John Jay vs. Carman?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Columbia University
1

<p>Columbia class of '14 ED accepted.
I've been thinking about which dorm to choose--and i noticed that a lot of people
are choosing between john jay and carman.
If you guys could help me decide--that would be awesome.</p>

<p>I want a single dorm. Majoring in Economics/also doing a sport.
I want to party/socialize but still find the time to study, have some quiet and private time.
I'm leaning more towards John Jay, because it's single, social yet quiet enough to study.
But what are the pros and cons of both dorms. Does John Jay have no air conditioning?
Is Carman that much more social than John Jay? Does Carman have a much better view?</p>

<p>What do you guys suggest?</p>

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<p>bump bump bump</p>

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<p>I’m curious as well. If someone could lay down the pros/cons of both sides and which one they prefer that would be awesome thanks :)</p>

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<p>to your three questions…</p>

<p>yes
yes
no (it’s the opposite)</p>

<p>…from what i’ve heard…</p>

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<p>Hey guys. I lived in John Jay last year. In response to your questions:</p>

<p>But what are the pros and cons of both dorms. Does John Jay have no air conditioning?
John Jay doesn’t have air conditioning, but this will only be important for a maximum of two months per year, since it’s cold most of the time you’ll be at Columbia.</p>

<p>Is Carman that much more social than John Jay?
No, at least not in my case. All the floors in John Jay have a very distinctive atmosphere, and you really can’t project what that will be like. I ended up on the most social floor in John Jay last year - in one instance some of the people on our floor were so noisy that they received noise complaints from INSIDE Butler library.</p>

<p>Does Carman have a much better view?
Hands down no. But a lot of this is based on luck, in both buildings - whether you face towards campus, or away from campus. I lucked out - JJ11 facing towards campus!</p>

<p>Overall, I would say that JJ and Carman are both good first year choices. I highly value having a single, and I think that double vs single should be the primary deciding factor between Carman vs JJ. Also, it’s worth noting that JJ and Carman both have a MUCH better atmosphere for first years than Hartley/Wallach, or Furnald.</p>

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<p>I agree with Mark on about everything. Except that a skyline view is better. :slight_smile: I really love all the water towers.</p>

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<p>i think it is worth noting that carman is more party than social, whereas john jay is more about traditional socialization, and yet you still get your own space, it usually isn’t virulently loud at night. a traditional night among my friends frosh year was to go to a jj single to pre-pare, and then go to a carman suite for the actual party.</p>

<p>like i remember hanging out trying to make the moves in a carman double when the party busted in the middle. or trying to fall asleep and you could hear stuff going on in the next room at 4am. </p>

<p>i was an LLCer, no shame, i liked it, it was a good mix of social, having your own space, and also meeting upperclassmen. in case you want a third option.</p>

<p>but if you’re hunting between john jay and carman - i guess the question is how deep of a sleeper are you.</p>

<p>and to your statement you want time to party - you do realize its like a 4 min walk across campus from jj to carman. you can still party and not live in carman.</p>

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<p>I lived in Carman and I agree with everything people have been saying. Two things to think about though…</p>

<p>Your chances of getting a social floor in Carman are higher than getting a social floor in John Jay. I don’t think one dorm is more social over the other, but the nature of people in Carman is that everyone is friendly, especially in the first couple of weeks. Everyone there wants to be social and make friends. I might be a little biased though and not know the whole situation in John Jay. What I’ve heard though is that you could get a social floor or you could not, but in Carman you’re pretty much guaranteed a floor that will be social at least in the beginning, and provide a good jumping off point for making friends elsewhere.</p>

<p>And just to add about studying. I had no problem studying in my room and second semester I hardly studied in Butler. My room in McBain this year is way louder than Carman was. Remember there are two doors before the actual hall and while people may be a little noisy in the beginning, it will definitely be quiet enough to study. If you’re worried about noise levels when people are partying that could be a legit concern, but it will most likely only be on Thursday/Friday/Saturday nights, I don’t think it would be when you’d be trying to study on a school night. </p>

<p>I’m not trying to convince you to choose JJ over Carman, just providing more info for people to think about. A lot of my friends had great experiences in JJ and vice versa. They’re both great places to live.</p>

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<p>oh and I was gonna say, if you really want a room high up so you have a good view, it might be worth mentioning it in your housing application (its in a part for additional requests or something like that). I did it and someone else I know did that. I don’t really know how much of an impact that has, but I did have a very nice view.</p>

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<p>From my experience, the social atmosphere of JJ is a little more mature than Carmen. And by that I mean a little less alcohol. But of course, like any comment in this thread, it completely depends upon your floor and how outgoing you are. </p>

<p>JJ is more aesthetically pleasing than Carmen in my opinion. Would others agree that athletes are more likely to be in Carmen?</p>

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<p>they actually tend to bunch athletes in quieter places get them away from temptation. most of the football/basketball team as i recall lived in hartley my frosh year.</p>

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<p>admissionsgeek, can you describe your time in the LLC, specifically the academic and social aspects?</p>

<p>Also, do you know anything about the GRI for engineering students? </p>

<p>Thanks</p>

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<p>LLC basically provided me in house mentors my frosh year. there were 3 girls that ended up taking me under their wings and helped me pick classes, adjust to campus life, and adjust to the city. it is what i like about it, it is a very collegial environment, and i also like that it was not just first-years so i got to (as concoll would say) get away from some of the annoyances that young folks do. </p>

<p>the kitchen was fun to be at as folks would always make meals for each other. the tv in the suite gave a great way to unwind and procrastinate.</p>

<p>i had a weekly study session for my chemistry class, and one of my chem lab TAs lived in the suite upstairs, which made it easy to do well. </p>

<p>the pace of life is certainly on the slow end, but people are always up doing something, studying or the like. </p>

<p>i feel like i got a very different perspective of campus life at columbia as a result. i got my fill of the parties, the fun, and everything that came with it, but i also felt very close in an almost family environment living in the llc, and my best friends mostly came from that setting.</p>

<p>my second year i lived in a suite that was RAd by one of my friends in my first year suite. my third year i was a rider with another student so i lived in the LLC three years. each was good and chill. i’d highly suggest it. it doesn’t consume your identity the way a floor on carman or jj do, but i think it makes for a happier experience.</p>

<p>re: the GRI, i lived above the first GRI class, they were fun kids, a wide ranger of SEAS folks including some athletes, so it is not all that homogenous. a cool option for some people, but if you want diversity in terms of CC/SEAS split, it might be a bit too tech heavy.</p>

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<p>FYI, JJ is not quiet. In fact, Carman might be quieter due to the double doors that someone mentioned above. Although the walls in JJ are pretty thick (you won’t be able to hear what’s going on in adjoining rooms), the noise from the corridor comes right through the wooden door.</p>

<p>I know people who are so annoyed that they passive-aggressively b!tch about it on FB. lol</p>

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<p>With Carman, sound travels through the cinderblocks in adjacent rooms. If the people next to you are noisy, then you are going to hear them. However, there is little hallway noise; if both the suite door and room door are closed, almost no sound enters the room from the hallway. The exception to this rule would be if you were to live next to the lounge and people were being extremely loud in the lounge. But the chances of landing in a room next to the lounge and the frequency of loud gatherings in the lounge make this a matter of little importance.</p>