<p>Hey! I'm a new member (trying to find some more info about purdue) and am trying to find some good info about housing but haven't been all that successful. I've been admitted into the bio program and Purdue is towards the top of my favorite schools so it's likely I'll be putting down a deposit soon. </p>
<p>How does the housing placement system work? Am I going to be more likely to get the dorm I want if I put the deposit down now? And which dorms would you recommend if I'm in the bio program? </p>
<p>And should I go visit again before I make the deposit, etc? I'm going to KY over Christmas and West Lafayette is only about three hours away. Would it be worth going back?</p>
<p>Housing placement works that when you sign your contract, you rank your dorms from favorite to least favorite. The order at which you get assigned is random. I suggest looking into learning communities that having housing options, which get housing first. So if you like a dorm that is a learning community dorm, then apply. As for visiting over break, all of the res halls are shut down until January 2, so I don’t know if your visit would benefit you much.</p>
<p>i was told during a purdue online ‘chat’ earlier last week, by admissions folk, that ANYone who gets their housing contract in by May 1st has an EQUAL chance of getting housing - there is no benefit to paying deposit earlier or later (as long as you meet May 1st deadline). my question now becomes which ones to choose? it is not easy wading through the options…</p>
<p>Basically it depends on what factors matter most to you or your kid. If proximity to campus is an issue, then the best choices would be Cary/Windsor (if you’re male or female), Tark (all guys), Wiley or Owen. But all of those but the suites or Cary and most of Windsor aren’t air conditioned. Then there are Earhart, Shreve, Harrison, and McCutcheon which are air conditioned. Earhart and Shreve are basically the same. I’m in Earhart and love it. And Harrison and McCutcheon are nice as well. And then there’s Meredith which apparently has the smallest rooms on campus and no air conditioning. But the people I know that live there love it. And freshmen typically don’t live in First Street or Hillenbrand. There’s also Hilltop and Purdue Village, and those are apartments and not your standard dorm. </p>
<p>Anyways, I think I hit the main differences in dorms. I’m a current freshman at Purdue so let me know if you have questions.</p>
<p>All of Windsor has has been remodeled and has air conditioning except the Vawter building which they are currently working on. It should be done by next year and will have air conditioning also.</p>
<p>I will say that the LC’s at Purdue can be a bit weirder than the general students population. If your S or D is more of the hang out with friends at the movies, go to parties, Greek life, etc. type of person then you should probably go for general dorm life (you’ll make a wider variety of friends that way anyway).</p>
<p>Hillenbrand has a suite set up with a bathroom in between the two rooms, Windsor has very few private bathrooms (they have community though still), Hilltop and Purdue Village are apartments so you get your own bathroom. First Street Towers are all single rooms and everyone has their own private bathroom (don’t count on living here as a freshmen though, same with Hillenbrand). Almost all of the other dorms have community bathrooms though. It’s not too bad really, they’re cleaned everyday.</p>
<p>Naturaldisaster…my S was recently admitted to Krannert, Purdue is a top choice and he will be attending an admitted students day next month (we are OOS). While we are there he hopes to get a sense of best dorm options. Any recommendations for best dorms for business majors (co-ed and air conditioned dorms preferred)? He is pretty social, considering going Greek, big sports fan esp. basketball and football (VIP pass sounds great) wants to meet people from other majors and geographies.
Thanks for any tips!</p>
<p>There is really no dorm that’s best for a specific major unless you want to a learning community (in which case, there’s only one dorm that matters anyway). The air conditioned dorms tend to be more comfortable, but also tend to fill up more quickly with the upper classmen. I think any general dorm would be a good fit, air conditioning would be McCutcheon (guys side only, at least that’s how it was 2 years ago), Shreve, and Earhart to start. Those are all Coed, but Coed could be by floor or by wing, it really depends on how the individual dorm is set up. Hope this helps!</p>
<p>P.S. Keep an eye out for the VIP passes as the year wears on, they go very fast and it’s the only guaranteed way to get Paint Crew tickets for basketball season.</p>
<p>There is also air conditioning in Harrison now. Shreve is generally considered to be a very social dorm (at least this year and 3 years ago when my cousin was a freshman). And I think VIP passes come out in the spring typically. I think that’s when I bought mine last year.</p>
<p>This might be a little late but from what I heard, upperclassmen get first pick as stated in the previous posts. But I heard complaint about one of the housing being far away from the eduation buildings but I forgot what it was.</p>
<p>@Descuff, they are just being lazy. McCutcheon is one of the best dorms on-campus and I liked my time there (Fall 2008). It’s a nice walk to/from campus even when it’s snowing. If it’s downpouring then I still walk since I always carried an umbrella with me (I recommend this since the weather changes by the minute…) Why I walk is because the bus is so crowded since everyone wants to ride it that you literally have someone breathing down your neck from all sides…</p>
<p>Tarkington is all male and is pretty close to campus. I’m assuming you can pay to loft and all the furniture is the same as other dorms with a desk and dresser for each person.</p>
<p>Our D is a freshman, and is in a learning community in Shreve. She loves Shreve and is planning on returning next year. The nice thing about selecting a learning community is that housing places those kids first. Also, she easily purchased a VIP pass during the summer before she arrived on campus, but it’s true, they were sold out before classes began. We are so impressed as parents how attentive the staff at Purdue has been. Emails to financial aid, residence services, co-op office, etc. are answered immediately. Purdue is a well-oiled machine!</p>