<p>I posted this under accepted students' thread -- there were lots of questions flowing there on dorms.</p>
<p>Here's a clean thread.</p>
<p>Please direct questions to CompletelyKate, BCO and Racin... current students can give you inside tips...there's also a roommate meet/greet thread on the FB 2014 page to seek out a potential roomie.</p>
<p>Prime means bathroom inside the room (shared with another room -- 3-4 students to the bathroom)
Standard means community bathroom down the hall 10-16 people -- with multiple showers/toilets.
Quads are cheapest room type-(less than that budgeted on your fin aid package) but very few of these exist and they almost all involve a bunk bed.</p>
<p>Stever has A/C as does Henderson (oddly absent from the list below) and the suites off-limits to freshman in Resnick and West Wing. With a physician's note-- an A/C you provide can be installed in your room for a documented medical condition.</p>
<p>First-year Housing</p>
<p>The following buildings will be designated first-year living areas for the 2010-2011 academic year:</p>
<pre><code>* Boss House
* Donner Hall
* Hamerschlag House
* London Terrace Apartments
* Morewood Gardens E-tower
* Mudge House
* Scobell House
* Shirley Apartments
* Stever House
</code></pre>
<p>A2 and A3 rooms are bigger and they have huge floor-to-ceiling windows. My friends in the standard double are fine with being the only standard in Mudge because their room is always filled with sunlight and they basically have a private balcony and huge bathroom (since no one ever uses either). </p>
<p>The only problem is that you have to basically request a quad or triple to get into A2 or A3. There are only… I think two or three doubles. </p>
<p>On the other hand, the other floors definitely don’t have shabby rooms either-- they’re quite nice. Not as big as Morewood, but cleaner, with bigger windows and better soundproofing.</p>
<p>If you guys want pictures, you can look at the housing page to take a 3-D tour, or if you want I can post some pics here. I know people in every kind of room.</p>
<p>Just as a note, I’m a former student having finished at CMU in 2007. I did spend four years in various CMU dorms, though, so I can give my experiences on Donner, Scobel, and Shady Oak.</p>
<p>(Donner is pretty much the best Freshman dorm since you’re right near classes, have huge doubles, and on those really cold days Taste of India (if that’s still around) is less than a minute away.)</p>
<p>Morewood has the best location of all the Freshman dorms
Its on the corner of Forbes and Morewood
Its the nearest dorm to Gates Hillman Center
Donner may be on campus but its near the dump, and yes it does smell when you walk by there in the warmer months</p>
<p>Theres a cluster in the building, so printing. Totally useful if you need to use a Linux computer or use a Mac for the Adobe Suite…or if you break your computer. </p>
<p>Underground for food. Definitely a plus in snow storms.</p>
<p>One of the major bus stops is right outside your building, great when you are planning on taking the 28x to the airport with your luggage.</p>
<p>Rooms are plenty big enough.</p>
<p>I think the two downsides are that the building itself isn’t that attractive and that you don’t get your own bathroom. However you get used to a public bathroom really quickly so it really isn’t a concern.</p>
<p>Overall I think you get the really traditional freshman dorm feel.</p>
<p>As an incoming freshman who got accepted Early Action and sent in my deposit before the Early Decision decisions even came back, I figure I will get into my first choice dorm. Over the summer, I stayed in Morewood for the AP/EA program. I have heard lots of people saying that it is the “real freshman experience” (such as Cahier above) and one of the best freshman dorms. The other freshman dorm that I have heard people saying is really good is Mudge. In your opinion, which of these two is better and why?
Thanks.</p>
<p>In all seriousness, Morewood does have the “traditional” freshman experience, but Mudge has the “friendly” freshman experience. So it’s a tradeoff. You get your own heating controls, your own suite bathroom, and nice, roomy, lofty quarters with a beautiful lobby and grand ballroom. You’re living in a mansion. (It’s haunted, too.) </p>
<p>Also, while my friends in Morewood seem to be really close with their floormates, it seems like there isn’t as much inter-floor connecting. With Mudge, your floormates tend to be your best buds, but everyone tends to know at least 8-10 people from other floors. The dorm is really close knit. We all share one kitchen and one laundry room (technically there are two but the other one is the spawn of satan and will eat your clothing). Sometimes I’m down in the kitchen making waffles and random people come in and start up a conversation-- it’s really friendly and pleasant. Most people can name all the RAs and everyone knows David, the housefellow. </p>
<p>PLUS: Mudge now has a printer! Get excited. No more running to Morewood to print in the freezing cold.</p>
<p>There’s a reason Mudge is the freshman dorm they take photos of for all the housing & dorms booklets. ;)</p>
<p>One last note,
its pretty difficult for guys to get Morewood, most of them are ED, pulled in or sent their deposit the first day, its the most desirable place on campus for guys if you are looking at girl to guy ratio. Next year it will continue to be 4 floors of girls to 1 floor of guys.</p>
<p>I posted on accepted students weekend since the thread seems to have divurged to housing. SO I will repost here - are there dorms that have theme or living learning communities? My son is hoping to attend as a music major and I am wondering if there are particular dorms that have a lot of other music majors. Thanks!</p>
<p>I know Boss house tends to be considered the intellectual dorm for freshmen, but it also has a reputation to everyone else for housing the snobs of the class. I’m sure there are plenty of CFA majors in the dorm though. It has a lot of BHA (Bachelors of Humanities & Arts) residents.</p>
<p>There’s also Donner, which is closest to the CFA building, so a lot of music majors might be drawn to stay there.</p>
<p>I know CMU has a healthy living house down near Cathedral Mansions and Shady Oak, but as far as I know that’s the only special interest housing offered by CMU. I imagine since the school is so small they tend to shy away from those sorts of things. Especially since it’s so easy after your first year to only see the people you want to.</p>
<p>Also, since you’re going to be spending so much time on your school work and with people in your department I think a lot of people enjoy the opportunity to meet with people outside their own major.</p>
<p>If you participate in the Science and Humanities Scholars Program (SHS), you will dorm with the other freshmen SHS participants, usually in Stever House, formally New House.</p>
<p>Stever is air conditioned which is nice during the first and last weeks of school. Air conditioning is not really necessary most of the time, but it’s nice when it is needed.</p>
<p>“I personally like Morewood because you can do everything in there without having to leave the building, especially in the winter time. As in, there is a computer cluster, printers, dining place, work-out room, dance-practice room, and elevators. It’s a bit unfair really…what other dorms can offer such amenities?”</p>
<p>What does Donner have? Those big rooms are so enticing…</p>
</p>