<p>Hey guys… there are only a few more months until the beginning of our college experience! For thoe of you who are already in Barnard or for those of you who just know- which residential housing areas are the most social/least social/quiet/loud/etc? What are the general personalities of each dorm housing? I know that freshmen have to live on the Quad in Sulzberger Hall, Reid Hall, Brooks Hall, or Hewitt Hall. What are the general traits of each of these halls?</p>
<p>the dorms don't really develop "personalities" so much - it's not like harry potter (unfortunately!). first-years do live in the quad, but not in hewitt, those are all singles for upperclassmen. sulz, reid, and brooks are almost entirely doubles, with some triples, walk-in doubles (which is like 2 connected singles), and quads thrown in. sulz is air-conditioned so that's a big plus, but you don't get to choose which of the 3 to live in. it's pretty much all the same since they are all connected, anyway.
upperclass dorms have a bit more of a personality, if you want to call it that, because certain people are attracted to certain places.. cathedral gardens, which is opening in september, is reallllly far away from campus so it will attract more independent-minded people. plimpton has some special-interest housing (like for community service), and elliott has lots of transfers. if you want to stay on the quad but not have a meal plan you can stay in sulz tower which has really nice views.
you can read about all the dorms on <a href="http://www.barnard.edu/reslife%5B/url%5D">www.barnard.edu/reslife</a>. this year for me barnard housing really sucks because my room is horribly tiny and i have a view of a brick column. my housing situation is hands down the worst thing about barnard for me. but next year i am going to have a single in a plimpton suite and it is going to be awesome, i am very excited. first-year housing is generally pretty good (some of the brooks rooms even have fireplaces, although you cant use them it adds character!), i just got landed with a really bad room.
oh, and about most/least social.. plimpton and hewitt are probably the least social since they're all singles, and the 600s (600, 616, and 620) are probably the most social since they are large suites close to campus, which facilitates partying. but it's all relative, especially since you choose who you want to live with after first year.</p>
<p>Housing for me is the downside of Barnard. I'm a first year in a Brooks Quad Suite, which some people find to be a good situation. I, on the other hand, absolutely hate it. It's 2 doubles with a "common area" in between. It makes it seem quite glamorous, doesn't it? The "common area" is big enough to hold 4 desks, which I am not fond of. I don't really like the aspect of doing my work in a room with 3 other people. Barnard says it's really good at matching up roommates, but I don't really understand how they got this reputation. My roommate and I almost never talk, and we live together in a closet sized room. With all of the stuff I just said, I hope it doesn't sound like I absolutely hate the situation. It really was the luck of the draw. For as much as I sound like it's horrible, I have lived to tell the tale. So, regardless of what terrible situation you might find yourself in, whether at Barnard or anywhere else, you'll probably be OK.</p>
<p>In terms of dorms having traits, I agree with the above poster. There really aren't any. First year housing can be separated into 2 characters, Sulz/Reid and Brooks. I find Brooks to be more inviting, the walls in the hallway are usually nice colors (my hallway is peach/yellow) and there is carpetting. It makes it feel a bit warmer. The Sulz/Reid hallways are white with linoleum tiles. Kind of sterile. The inside of Brooks rooms are also less dorm-y. Mine is yellow, on other floors there are teal trims. However, Brooks is rather old. The floors are nasty brown slabs that I would never invite anyone to sit on, there are cracks on the walls, and because of bad piping, my floor has had at least 4 mice problems this year. </p>
<p>Hope that gave some type of overview. I honestly feel like anyone I've spoken to about housing envies the other persons situation. I'm in Brooks and wanted Sulz, people I know in Sulz wanted Brooks. There are always going to be pros and cons to the situation. If anyone has any more questions, feel free to ask!</p>