<p>OK, I know there is all this stuff on the pros and cons of modern vs. traditional deep in these threads. I have 2 questions:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Is there a physical difference in the size of the rooms if you are in a double or a triple, or is one person just bunked in an upper bunk in a triple?</p></li>
<li><p>What are the pros and cons between the two food plans? I know when one of my other sons was at a summer program a few years back at American University he hated the food and ended up eating at the restaurants on campus like subway that did not accept food points. He had tons left over that he gave away at the end. I know the food is great at WUSTL, but does it make sense to buy the smaller plan and then add to it once school starts?</p></li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li><p>I live in a triple, and they’re bigger than the doubles in general (one person is upper bunked, but you have to account for extra furniture like desks and dressers). Some of the doubles (eg. the doubles in the corners of some dorms) are quite a bit larger than the other doubles and almost as big as a triple. Short answer: Yes, there’s a difference in size.</p></li>
<li><p>Get the smallest one you can. The residential meal plans are basically, a $1200 flat service fee, and meal points in the ratio of 1:1 for points to dollars. Meal points roll over semesters but not over years, so if you have leftovers at the end of the year, they go to waste (actually, people tend to buy food for other people). But if you use up your meal points, you can pay for food, in the same 1:1 tax exempt ratio, using your Campus Card. So it’s the same cost for the same amount of food, without the waste at the end of the year. FYI, the Subway on campus does accept meal points.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Is there a difference in size between the traditional and the modern dorms? What about quality of the rooms? </p>
<p>Is there one that people usually go for over the other? I’m leaning towards traditional, but I can’t seem to make up my mind. Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>Modern dorm rooms are newer, larger and have higher ceilings. Side note: Your room will feel bigger or smaller depending on your setup–how you arrange the furniture in your room. My roommate and I have our beds (not bunked, by the way) raised up just high enough so that our dressers fit underneath them. We therefore saved a lot of room because we have our dressers in a place that would have been occupied by the beds anyway. As a result, our room seems very big and we always have people hanging out in it. But I mention the higher ceilings because if you choose to make your room feel “bigger” by bunking the beds, the person on top won’t feel like they’re pressed against the ceiling. Top bunk beds in traditionals are very close to the ceiling. A friend of mine always smacks his head against a smoke detector when he climbs into bed.</p>
<p>Moderns also have a bathroom connected to your suite so you don’t have to walk far or move your toiletries back and forth. Some people say traditionals are more social than moderns, but I think it entirely depends on the people you’re living with. I live in a modern and my floor is very social. The open door policy works very well.</p>
<p>Traditionals tend to attract people because they like the idea of the communal bathroom and the somewhat cramped atmosphere. Unless you specifically want that, you should choose modern because the additional disadvantages of traditionals outweigh the advantages. The rooms are smaller and, as I’ve already mentioned, the ceilings are lower. They’re not necessarily in a better location than the moderns, either. The only real advantage I’ve heard about traditionals is that, since the buildings are older and the walls are thick concrete, they’re fairly soundproof.</p>
<p>Ahh, thank you so much both of you! That helped a lot. I thought the modern might be more soundproof because of the carpeted floors but I see your point with the traditionals. I stayed in Danforth on a recruiting trip and loved it.</p>
<p>OK. So if I have decided that i want a Modern, do you have an opinion as to which of these residential colleges is better (or not!)? Also, I have submitted my application, and in most areas I was “neutral” (except in the cleanliness area where my parents made me change how clean I kept my room - they didn’t agree with my assessment lol). But in the tobacco area I put that I didn’t want to be with someone who smoked-ever. I do not want to be on a substance free floor. Do you think that by putting that down I might be out there anyway???</p>
<p>Incoming freshmen get to choose modern/traditional but you cannot choose which ResCollege you want to live in.</p>
<p>Indicating that you don’t want to be with a smoker does not mean at all that you’ll be put on a substance-free floor. Most people don’t smoke. In fact, the campus is smoke-free. You’ll be on a regular floor with a non-smoker as your roommate.</p>
<p>Some people who don’t request to live on sub-free floors end up there anyway just because spaces need to be filled. You’re just as likely to end up on a sub-free floor as everybody else who requests not to be on one. Those odds are very, very slim.</p>
<p>RaVNzCRoFT //Top bunk beds in traditionals are very close to the ceiling. A friend of mine always smacks his head against a smoke detector when he climbs into bed.//</p>
<p>I’m sitting up in my (top bunk) bed right now, with a few inches head space to spare. Perhaps your friend’s taller than me, or Our bunked beds are lowered, so maybe it’s a matter of furniture arrangement (triple, more options). Not that modern rooms don’t have higher ceilings, I believe they do.</p>
<p>Yeah, it could have been because he’s pretty tall. But regardless, traditional ceilings are lower than modern ceilings and the rooms definitely feel smaller.</p>
<p>One more advantage I thought of for traditionals is that they have Tempurpedic mattresses. But I think some of the very new moderns have those too, and I believe all of the moderns may be getting them eventually.</p>
<p>i’ve submitted my housing application and stuff already but when i went onto the housing site and got on to the housing application page (for current students – i’m nosy like that), i saw that there is a $450 application fee? do you have to pay $450 EVERY time you apply for housing?</p>
<p>^
nope. This is just for incoming freshman, one time only. It’s also a deposit - so that money is credited towards the total price of whatever your housing costs. It’s not a $450 extra payment or anything.</p>
That helped a lot. I thought the modern might be more soundproof because of the carpeted floors but I see your point with the traditionals. I stayed in Danforth on a recruiting trip and loved it.</p>