Housing - pros and cons

<p>I know this is a lot to ask, but I think it would help us prefrosh a lot. Could someone list the pros and cons of as many of the first-year housing options as possible?</p>

<p>The website lists this following choices:</p>

<pre><code>Boss House
Donner Hall
Hamerschlag House
Morewood Gardens E-tower
Mudge House
Residence on Fifth
Scobell House
Stever House
</code></pre>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>If you search the forum with a few good keywords, you’ll find goo threads, but I agree the information is skewed. Let’s see if I can answer for a few without making mistakes.</p>

<p>DONNER
Pros:
Big Rooms.
Good Freshmen Community.
Located close to the good food on campus.
Good freshman community.</p>

<p>Cons:
Located by a Street, so you’ll hear automobiles but you should get over it.
Dumpster outside gives Donner a bad reputation as being smelly.
The building is ugly. Really ugly. Link>[Donner</a> House](<a href=“http://www.housing.cmu.edu/buildings/donner/]Donner”>http://www.housing.cmu.edu/buildings/donner/)</p>

<p>Donner Standard Double> [Donner</a> Standard Double](<a href=“http://www.housing.cmu.edu/tours/donner/double.html]Donner”>http://www.housing.cmu.edu/tours/donner/double.html)</p>

<p>HAMERSCHLAG
Pros:
All male.
Good Freshman community.</p>

<p>Cons:
ALL. MALE.
Rooms seem kind of small. (but nice)</p>

<p>Hamerschlag Standard Double: <a href=“http://www.housing.cmu.edu/tours/Hamer/double.html[/url]”>http://www.housing.cmu.edu/tours/Hamer/double.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>MOREWOOD E TOWER
Pros:
Can meet some upperclassmen since it is connected to Morewood Gardens.
Decent sized rooms.
The Underground is in the basement so you can grab something to eat without bundling up.</p>

<p>Cons:
Can’t think of any at the moment, but I’m sure there are a few.</p>

<p>Morewood E Tower: <a href=“http://www.housing.cmu.edu/tours/Moore/etower.html[/url]”>http://www.housing.cmu.edu/tours/Moore/etower.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>MUDGE
Pros:
Good Freshman community.
Renovated Mansion. Enough said.
Filled with Primes, so no communal bathroom for you.
Decent sized rooms.
Nice courtyard in the back.</p>

<p>Cons:
You could end up in the basement. Guess that’s not a con if you are pale and never have seen the light. Computer monitor glare doesn’t count.
Of course, the primes cost more (unless it’s a quad).</p>

<p>Mudge Prime Double:<a href=“http://www.housing.cmu.edu/tours/Mudge/double.html[/url]”>http://www.housing.cmu.edu/tours/Mudge/double.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>RESIDENCE OF FIFTH:
Pros:
Very nice rooms.
Good freshman community.</p>

<p>Cons:
A little more walking to do to get to/from campus.
It’s a quiet living building. Shhhh.
Used to be a Hospital. Ghosts are running around…lol.</p>

<p>Rez on 5th Standard Double: Can’t find link…</p>

<p>STEVER/NEW HOUSE:
Pros:
A recently constructed building.
Air Conditioners for that one month you will need it.
Good Freshman community.</p>

<p>Cons:
Very small dorms.</p>

<p>Stever Standard Double: <a href=“http://www.housing.cmu.edu/tours/#[/url]”>http://www.housing.cmu.edu/tours/#&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Ok did my best. Maybe someone can add and do the couple I left off.</p>

<p>All Virtual tours: <a href=“http://www.housing.cmu.edu/tours/[/url]”>http://www.housing.cmu.edu/tours/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>A couple of cons:</p>

<p>Morewood E and Morewood Tower have thin walls in some rooms, so if you have a suitemate who likes to have loud sex… well, enjoy your year.</p>

<p>There are a few rooms in Mudge which are on the corner of Morewood and Fifth, and they’re extremely loud at night - ambulances, loud trucks, et cetera. It gets better in October when the nights are cold enough that you can close your windows, though.</p>

<p>Thanks kate. Dumb edit button disappeared.</p>

<p>Goo =/= Good. =(</p>

<p>Not everyone can live in Morewood and Donner so if you happen to get stuck in an all-male housing, if you’re male or an all-female housing if you’re female, don’t be immediately bummed out.</p>

<p>I lived in Hamerschlag my freshmen year and, I’ll admit, I was initially disappointed but I had some of my most fun memories with my floormates. Developing camaraderie amongst bros is a lot different than if there is a female around. We’re all good friends and some of the antics we pulled were pretty legendary.</p>

<p>Just my two cents.</p>

<p>ditto above…don’t be disappointed if you don’t get your first choice. there can be unexpected benefits to housing that doesn’t necessarily meet your initial expectations. S and roomate both really bummed to be in all male housing at first and I was appalled at how tiny the room was, it was unbearably hot during orientation (no ac), shared bathrooms with an entire hallway of guys and a lot of steps but…they have had a great year, made good friends, enjoyed more horsing around and less drama (sorry to stereotype) than they were used to at their coed school where girls drive the social scene…overall big success although moving on to coed housing now…</p>

<p>DS enjoyed Donner.
Cornor room with 2 sides of windows because it was a cornor.
He found food was close and far.
Close to the trucks but far to where he normally ate.
Mudge was OK too. Morewood was nice in that he found a room with a cathedral ceiling. He hates to move. </p>

<p>He was more obsessed with the wicking action of his socks than his type of room or roommates. </p>

<p>His roommates played VGs. He ventured out into Pittsburgh. He thought that Donner is a 9 month gig but Pittsburgh was for 4 years.</p>

<p>Loads of former threads here on CC CMU last three years and also the FB pages for respective classes.</p>

<p>Well worth the read including the blog by Amy Revac on admissions websites.</p>