<p>My S is most probably attending TOSU in the engineering school. We are oos and have not seen the school yet. Does anyone have any suggestions for dorms? He might not want a learning community but wants a “more studious” dorm. It seems the North side is closer to the Science buildings. He enjoys sports, x-box (too much) and is not a party guy. Thanks for any replies,</p>
<p>I’ll be anxious to see the replies as well. Sounds very similar to my son. Not x-box but online gaming. Also not a party guy. Soccer is his sport as well. I live an hour from the school, but they only will show you a few model dorms. Not all of the options.</p>
<p>Also watching this for my D. She is interviewing for the biomedical science program at the end of the month. If she gets in she is headed to OSU. She has been accepted to Honors and definitely wants a quiet dorm. I have heard there is a great deal of construction on North so I am not sure what dorms will be the Honor dorms next year. All of the Engineers I know who are of the same mind-set are currently living on North as freshmen & sophomores and like it.</p>
<p>For students looking for a quiet, studious Taylor tower is probably your best bet. It is an honors dorm, so it is difficult for non honors students to live there. Taylor will be the honors dorm for next year, but it will be remodeled after that and there is no official word were the north honors dorm will be for 2015-16. As far as quiet, non - honors dorms, North is a good bet. Drackett tower is notorious for wild freshman, so I would avoid that. Taylor has a wide range of interests from sports to xbox to community service to people who want to make the iron man suit (seriously, I know a guy who has a paid position researching manufactured human exoskeletons). The only thing that runs common is that school comes first. You’ll be able to find someone who has similar interests to you. The other honor dorms are very academic as well. The other South dorms, especially the recently remodeled ones, are… I’ll just say wild. They have a lot of first years who never come back for their second year. </p>
<p>The bottom line is that you can get bad roommates anywhere. North campus has a lower chance of partying. Honors has a lower chance of partying. Be honest on your housing survey (in like april) and try to keep an open mind.</p>
<p>what if your living in the scholars floor of an south dorm, is it any less crazy?</p>
<p>You make it sound like “partying” is the plague or something. Are there really that many people who don’t make it back solely because of the south campus vibe? I just feel like that gets overemphasized.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies. I know he doesn’t necessarily want to be around only engineering students. I think it is advisable to stay away from the notorious dorms, such as Drackett. I am sure that even in South there would be dorms that would be good for him. As of now he is not in Honors or Scholars, which he applied for. Since he does not have any community service to speak of it does not appear that he will be asked to join one. I think he will focus on North. We have not seen the school so do not have much of a reference to go on. Thanks once again.</p>
<p>Partying/ drinking isn’t the plague- its a choice you get to make. The problems come up when you don’t choose to partake and your roommate(s) do. It generally works out better for everyone if like-minded people are together; those who party can get in at whatever time they please without complaining roommates and those who chose not to can sleep in peace. Most of these issues seem to come up when students go out on weeknights. </p>
<p>Which comes first: the chicken or the egg? Do people go to south campus to party or party because they are on South? If you can honestly say that you have zero interest in alcohol (increasingly more students do) then you probably want to stay away from the party dorms. You’ll annoy them; they’ll annoy you.</p>
<p>Once you cross the notorious dorms (Drackett, Smith Steeb, Park Stradely) and the Honors dorms, it can be a shot in the dark. The RA will usually determine the unofficial alcohol policy of the floor. Partying is used by many freshman as a social crutch. They don’t really want to drink, but they want to socialize. A student who doesn’t want to drink will have to make an effort to find like-minded friends. </p>
<p>The living-learning communities are generally more academic because they only have students that want to be there. The scholar programs do not own the entire building, so you might not be anywhere near them if you aren’t actually in the program.</p>
<p>What would be the chances of getting a two person room in Jones or Lane Avenue for a non-honor/scholar freshman? I like the more studious vibe of north campus, but I really do not want to live with 3 other people (seems too cramped to me).</p>
<p>OSUAeroEngr - How about Lincoln? It is an honors dorm. Is it notorious for partying? Also, if you request on your housing application that you don’t want a partying roommate, does that really help? With the 4 suite clusters, would they put 3 pods of partiers with 1 suite of non drinkers?</p>
<p>Can you specify a roommate preference when you send in your housing info, like number of roommates? There is no way I’d get any studying done living with 3 other people.</p>
<p>Thank you for that reply. I’m guessing you are currently attending osu, so you probably know more than I do. I was operating on the assumption that a happy medium could be found, but you make it sound like only black and white happen. That will make my decision easier, as I hear from people I know in college all the time that you can work hard during the week and play hard on the weekend. Maybe that doesn’t happen at osu. My interest definitely isn’t there anymore if that is the case.</p>
<p>The stigma at OSU towards south campus as the party spot is largely unmerited. While you will find some die-hard partiers, like you will at EVERY school, there are plenty of people who find a good time in other ways. I would say South Campus is more social than North or West, but that does not mean it is too crazy. As for a large number of students dropping out after experiencing the “craziness” of freshman year I highly doubt that. I feel like those students would just be more careful in ranking their social preferences when selecting housing for the following year.</p>
<p>GrayishWater, are there any dorms on South Campus that you would recommend? (i.e. double rooms, quieter, good location) My S will be freshman and it is hard to tell which are realistic dorms for freshman like that.</p>
<p>Personally, I live in Bradley Hall. I really like it, it is quiet for studying, yet social on the weekends. However, it does has its drawbacks: there is no A/C (this may be fixed next year) and I have around a 10-15 minute walk to all my classes.</p>
<p>But, I really love the South Campus location. South campus feels so much more how many high school students envision a college campus. I walk past Mirror Lake, the Oval and the Library to get to class every day. </p>
<p>I would say that nearly every dorm on South will be similar, as it is very difficult to estimate the personalities of the people your son will be surrounded with. I would suggest Siebert, it is brand new and right next to both a gym and a dining hall. You really can’t go wrong with any of the choices if South is your go-to campus. Bradley and Patterson are old and have many problems, but I have grown to love them. I think your son should try to visit OSU and have a look at the different dorms and even try to get in them. Whichever one he feels like he belongs in he should go to.</p>
<p>He will eventually love wherever he lives.</p>
<p>Thanks. We are going to be out there in February and he can decide where he wants to be. At least now we have some dorms to focus on.</p>
<p>As of now I plan on going to OSU (I’m currently a junior in high school) and love the university. I have been many times and have explored the doors a little, between campus tours and having friends who go there. I immediately ruled out Lincoln and Morrill. I just didn’t like the feel and the suite setup. It’s great for some people but it just isn’t for me. I also plan on going into engineering so I will be spending a large amount of time studying and doing work. Since I’ve explored so much of the campus, I have found many locations where I can find a nice peaceful spot to work. Face it, dorm rooms are mainly to sleep and socialize during some free time. Even in North Campus where it is quieter and has less activity, I would rather go somewhere else to study like the Thompson Library, the Oval, or plenty of other places I have found around campus. </p>
<p>I am not a big party goer, but I want to experience the social aspect of college, which is why I want to live in South Campus. Personally, I would enjoy a more vibrant, lively living environment (not to say that North campus can’t get lively too), but generally I think I’d enjoy South the best. But everyone is different, so be sure to go wherever you feel is the right fit.</p>
<p>I will be attending next fall, and I am in the Green Engineering Scholars program which has its own dorm on north campus. It is strictly for kids in the program seemed like a very quiet place when I visited. Also it is a converted hotel so the rooms are very nice. Generally what I heard is that north is for the more studious and engineers will benefit a lot.</p>