I was hoping some current students could give me some insight into the current dorm situation at GW, because I have heard several rumors that they will be knocking thurston down for next year. I am currently choosing between thurston, potomac, and madison, so if anyone has pros/cons of each i would really appreciate it.
Thuston
PROS
-Everyone who lives there always seems to make a ton of friends since almost half of the freshmen class is in Thurston
-If you’re into parties, freshmen parties usually take place in Thurston
-Price if you’re in a room of six people
-Decent amount of study spots (basement, a couple lounges on the first floor) compared to other dorms
CONS
-Old building in general
-Gross and falling apart in some rooms, although the renovations will help with that
-Difficult to study in since it’s constantly loud and sociable
-At the far end of campus, although it’s close to the Elliott school
Potomac
PROS
-Newest building of the three, definitely one of the best overall on campus
-High majority of the floors have an RA living on the floor, which usually allows a more personable experience with them versus Madison where I think there are either 3 or 4 RAs total
-Next to Carvings (late night hot spot on campus, especially for freshmen) and Mail Package Services
Newest building of the three, definitely considered an overall nice building; a lot of people describe it as a social but quiet dorm
CONS
-Price
-Some rooms have poor natural sunlight as some rooms basically face another building
-The location isn’t amazing, but it’s better than Thurston’s
Madison:
PROS
-Location is prime (right in the middle of campus, across from the library, next to Duques/Funger where a lot of freshmen classes are held, etc.)
-Smaller dorm than the others, so it’s quiet
-This can be both a pro and con depending on the person and situation, but Thurston and Potomac always have people that patrol the lobby, which can be annoying when you have people visiting you and you have to constantly sign them in
CONS
-Older building
-A ton of athletes live in Madison since it’s close to the gym, so it’s pretty competitive to get a room there
-Not super social, but that may also come from its smaller size and that a lot of its students are athletes
Personally, if price were not an issue, I would pick to live in Potomac. Let me know if you have any other questions!
thank you so much, that was the most insightful review of the dorms ive seen and it’s definitely going to help my decision!