I think that I want to commit to binghamton and im beginning to look at housing. Ive been told that all the different communities have different personalities, but im struggling to grasp what the different personalities are (no one really writes specifically) does anyone know? a friend that goes there told me i wouldn’t like newing, but didnt elaborate so im not sure why. from what ive researched so far, i think id like college in the woods the best. Can anyone tell me what the personalities of the different communities are??
@rebeccar Has great information and perspective on all things Binghamton. Hope she chimes in here. She’s always helpful.
I live in Newing, but have been to just about all the communities, particularly spending a lot of time in Dickinson.
Newing is a lot of times regarded as “the party dorm” but in my experience really hasn’t been. It is all doubles in a traditional hallway style so it’s pretty social. People will have their doors open and you kind of just meet people walking up and down the halls. The bathrooms are disgusting. 6 people (3 doubles) share one shower and one toilet (separate rooms) with a floor bathroom with more showers and toilets. Its almost always dirty. Newing is also pretty far from class. Like a good 10 minute walk to lecture hall (all classes are pretty close to there). C4 is pretty close though and it arguably the best dining hall on campus, 1 - 2 minute walk.
Dickinson has a totally different feel. Its much newer, the newest on campus and feels all around cleaner and nicer. The rooms are arranged predominantly as two doubles and a single to each common room (some are quad singles but thats much rarer). This makes it pretty anti-social. Unless you know somebody you probably won’t be making too many friends other than your suite mates. The “suite” isn’t really a suite at all just just a room with a sink. It’s too small to hangout in or anything, just really used to separate the rooms from the hallway and wash dishes. Despite this, Dickinson does get more private bathrooms. It’s 2 to 3 people to a bathroom and is behind the suite door. This makes them way cleaner and just a lot more private. It feels like your bathroom not the community bathroom. Dickinson is closer to C4 and a little bit closer to the classroom buildings. You are also pretty close to CIW (college in the woods) dining hall so you have some options.
College in the Woods is kind of regarded as ghetto. It is in a backwoods area and the dorms their are much older. They are mixed suites and normal rooms (I think?) and this is what I would more accurately describe as the party dorm in my experience. Definitely pretty social but also expect to hear music at night time. It has its own dining hall and some classrooms are actually within CIW.
Susquehanna and Hillside are the apartment complexes. They’re behind Hinman and everything is far walk (Hinman is closest to the dorms, Sush behind that, and Hillside is the farthest.) They’re singles with like kitchens and living rooms. Pretty nice place to live but I heard it’s old. This isn’t really a dorm, more like an on campus apartment. Obviously very anti-social. As a freshmen or first year I wouldn’t even bother living here. Make friends first.
Mountainview is up on a hill. Kind of annoying to trek up to if you live there, but a pretty nice place overall. The dorms are new-old. Newer than Hinman, CIW, etc. but older than Newing and Dickinson obviously. They have some 6 mans (3 doubles, common room, 2 bathrooms) there and all around its a pretty nice mix of different types of rooms. I haven’t been in them all, but some of the 6 mans are massive and if you’re into partying or a social experience I personally think this is the best place to live for that. Not too extreme in the party section or anti-social section. Their dining hall is up on the hill and one of the nicest. I make the trek from Newing to it just because of how nice the view is and I think the breakfast is great. Despite being on a hill it’s actually right across from lecture hall. Little more than a 5 minute walk.
I haven’t actually been in Hinman. I’ve heard it’s like a shitty version of Mountainview though. Closest to lecture hall if that matters.
Overall Dickinson is great for quieter people, Newing is like a stereotypical college dorm, mountainview is good for multi-room people, AKA 6 man, 3 persons, etc. Then the apartment communities. CIW and Hinman I rarely hear people striving to get into.
Personally I am moving from Newing to Susquehanna next year. Was sold at the single, kitchen it just an added bonus.
Aw, thanks! I disagree with some of what RogerJuice said, especially about CIW. I’ll repeat some of what he said but this is my experience based on spending a lot of time in the dorms (I lived in Newing).
Newing - has a reputation as the party dorm but agreed that it’s not necessarily true. There’s generally people pregaming on the weekends but it’s also home to the scholars community and some of the quietest, most anti-party people I know lived there with no issue. I think it has that reputation because a lot of people in greek life live there. It’s very nice, kind of feels like a hotel. I disagree the bathrooms are disgusting, I think they’re actually pretty nice. I shared a bathroom with two other rooms, so six people total. But there’s a separate room for the shower and the toilet, so there was never too much time where I needed the bathroom but someone else was there. Plus there was another public one down the hall. The dining hall is also nice.
Dickinson - They built this in my last year so I don’t know much about it other than that it’s a bit cliquey but the nicest, most modern of all the buildings.
CIW - In my experience, everyone in CIW is very happy there. I have literally never heard of it as ghetto, whatever that means. It’s much more frequently associated with a friendly, hippie, chill, pot-smoking kind of vibe. The latter probably comes from the fact that it backs up into the nature preserve where people go to smoke. CIW has a really tight-knit community and it’s easy to meet people there. The bathrooms are communal. There are suites and doubles. Also it’s the most conveniently located - literally right across from the union. I’d eat at the dining hall a lot because it has a good vegetarian station and also a kickin’ burrito station. Plus, the upstairs diner has milkshakes!
Mountainview - The hill is super annoying. I went there once a week for a club and I’m sure if I lived there I’d have gotten used to it, but say goodbye to ever stopping by your dorm in the middle of the day quickly. It kind of is a steep trek. I’ve also heard that Mountainview can be antisocial because it’s all suites, so people are unlikely to leave their door open and stick their head in like would normally happen with a double room. People stay within their suites. The dining hall is quite nice, I really like their mediterranean section and the great view of campus. This is just me, but I could see myself being very hesitant to go check out something on campus once I’m in my dorm there because it’s an annoying trek to keep going up and down.
Hinman - Very convenient and close to lecture hall but not the nicest dorms. These have got to be renovated next as they’re the oldest relic. The dining hall is solid, not my favorite. I think a lot of people bond over the fact that they just live in Hinman, which isn’t really known for anything in particular. I’ve heard it has a large number of international students there. Home to Hinman Production Company that puts on student plays (there’s also Dickinson Community Players).
First off, I would like to thank the above two posters for their insights. Excellent information. Very much appreciated.
My wife and I lived in Newing (Endicott) about 30 years ago (86-91 collectively). So, any information that I have is dated. When we attending SUNY Binghamton, the reputations were (loosely):
Newing - party atmosphere, very social due to corridor-style living. Lots of parties where people hung out in rooms and hallways - with more than a few ceiling tiles broken in the process. (Back then, yes, the communal bathrooms were disgusting!)
Dickinson - more reserved, quiet. In fact, Whitney Hall was known as a quiet dorm where people were expected not to make noise. People from Dickinson moved to Newing, but I do not recall the reverse. I am not saying that as a negative, but quite a different vibe from Newing. (By the way, I still resent the fact that Dickinson now occupies what was always Newing territory! Stay on your side of the brain! :-D)
CIW - while most of the campus was from Long Island - CIW was considered to be more heavily LI-influenced. The expression then was “jocks and JAPs,” but I think that would be offensive today. (I am just being historically accurate.) Also a very social area.
Hinman - more artsy - close knit for sure. We Newing-ites rarely interacted with Hinman-folk…
Now, I have a question/observation - probably more of a question. My experience was - the corridor-style living with doubles generated the most close-knit floors. As was noted above, people in doubles kept their doors open and wandered from room-to-room to socialize. If that remains the case today, then I guess Newing would be one of the more social areas since it is corridor-style?
Thanks, in advance.
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/profile/itsajoke
So funny, I told my son who is going in the fall, the same information. Guess it has changed a bit? It i my understanding that Hinman is very community service and tradition oriented?
Can someone please tell me if CIW is really associated with “stoners”? It’s my daughter’s first choice, despite the characterization, but it makes me and my husband nervous. We also hope “chill” doesn’t mean “slacker.” Thanks.
I mean, it’s college, people are going to be smoking pot everywhere. Like I said, the association really comes specifically with CIW because it backs up into the nature preserve, where people do go to smoke, but it’s miles and miles large. Chill doesn’t mean slacker, it means easygoing and friendly.