the Vern as your #1, you will probably get it.
@collegemom38 Yes!
Does anyone know whether students who commit early and provide housing preferences early are more likely to get their request met, or whether all freshman applicant housing requests reviewed at once after May 1?
@pickledginger No, there is no way to “boost” your odds at getting your choices. It’s a lottery for everyone.
@NHuffer , thanks - that’s a relief! I wasn’t looking to boost the odds . . . . I’m just worried that my son hasn’t decided where he will attend yet and I was thinking that he may be out of luck in being considered for housing if he waits until April 30, which is what it’s looking like he will do, unfortunately. I’m glad to hear that GW isn’t first come, first served!
How are lottery numbers assigned to us?
@physics007 the lottery system is all “behind the scenes” and you don’t see the process. You submit your preferences, then your assignment “pops-out” down the road.
Hey, I had a quick question about meal plans – I filled out the housing survey, but there was no question regarding meal plans – are they assigned to you or do you choose a plan later on?
@ayekha There are only two meal plans - those for who do have a kitchen and for those that do not have a kitchen - so they are automatically assigned.
@ayekha There are no “plans,” just a chuck of money put on your student ID card that you use for food throughout the year. If you live on the Vern (or want to take the shuttle there for meals) West Hall has the only cafeteria at GW. Other than that, you’ll mostly “fend for yourself” with the many different food options on campus. Most are a fast-food type, but with varying degrees of how healthy it is. It takes a bit of an adjustment (knowing how to balance your roughly $19/day) but everyone eventually catches-on.
@abbygwu hi!! I was reading your post and saw that you lived on the Vern freshman year! I’m currently assigned to west and was wondering if you felt that it was still easy to make friends/be involved on the Foggy Bottom campus even though you lived on the Vern! Anything on your experience and what is was like for you is appreciated! 