<p>Hi, I will be attending Binghamton in the fall, and I am starting to think about housing. Thanks to anyone who can answer my questions!</p>
<p>I think I am going to put down Dickinson as my dorm of choice. I'm not that much of a party-person, and I got the impression that this was one of the quieter dorms. What can anyone tell me about Dickinson? How is its location with regards to classes? I know it's old, but does that affect its quality as a living environment? Am I right about it not being as much of a party dorm as some of the other living areas?</p>
<p>Also, I'm kind of torn about whether to opt to live in a "Liviing Community" or not. It seems like a nice option, but I don't know if I want to just surround myself with people with similar interests. I might want to diversify more. Could anyone tell me some pros/cons of choosing this option? How much does it affect your living conditions? </p>
<p>Again, thanks to anyone who can help. I appreciate it! </p>
<p>(Oh, and as a quick add-on question, is it bad that I haven't filled out the housing forms yet? I'm in the Honors College-- is there any way I can lose the housing preference privilege by waiting too long?)</p>
<p>at if you are in the scholars program you are guaranteed your first choice of housing if you get your request in "by the deadline". you would have to check with them to find out what that deadline is. in any event, since dickinson probably isn't one of the more popular choices, you may well get it even if your request was somewhat late (but no guarantees if you miss whatever their deadline is.)</p>
<p>dickinson is the oldest of the dorm complexes and is the only one "inside the brain" - ie the loop that encircles campus. which means its relatively near things -- closer to the union than to classes, but not really far from classes either. (the science buildings are more of a hike, but that's true from most dorms.)</p>
<p>the university has started a construction project that will ultimately result in the replacement of the dickinson and newing dorms with the new dickinson and newing located outside the loop. dickinson and newing are the dorm complexes that will be closest to the construction, so there may be a noise factor (how bad it is probably would depend on which dorm within dickison you are in -- some may be closer to the actual construction than others.) </p>
<p>in general -- the nature of the dorms is dictated by the students who live there. dickinson certainly doesn't have the reputation as one of the "cool" dorm communities -- so it is likely that the people who request it may be similar to you in their housing goals -- but also realize that people will be there for whom it wasn't their first choice and may therefore not perfectly fit the "dickinson" mold. in general though -- it is corridor style with communal bathrooms which lends itself to meeting a lot of people, without the party rep of newing, the other all corridor dorms. (ciw is part corridor, part suites and is also one of the more popular dorm communities).</p>
<p>Thanks a lot for your input. It really helped. </p>
<p>Can anyone tell me anything about learning communities? I'm really split about whether to opt for one or not. I don't like the idea of having two classes (the linked courses) already decided for me. (I would not want to take the hall course.) For Dickinson, the courses I'd be taking would be an English course and anthropology. I am likely going to be majoring in something english-related, so the english courses I take are kind of important to me.</p>
<p>if you are in the scholars program (you refer to the "honors college" which i assume is the scholars program?), you may also want to be looking at what courses you might take in that program as part of your consideration as to whether the learning community makes sense for you. there is a one credit freshman scholars seminar (i don't think you have to take it, but you should think about whether you want too) and other four credit scholar courses you can choose. taking the scholars courses wouldn't prevent you from doing the learning community (as far as i know), but in terms of planning your overall schedule, you may want to think about what else you'll be taking to help you decide if the learning community makes sense.
have you looked around this website? -- Binghamton</a> Scholars Program - Home
links will take you to a description of what the requirements are and what courses are offered. (go to documents link and be sure to look at freshman checklist for a brief overview of course requirements as well as the handbook for a more detailed explanation.)</p>
<p>one advantage i've heard of the learning communities are a chance to really get to know some other students living in the same dorm community. only you can determine if the course offerings make that worthwhile.</p>
<p>i put dickinson as my first choice too ( well, that is if you ended up doing so). i am also 1) not a huge partier 2) planning on majoring in something english-related and 3) confused as to whether or not I should choose living in a learning community or not. for the moment, i doubt i will join one. </p>
<p>i'm a little nervous about how dickinson will turn out to be, because i've never actually visited it in person. which date are you going to orientation, if you are in fact going?</p>
<p>Well, I ended up getting into Dickinson and I chose to live in the Learning Community as well. I don't know what you ultimately opted to do, but I'm sure either way things will work out. I got kind of stressed making those decisions, but in reality I would think that you adjust to any living situation you're placed in (as long as it's not THAT off from what you wanted). </p>
<p>When I visited Binghamton, the only dorm I saw was Dickinson. So although I have nothing to compare it to, I can at least say that I was happy with what I saw. It looked like a nice, comfortable dorm. I think the rooms are square, not rectangular, though I'm not sure. It is the oldest dorm, but I don't know how much of a difference that makes. Other than that, I think we can only get a better idea of what it's like once we actually start living there and see what the other students are like. (That is, if you are in fact living there, too!)</p>
<p>I'm going to Orientation on July 17-18; how about you?</p>