<p>What are the different dorms like? Best location, best for partying, best for studying, best overall etc.?</p>
<p>I’m also interested in dorm information. I’m a biomedical engineering major that plays rugby. Which are the good dorms close to engineering, practice fields, food and fun?</p>
<p>Truth is, all of the buildings are not that far from each other. Segundo is closer to downtown, but the complexes all have their own Dining Commons. Segundo is probably closer to where you’d be practicing a sport like rugby, but Tercero wouldn’t be much farther.</p>
<p>Talara is the quiet program this year, that would be the best for studying. Primero Grove opened up this year as dorms, those rooms are bigger and nicer which is B.S. but it’s social in a different way, so I’d call Primero Grove buildings (in Segundo) the best for partying, they’re also some of the closest to the frat buildings as is Thompson (also in Segundo). Again, it won’t matter. Most people I know who party have to travel for it anyway, it’s pretty unlikely you’ll get away with partying in the dorms with any kind of frequency, and quiet hours are 11pm on weekdays and 1am on weekends so even if you manage to set up a party in a tiny dorm room, you’ll probably get walked in on by RAs on call for being too loud.</p>
<p>As for dorms close to engineering/science etc., it really doesn’t matter. I live in Segundo and people told me Tercero is better if you’re science because it’s closer, but the truth is that most of the science buildings are literally in the middle of a diagonal line between Tercero and Segundo. From my building I can walk to my Chemistry labs and lectures in like 5 minutes and bike there in 2. From Tercero it’d be almost the same.</p>
<p>Tercero buildings are all high-rise now, which means there’s as many as 400 people in your building and therefore it might be diluted and you might not know many people. Smaller buildings have a better sense of camaraderie, that’s what I’d recommend.</p>
<p>I live in Cuarto (Webster Hall, which is the current transfer dorm. Next year, it’ll be the freshmen dorm again while transfers get put in Primero Grove–at least, that’s what my tour guide orientation coordinator said) and I love it here. The dorms are in a suite-style configuration, so you have a roommate and 2 suitemates, your own common room, and your own semi-private bathroom (the B room is the one that’s connected to the bathroom)–depending on your suite, it can house anywhere from 4 - 9 people. The dorms in Thoreau are 9-person suites, the 1st and 3rd floor of Webster are 4-person suites, the 2nd floor of Webster are 6-person suites, and Emerson is the same as Webster, though the number of people in each suite varies by floor. The floors in Cuarto are also co-ed. </p>
<p>Despite what people say, Cuarto is NOT that far from campus; it’s actually adjacent to campus, and only a block away from Segundo. It takes me 10 minutes to bike to the MU (or 5 if I’m pedaling fast), 10 minutes to bike to the Silo, and 5 minutes to bike to the ARC. </p>
<p>Being in a suite-style configuration is great because you have extra room for a mini-fridge, microwave, and if you want, a TV, and if your roommate is loud, you can always go out into the common room of your suite and study out there–I do recommend bringing your own router, though, because ResNet sucks (or maybe it’s just in Cuarto that ResNet sucks).</p>
<p>Thanks so much athenisa and sopranokitty for the great replies! Really helped clear things up.</p>
<p>Tercero: Essentially five 4-story buildings with ~75 students per floor. Nearly all triples this year, although that may change next year. Near the cows, and you can actually see them from some of the rooms. Occasionally smells like cows, but you get used to it. Closest dorms to the arboretum. Buildings are new and modern, and the DC has a nice second story view. Leach hall will be closed next year, so there will be even less people in Tercero than this year (makes the DC slightly less crowded.)</p>
<p>Segundo: The best location in my opinion; near Rite Aid, Trader Joe’s, AM/PM, frat row, downtown Davis, the ARC, etc. Has more of a “college campus” feel to it. DC is usually more crowded than Tercero’s, but people say the food is better (although every time I’ve gone to Segundo it has seemed the same or worse.) The dorms have much more variety than Tercero; some are better and some are worse in my opinion. The bike parking is MUCH more convenient in Segundo (Tercero bike parking is just awful…) I put Segundo first but was placed in Tercero, and I would put Segundo first again if I had the chance. It’s all-around just the best.</p>
<p>Cuarto: I don’t know much about it at all to be honest. I lived there once for a summer camp like 5 year ago, and it seemed pretty nice. It’s off campus and suite style, which can potentially make it harder to meet people in your building (but if you put in the effort, it shouldn’t be much trouble.) I’ve heard Cuarto has the best DC, but I’ve never been there. The bike to campus isn’t too bad, but if you’re running late it’s nice to be in Segundo or Tercero. I’ve heard it’s possible to park your car near Cuarto without a permit, but I’m not entirely sure where. Also, Cuarto dorms have their own pools, which would be really nice. I personally made sure I did not get Cuarto because I didn’t want to be in a suite, but it would definitely have its perks.</p>
<p>@ JeSuis: You can park your car along Russell and Wake Forest Dr. without a permit. My suitemate’s boyfriend (who also lives in Cuarto) almost always parks his car along Russell (except on Thursdays when there’s street cleaning, and then he parks on Wake Forest Dr. right behind the Emerson dorm), so Russell and Wake Forest Drive are ideal places to park if anyone living in Cuarto don’t want to buy a permit.</p>
<p>Depending on your Major, how much you socialize, how often you eat, how often you leave campus, and where you want to hang out most often… some locations are more advantageous than others. </p>
<p>Break Down:</p>
<p>Tercero-
Tercero has all brand new buildings except for the dreaded “LEACH” Hall which is a quiet complex with all 1-person rooms and a very shabby motel-style appearance. The buildings have 4 floors each (except Leach w/ 2) and there are rooms on all floors except for Wall Hall (which has a massive Lounge/Study area instead). This is advantageous if you like to have an active first floor and the possibility of not having to take stairs or elevators since most Segundo buildings aside from the new Miller, Thompson, and Alder Halls have no First Floor Housing. </p>
<p>Next, Tercero is located close to most Biosci and Math Buildings with Science Lecture Hall, SciLab, Life Sciences, and Physics just down the street. So if you’re Biosci or Math, I suggest this location.</p>
<p>The Cows are really no problem. They barely smell and if they do, it’ll be only a couple days out of the year. </p>
<p>Tercero rooms are generally triples, but they’re quite roomy and you space limitations isn’t really a problem. Personally I have stored 4 bikes in my room with PLENTY of walking and movement space. There are also 5-6 bathrooms per floor so it’s very convenient and not an issue at all to use the restroom. There are kitchens in 3/6 buildings and they’re pretty nice.</p>
<p>Downsides of Tercero: Farther from off campus stores and downtown access (All three dorms are on the West side of Downtown so technically it’s Equidistant, but the other two dormitories have access to West side stores). </p>
<p>Now onto Segundo</p>
<p>Segundo is a very great area to be in. The majority of students will live in this area and generally speaking it’s easy to socialize outside of the dormitories because of the quick accessibility of other buildings. The floors themselves may have long hallways (highrise buildings Bixby, Reyerson, Malcom, Gilmore), but it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. There are no first floor housings except for The Reagan Hall area (sort of shabby) and Primero Grove (used to be for Upper Classmen, but now Freshmen as well). </p>
<p>The Segundo non-dormitory facilities are brand new with a great Dining Common, Student Service Building, and Convenience Store (The Junction). </p>
<p>The shabbier buildings to avoid are Reagan building complex. It’s pretty old.
The nicer ones are Miller, Thompson, and Alder.
Primero Grove is great if you want LOTS AND LOTS of space, but difficult if you want to socialize with your floor since it’s an apartment style and there are no lounges to speak of. It’s got it’s own kitchen and private bathroom which is AWESOME.
High rise buildings such as Bixby have only one bathroom per floor per gender and it gets very cramped. Each floor however has its own kitchen which is a plus…then again no one ever uses it. It’s only an oven/stove whereas Tercero gets a full kitchen with some appliances.</p>
<p>Segundo is good for biological sciences, it’s a moderate distance from the science buildings related to biosci, and it is closer to buildings for Letters and Science Majors. Segundo is a good center point for just about any class.</p>
<p>Cons: Buildings are some what older, no first floor housing, harder to interact on specific floors, but easier to access more friends.</p>
<p>Next Cuarto:</p>
<p>Cuarto is like a Los Angeles Motel. It has palm trees, pools, hot tubs, and rooms lining all the hallways which are exterior and not indoor hallways. It’s great if you don’t mind sharing a common mini-lounge with 3 other people. </p>
<p>Cuarto’s best features are that it’s off campus (by 1 block) and can easily access a shopping center (U-MALL), it’s more private, it has great amenities (pool+hot tubs), and the Dining Commons has some of the best food quality on campus as well as real ice cream rather than soft serve frozen yogurt. </p>
<p>The cons to Cuarto…It’s old…it’s far from your classes…it sometimes gets loud and you tend to see partying a lot more. It’s also harder to socialize with your floor because you have to actually walk outside…and then knock on a door…and hope that your friend can hear you from all the way in their bedroom (lounge between door and bedroom). Or you have to leave your door unlocked all the time, which most people don’t. It’s easier to have guests over tho, and nice when holding socials and what not with just a handful of friends.</p>
<p>Personally I never liked Cuarto because of it’s motel layout…inside it’s like a maze and it’s hard to walk a bike inside if you ever have to because of the SO MANY STAIRS EVERYWHERE and like 3 sets of doors you have to go through if you go through the main entrance. </p>
<p>So in conclusion…each dorm area really has it’s own quirks and you can’t just pick any and not find pros/cons. For best bang for your buck, I’d pick Primero Grove since you get so much space + amenities. If you want great study environment,…pick Tercero. If you want ease of access to friends and food and classes…pick Segundo. If you want to party and eat out a lot or have alone time with just a few friends…pick Cuarto. </p>
<p>Hope this helps! Cheers!</p>
<p>@ trigger: What do you mean by 3 sets of doors and main entrance? Do you mean the door going into the building, the suite door, and then the bedroom door? Or do you mean 3 sets of doors before you even get to your suite door (in which case this doesn’t apply to Webster Hall)? I live on the first floor and it’s not hard to walk a bike inside at all,. Also, depending on the layout, it can be easy to hear your friend knocking from your bedroom. For example, I live in the A room, which is the window that’s right next to the door on the right side (the window on the left side is the window looking into the lounge, but there’s a bush there and located on the exterior of the building. I can easily hear any knocks from my room because my bedroom window is right next to the door.</p>
<p>I have to disagree wholeheartedly with Triggerhappygw. Their opinion is quite valid, but they clearly do not live in a Regan building. Old, “shabby” buildings does not a poor building make. The Regan buildings are all 2 or 3 stories, with 30 kids to a floor. If you want to feel like you’re a part of a family, you cannot match the camaraderie provided by the Regan buildings. I live in the music/arts building and all the walls are painted with intricate colorful murals. The facility is a bit older, but don’t overlook the Regan buildings. All of my friends in this building and the neighboring buildings (Campo, Talara, Indio) love it too. A friend of mine down the hall applied to be an RA next year and requested Sereno again. There’s a reason for this.</p>
<p>p.s. How’s it goin Greg? :P</p>
<p>Money-wise, which building is cheapest to most expensive for 2 people?</p>
<p>@ iequal: All dorm buildings are the same price no matter where you live. You can get an idea of how much housing costs by checking out the 2012-2013 Residence Hall Fee Information [url=<a href=“http://housing.ucdavis.edu/__pdf/Shared/2012%20ResHall%20Rate%20Schedule.pdf]here[/url”>http://housing.ucdavis.edu/__pdf/Shared/2012%20ResHall%20Rate%20Schedule.pdf]here[/url</a>].</p>
<p>Thank you so much! Now, which dorm would you say is the nicest and cleanest? How about largest?</p>
<p>Also, do I have to buy a bike?</p>
<p>I am also considering UCD and have some questions as well. 
I would also like to know which is the cleanest, especially bathroomwise. How loud do people get/are walls paper-thin? Because I’m kind of a light sleeper. Do we get to choose which building within a Residence Hall? Where do you do laundry and does it get crowded?</p>
<p>You don’t get to choose your specific building, you only get to rank the three living areas (Segundo, Tercero, and Cuarto.) The only exception would be if you know what building a program is in and apply for that program (be careful with this as sometimes programs can move!)</p>
<p>I personally would rank it 1) Segundo, 2) Tercero, 3) Cuarto. I’m currently in Tercero, and I definitely wish I was in Segundo sometimes. If you can get into Miller, Thompson, or Alder, those are the best dorms on campus in my opinion.</p>
<p>You do not need to buy a bike–I went my entire first quarter without needing a bike, although for this quarter, since I had two back-to-back classes on opposite sides of the building, I had to purchase one. If you want to buy a bike, check out the bike barn–I’ve seen bikes being sold there for as low as $199. </p>
<p>How loud people get depends on where you live. For example, I live right next to the gated entryway (I live in Cuarto, btw), which is where people are loudest because they’re going in and out–if you’re towards the middle of any dorm building, it’s not as loud. Other than the floor upstairs (specifically one specific dorm), it’s pretty quiet where I live. It all depends on your neighbors, really. You do laundry in the laundry room, and since there are only a limited amount of washers and dryers (6 washers and 6 dryers, I believe), yes, it can get crowded on weekends, so best to do your laundry on off-days when everyone else isn’t scrambling to get their laundry done. I like to do mine on the weekdays. </p>
<p>Cuarto has semi-private bathrooms (meaning each suite has their own bathroom, so you only have to share with your suitemates), and Tercero has 6-7 bathrooms on each floor compared to Segundo’s 1 bathroom on each floor.</p>
<p>@sopranokitty do all segundo buildings only have 1 bathroom? or is it just some of them?</p>
<p>I don’t know, I’ve never lived there–I currently live in Cuarto as a transfer student. It’s just what I’ve heard from others on here who have lived in Segundo.</p>
<p>I lived in Cuarto Emerson last year for freshman year</p>
<p>Segundo and Tercero are basically the same. They are your typical dorm buildings you think of: 2 (even 3) roommates in a small cramped room. Communal bathroom on the floor with shower stalls. Built kind of like a hotel with a “lobby” and then each floor has hallways lined with rooms. Both have very large DCs. Pretty social, people tend to leave doors open and you meet people</p>
<p>Cuarto: Basically like a motel. Outdoor hallways, rooms are large with an actual living room with tables, couches, etc. Each room has its own bathroom and there are 4-6 people in a room. Chances of theft are MUCH higher because in Segundo and Tercero the doors lock automatically and use a key card but in Cuarto they use actual keys so if a roommate leaves the front door unlocked you can get jacked. The DC is pretty small and gets VERY crowded</p>
<p>From my experience, it is about as far from a dorm experience as you can get. People rarely ever opened their doors and so we couldn’t really meet anyone on the floor, and after a lot of thefts, people didn’t even leave their blinds open so it was like you were isolated. It’s just easier to bond with your 3-5 roommates rather than meet people on the floor I guess. Plus leaving your door open there is a lot different because it’s open to the elements unlike Segundo or Cuarto. But I did also live with an RA and so that was horrifying as well.</p>
<p>I would put Segundo then Tercero then Cuarto last.</p>