Housing Options at Penn

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
1

Hi!
I am attending Penn next year as a freshman, and am in the process of researching housing options. Does anyone know which ones are the best, and which are ones to avoid? Which ones have reputations of being great or not so great? I’ve heard good things about New College House and the Quad (in general)
Thank you!

2

I’m sorry no one has answered you. My DD is a Penn senior; she lived in the quad freshman year (a single) and enjoyed it. New College House opened the next year, and looks really nice. But it is actually closer to the Drexel campus.

3

Thank you so much! I think I am going to request either a quad!

4

New College House and Hill are the newest/most recently renovated, so those two would have the nicest accommodations. Also, both have direct access to the dining hall in Hill.

5

You migh want to view this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Th1wzmxi42A&t=21s

6

Hill and New College are the newest and best accommodations. The quad is probably the most social.

7

@surefootball It’s generally accepted that Hill is the most social as it forces people to hang out with their hall mates (i.e., the rooms are tiny).

8

Does anyone know how easy it is to get a single in the Quad ? Would most people be requesting doubles ?

9

^^ I would like to know the answer to this as well.

10

@perplexedbrit At an information session I went to last year, they said 84% of freshmen request a double in the Quad.

11

Oh that’s interesting - so if I put down a single room in the Quad for 3/5 of my slots I would most likely get a single room ?

12

Which part of the Quad is the best?

13

They don’t give you a room type you don’t request, so while you would have a better chance of getting a single in the Quad, if you don’t get that you would be more likely to get a single in Stouffer or another house than a double in the Quad.

Personally I don’t care for the Quad, and I don’t know much about it save for that it’s the stereotypical “freshman dorm” and that you get an earlier shot at the high rises for your sophomore-senior year than anyone in a four-year house, so I can’t answer which part is “best”.

14

@thebetterhawkeye Do you mind sharing which house you live in? Also, what are your thoughts on Hill and KCECH?

15

@halfdust I live in Stouffer, which is almost all single rooms (I think there are 3 doubles in the whole building). All the rooms are really big and it’s super calm/quiet. It’s a good introvert dorm.

The Hill renovations are nice but the rooms are still really small, and there aren’t that many single rooms. KCECH, I’ve always said, kind of just exists; I’ve been in one of the rooms, it looked pretty big but almost sterile; I think the lighting is different. Both have the advantage over Quad/Stouffer in that there’s a dining hall inside, so you don’t have to think about leaving your room to get food. Technically there’s a dining hall in the Quad, but it’s not open at the same times as the others, and there isn’t as much variety.

16

In Stouffer or Mayer is it possible/easy to get your own room with private bathroom? Also do they have kitchens?

17

@bensmithy Stouffer singles do not come with a kitchen or bathroom

Mayer does not have singles, but you could do a one-bedroom double in which one person takes the living room and the other takes the bedroom. You’d share the bathroom and kitchen.

18

Hill Pros:

  • Arguably the most social of the college houses
  • Renovated last year
  • Dining hall within the building
  • Beautiful atrium
  • Close to SEAS buildings

Hill Cons:

  • Small rooms
  • Shared kitchen
  • Shared bathroom
  • Far from Huntsman

Quad Pros:

  • Some room layouts are huge
  • Some of the houses have gothic interiors
  • Beautiful from the outside
  • Small cafe within the building
  • Relatively central to most campus buildings

Quad Cons:

  • Not as social (i.e., you won’t be as close to your hallmates as in Hill)
  • Some of the houses are bleak
  • Shared bathrooms
  • Main dining hall is a a few blocks away
19

Which house is best for freshman? I’m between the Quad and Hill, but I can’t find much up to date info on them (like from a student perspective). I’m pretty social, but I’ve heard mixed reviews about both.

20

@bensmithy 24 people share a kitchen in Stouffer-Stouff, and you get a private room but share a bathroom with 5 other people.

Mayer is moving to upperclassman-only housing.