<p>Which housing is better? What are the dorm personalities? Which is best for a shy, introverted, slightly aekward freshmen girl looking to break out of her shell? Thanks!</p>
<p>This is from my DD2:
To paraphrase something an RA friend of mine told me a few weeks ago. when RAs try to label different dorms sets as Harry Potter houses. Generally SOA gets Hufflepuff, Forest gets Slytherin, Platt-Howard-Hartzfeld gets Ravenclaw (which is debated), except that leaves Copeland as Gryffindor and no one likes that idea. Anyway, for someone who’s shy, the probably do not want Copeland, that dorm tends to get athletic and/or noisy types. Different Forest buildings have different character, so that’s a bit of a wild card. SOA is pretty nice; Akin’s international, Stewart’s the wellness hall, and Odell is a stereotypical college dorm. Platt might be a good choice if she has an art interest; they’re nice over there, and a lot of them are outgoing since they are art students. I haven’t really spent any time in Howard or Hartzfeld, because no one I know lives there…</p>
<p>Stewart is great. That’s where I live, and it’s generally the fun/awkward/quirky types 
She sounds like she would fit right in.</p>
<p>I wonder if your daughter was quoting the same RA friend that I have who told me about the harry potter thing a bit ago. It really doesn’t fit very well though. I agree with SOA as hufflepuff though XD</p>
<p>And Copeland in general is loud, except I’ve heard the all-girs floors can be kind of quiet and nice. Forest has at least one of those, too, you can request it on the dorm forms. If she wants to break out of her shell, I’ve heard Platt is very social without being quite as rowdy as Copeland. And only half of it is the arts building. Howard is outdoorsy, if she’s into that even if she’s shy she’ll find people to bond with.</p>
<p>However, my heart still lies with SOA. I spend a lot of time in Stewart and Odell, both are really fun and great communities, and I’ve heard the same of Akin. Plus, walk in closets.</p>
<p>My son lived at SOA for his first two years, but now is living off campus. He actually stayed in all three buildings (Akins for only 3 weeks). His reasoning for choosing SOA was that they were the closest dorms to the classrooms. He has made many friends while living there, including students a year ahead and behind him. </p>
<p>My only caution with Akins is that it houses many foreign exchange students. Many stay for only a semester so you can end up with a new roommate. Also, my son was roommates with an athlete and foreign exchange student before he changed dorms. He didn’t form a close bond with either as they arrived earlier and had already grouped themselves with others. However, some of his closest friends he met at Akins, so he was able branch out in a short period.</p>
<p>Few cents about the dorms I’m familiar with:</p>
<p>Copeland:</p>
<p>You will get lost. Biggest dorm. Separated into 6 or 7 sections. This is where the athletes live. Most of the athletes are very strict on their schedules, with most going to bed early for morning practices. Compared to other dorms, however, it gets loud. Quiet hours are at 10 on school nights, and everyone respects that. When there are no parties outside of campus and you can’t find anything else to do, you can usually walk in on the weekends and find a party very easily (L&C party, i.e. a small group of about 10 people in a room either drinking, smoking, dancing, or just hanging out).</p>
<p>Stewart:</p>
<p>Substance-free dorm. As a person who parties, don’t usually hang out here. Some of the friends from here regret picking the dorm for this reason. Other ones I know are non-party, shy, introverted people (who are still super cool). SOA is also pretty centralized (closest to Templeton) and are the closer dorms to classes. Stewart also has a recreation room with work-out equipment in the basement, which is nice, but the gym is always very accessible. </p>
<p>Akin:</p>
<p>Multi-cultural dorm. Almost everyone is an international student. I think this is the only dorm that has bathtubs, if I’m not mistaken. International and students from other cultures usually throw small parties together where they cook their own food and watch TV. By the way, the main lounge has a nice TV and piano. (If that interests anybody in any way.) </p>
<p>Forest:</p>
<p>This is where I can usually be found. Closest to the co-op. I find that about everyone who lives here I can easily talk to, as most of my friends come from these dorms. It’s situated on a hill, however, so a few steps must be walked daily. Parties also go down here. Once again though, when I say parties, I mean very respectful get-togethers. Has more parking spots that other dorms. I have no idea what else to say, but this is definitely the best dorm people-wise, in my opinion (which is most likely very coincidental and might not be a year-to-year thing, but still). It also has two DSAs, one by Ponderosa and one by Menzinita. </p>
<p>SOA also has walk-in closets, which are nice, but as a guy I don’t really need. </p>
<p>Nothing much I can say about Platt-Howard except that students constantly complain of the noise level from the DSA at night. I know this because this is where I live. Doesn’t really bother me, but people from our floor seem to find it the most interesting topic the next morning. Room layout is pretty similar to others.</p>
<p>Hartzfeld is where the sophomores usually live and it does have the best rooms (bathroom shared between two doubles). Apartments aren’t open to freshmen. </p>
<p>Don’t forget, you can always move if anything. If you don’t want to live in Copeland or Forest and are worried about not having some sort of social life (which is what people sometimes say), there’s absolutely nothing to worry about. Wherever you live, everybody knows everybody and you will most likely find yourself hanging out with people from each dorm, as well as going to parties together.</p>