Is Mallory a good choice for a Freshman?

<p>After reading all the dorm threads here and visiting the campus 3 times, D has decided that Mallory seems like a good choice because of its location and the fact that it was recently renovated with nice bathrooms. We understand that Broward and Jennings are the main freshman dorms, but are Freshman happy in other dorms too?</p>

<p>I chatted with the housing office online and the rep said that there are freshman in Mallory, but the majority of people are upperclassmen. </p>

<p>My question is, would that be a bad choice for a Freshman who wants to meet lots of other Freshman? She has the first possible priority date, so chances are she'll get what she asks for.</p>

<p>Why does she JUST want to meet other freshman? Meeting "upperclassmen", mostly sophomores at Mallory, is pretty cool if not better. Besides, you meet tons of people in other organizations, classes- everywhere! </p>

<p>But if she wants purely freshmen in her hall, then choosing Broward, Jennings, Rawlings, Trusler, Simpson, etc. are all good choices. Then again, not everyone makes the bulk of their friends in their hall. It usually depends on the dynamic of the people who live in your hall and that changes from year to year. </p>

<p>Everyone I know that lives at Mallory really likes it. Ive visited and the halls, communal kitchens and bathrooms are REALLY clean and nice. (Relative to the not as nice traditional dorms, ie. Broward, etc.) </p>

<p>Good luck with whatever you choose =)</p>

<p>Thanks for the input. The main question was would a freshman be happy in Mallory. I think your answer was yes. I did not say or mean to infer that she JUST wanted to meet freshman. It does seem like a good choice, but since they always refer to those others the "freshman dorms", is it out of the ordinary to want a dorm other than those traditional ones?</p>

<p>This question is slightly ridiculous. First off, I think its a VERY small thing to worry about because happiness in dorms is more prominently and directly linked to how it is physically, location, roommates, etc. Happiness is very subjective and there are so many overriding factors here that whether or not your dorm is a "freshman dorm" isn't a make or break issue regarding happiness.</p>

<p>Is it out of the ordinary for a freshman to pick a dorm knowing that it is mostly upperclassmen? Maybe... in reality most dorms become "freshman" dorms because most freshmen pick dorms without knowing any better and after experiencing them for a year they figure out if they happen to be in a freshman dorm or not and then gravitate towards certain halls if applying for the next year to live on campus. Sophmores make certain dorms "freshmen" dorms by avoiding them really. </p>

<p>Does it matter? Hardly... really no. The difference between a freshman and sophmore is not big and its not hard to make friends with someone who isnt in their first year of college. If it is THAT big of a deal then your child can FIND other freshman who live in his/her dorm because there are freshman in every dorm... they make up the majority of all 10,000 people or so who live on campus with respect to other year levels (doesnt necessarily mean 51% or more.. just that there are more freshman than any other level). The people who are in your dorm matter to a degree that you control. You dont have to be friends with them and many people dont want to be; thats okay. Plus, most of your friends will probably come from clubs/frats/social groups that actually filter out the people to make a more homogeneous group. No matter if your dorm is a freshman or upperclassmen dorm its still a bunch of random people with crazies, drunkies, druggies, and all sorts of others in the mix.</p>

<p>I mean... the only time this would ever really be an issue is if your child has problems being "policed" by RA's (like me). The RA's in "upperclassmen dorms" tend to leave the residents alone because they arent dealing with hoardes of freshman and many of the residents are their age or older. It might also be worth considering if quietness matters... "freshman dorms" tend to be louder because of crazy freshman running around the halls.</p>

<p>"Slightly ridiculous" or not, we're just looking for honest feedback on dorm selection making the best use out of a great priority date. People are always asking "What should I pick?" and D just happens to think Mallory would be good. Just looking for some feedback on what others think given that it's not a traditional freshman dorm.</p>

<p>Mallory would be a good choice for your daughter. My daughter was in Broward Freshman year and loved the location...very similar to Mallory. These days she is in a off campus apartment (walking distance to school) and her circle of friends are from her classes/major and her sorority, not her Freshman year dorm.</p>

<p>Thanks, Seiclan. You're a great source for UF and UCF info!</p>

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After reading all the dorm threads here and visiting the campus 3 times, D has decided that Mallory seems like a good choice because of its location and the fact that it was recently renovated with nice bathrooms. We understand that Broward and Jennings are the main freshman dorms, but are Freshman happy in other dorms too?</p>

<p>I chatted with the housing office online and the rep said that there are freshman in Mallory, but the majority of people are upperclassmen.</p>

<p>My question is, would that be a bad choice for a Freshman who wants to meet lots of other Freshman? She has the first possible priority date, so chances are she'll get what she asks for.

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<p>Mallory is a good choice. I personally disagree with the rep that said its majority 2nd yrs and up. I would say maybe 30-40%, but not greater than 50. The upperclassmen dorms are generally the murphree area (buckman, thomas, sledd, murphree, fletcher), springs, keys, and lakeside. The bathrooms are definitely great. I remember when I first saw them after they has finish the renovation of the building. The residents and the RA make the floor what it is. With that said, the more hardcore fraternity/sorority and partying types generally go to Broward/Jennings, but you will also get some of those types in Mallory (but generally not as much as B/J).</p>