Housing

<p>yeah you're right Shraf, i'm just saying for someone who's never lived with anyone, Carman is a real growing experience. And it's not like you and your roommate can't have an "understanding", it's just not quite AS convenient.</p>

<p>Alright folks, I need some advice. I'm an only-child who is really sociable and makes friends very quickly. However, I need my quite place where I can get some studying done, and I can't concentrate in libraries for some reason. I'm pretty sure that I'm gonna pick JJ, so would it be odd if I hung out at Carman a lot? I'm thinking about just going there when I don't have to study since it seems to be the social place for freshmen, but would I be welcomed there? Do lots of non-Carman ppl hang out there?</p>

<p>Go for JJ. Hanging out in other dorms isn't particularly common, but not because it's odd. People tend to hang out on their own floor because that's where they develop a social network by default- proximity, habit, laziness, etc. Sometimes people will have enough friends on another floor that they spend more time there than their own floor- we definitely had some "honorary" members of our floor freshmen year! So yeah, don't limit yourself, go for what's comfortable, and I think JJ sounds right for you. If you want to be social, just prop your door open!</p>

<p>Oh so you're not a Penn student, ^^. From the way that you worded your post in that one thread, I assumed that you were, hehe. Thanks for your advice, I think I'll go for JJ then.</p>

<p>I'd like to know how close all these 1st year housings are to each other. </p>

<p>By that, I mean, if you end up making really good friends who live in another dorm, would it be just like, a 2 second walk or a 10 minute trek?</p>

<p>No two buildings on Columbia's campus are even 10 minutes apart. Well, maybe the two farthest buildings...</p>

<p>All first year housing is around the south lawn quadrangle. It took me about 7 minutes to get from Carman to Pupin in the mornings, and that's about twice the distance between JJ and Carman.</p>

<p>These should illustrate:
<a href="http://www.columbia.edu/about_columbia/map/images/maps-large/butler_library.gif%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.columbia.edu/about_columbia/map/images/maps-large/butler_library.gif&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p><a href="http://www.wikicu.com/Map_of_residence_halls%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.wikicu.com/Map_of_residence_halls&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Switch to satellite and zoom in to get an even better idea.</p>

<p>you could run from furnald to john jay completely naked in the middle of a blizzard and not even catch a cold.</p>

<p>People who get John Jay have found the freshman year to be very isolating. The doors are heavy and don't stay open. Since they are singles and most of the doors are closed, it is hard to meet people.</p>

<p>I lived in John Jay my first year, but I absolutely love the LLC. It's like living in a Manhattan flat: cable tv that you don't have to share with 30+ people on your floor, a full kitchen, and a community with helpful upper class students. Sure Carman has its parties, but I'm not sure I would want to live in the noise and rancor that often ensues. Besides, then you may have to deal with a trashed room, hall, bathroom, etc...the lovely aftermath of those notorious Carman parties. You can definitely attend Carman parties living in the LLC...and then return home to a much cleaner and tranquil space. I have seen some fantastic LLC suites, by the way...</p>

<p>
[quote]
People who get John Jay have found the freshman year to be very isolating. The doors are heavy and don't stay open. Since they are singles and most of the doors are closed, it is hard to meet people.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>what???????</p>

<p>this is just so flagrantly false i dont even know what to say.....wow.....how about i just say one thing to this, ready?</p>

<p>doorstop.</p>

<p>i agree with skraylor....no idea where collegebound is getting this ....i really enjoyed my time in JJ</p>

<p>I also have no idea where collegebound is getting his info. I am currently a resident of the lovely John Jay Hall (JJ9 reppin), and have not once found it to be "isolating." In fact, I seriously have to drag myself away from friends when I really need to get some work done or finally go to bed. The thing about John Jay is, its actually quiite social (including partying and whatnot), I just like to think that it's more on the DL (that's down-low for anyone who isn't as street as I, lol) in terms of social life. Sure, there aren't as many actual parties going on in JJ (it's more about the pre-gaming), but personally, I wouldn't really want to be having a legit party in my bedroom, u know? </p>

<p>Carman is a fun time, and I have mucho friends there as well, but I seriously can't imagine not being able to play my music whenever I wanted, walk in PJs and flip flops to JJ's Place at 3 AM (in the winter!) to get some snackage, have a 2-min walk to Hamilton (where so many classes are) if I've overslept a bit, be able to do "anything" in my own room, the list goes on. Also, in regards to John Jay being dingy - the bathrooms may not be 4-star (ok, they seriously are not the most beautiful), but to me (as well as many others) the "decor" of Carman is not too inviting (the mortar bricks may provide some sound insulation, but they are not too easy on the eyes). Also, as to the roof situation, if u have a friend (or live) on John Jay 15 on the street side, you can def take advantage of the "16th floor" (as they say) to um... knit, and other stuff.. that's legal...lol.</p>

<p>Either way, it is my opinion that all-freshmen housing is the way to go (JJ or Carman). Every person I've actually met who lives in Furnald is in a group of friends outside of Furnald, but if you're a quiet person who likes your living environment the same - it's your best choice. As for the LLC, I've talked to many people who were less than thrilled with the people in their suite, including people that have moved out - the small community is nice, but face the fact that you basically get stuck with 15 random people you may very well not like (Carman and John Jay have like 50 people per floor).</p>

<p>Well, good luck deciding, and more importantly, congrats on being able to decide (getting in)!</p>

<p>"Also, in regards to John Jay being dingy - the bathrooms may not be 4-star"
Could you elaborate on this? I don't mind simple bathrooms, but I hope they're clean right?</p>

<p>The bathrooms in John Jay are cleaned regularly, so it's really not about that, unless you have some dirty people on your floor. They're just... more focused on function than beauty. In general, no one really walks barefoot in the bathroom, just for caution. Also, this is coming from the perspective of a girl, and I have seen that the guys bathrooms aren't as nice.</p>

<p>Oh great news, I wish I was a girl now, or wait not really, but you get what I mean, :D. Are all the floors co-ed? Also, didn't one of the halls have co-ed bathrooms?</p>

<p>wien hall, an upperclass dorm, has coed bathrooms that are getting phased out.</p>

<p>the bathrooms aren't disgusting, but they're not as clean as carman, where each 4-person "suite" has their own bathroom and takes care of it. there's a sense of personal responsibility and ownership attached to it then, whereas if it's a bathroom for 50 people on a floor you're more likely to not care as much.</p>

<p>Literally 50? And how many showers and toilets do they have for 50 kids?</p>

<p>All the floors in John Jay (unlike Carman) are co-ed. The only freshman dorm that has co-ed bathrooms is the LLC (well, two dorms if u count wallach and hartley as separate). </p>

<p>In John Jay, since there are 2 bathrooms and actually 44 people on each floor, the bathrooms are really only for about 22 people each. Each bathroom has 3 toilet stalls, 4 showers, and a bunch of sinks. The guys bathoom also has 2 urinals.</p>

<p>Although that may sound like a lot of people for not that much space, everyone has such different schedules that it really is never an issue. I think I've only had one time where I was taking a shower the same time as 2 other people, and I don't think I've ever had to wait to use the bathroom.</p>

<p>Just out of curiosity, how is upperclassman housing at Columbia?</p>

<p>
[quote]
wien hall, an upperclass dorm, has coed bathrooms that are getting phased out.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>yea, unfortunately they are getting phased out into one single gender bathroom per floor so you'd have to go up or down stairs to get to ur bathroom...not to mention what will end up happening is that the floors are gonna end up effectively being single sex. Or for a floor with a girl's bathroom it'll be predominantly girls and one or two creepy guys.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Although that may sound like a lot of people for not that much space, everyone has such different schedules that it really is never an issue.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I second that, this is usually the case in all hallway style dorms except when out of sheer luck you end up with something like 20 guys and 5 girls on a schapiro floor with two toilets, two showers, two urinals and three sinks.....yup it's happened. </p>

<p>
[quote]
All the floors in John Jay (unlike Carman) are co-ed.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>there are only two single sex floors in carman and the guys only floor consists of something like 4 doubles with hardcore orthodox jews. </p>

<p>
[quote]
Just out of curiosity, how is upperclassman housing at Columbia?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>the short answer....it's a mess. Quick rundown...as a sophomore you'r effectively screwed....you have two options really and both of them require finding a roommate and hoping you'll get ridiculously lucky in the housing lottery and be able to get one of less than 100 singles designated for sophomores in furnald....yes, thats right only 100 singles for sophomores through the lottery. Your other option is to apply to the LLC and hope your ******** about community and how nice you are will trick the admins running it to give you a single in hartley or wallach. (the LLC was created in 2000 btw by the deans of CC and SEAS and has been, on multiple occasions, called the worst decision ever made by the administration regarding housing...with the second being holding out furnald for freshmen and sophomores only and taking it away from seniors). Of course if you don't get wildly lucky or apply to the LLC you can always find a decent double to pick into...another possible option is for you and your roommate to find juniors/seniors who want to live in an EC "exclusion" suite (which has three singles and a double along with kitchen, common area and bathroom) and you'd end up in the very small double in that suite...which of course has its ups and downs...but if you get a bad enough lottery number here (depending on the year) you'll be VERY screwed. Soph housing is notorious for being frustrating and often reveals all the cracks in columbia's housing system. As for junior year, you can get a comfortable single that is akin to a JJ single but usually in a building with a kitchen. For seniors you get a myriad of options from a multitude of suites that are all singles with huge rooms, to 2 bedroom apartments to stuido apartments that you can have all to yourself....senior year housing is spectacular if you know what you'r doing...the problem is that by the time some get to senior year they are so jadded by experiences the previous two years that they make stupid decisions. </p>

<p>hope this helps, i'm sure denzera (aka "God<em>Of</em>Housing") will have his two cents to contribute.....btw, good for you, you were mentioned twice in the spec today and surprisingly neither of them even speculated that it was you.</p>