<p>Well, i've decided to go with the lakeshore dorms, but i'm not sure as to which ones I should pick. What are the pros and cons of each? Which one(s) would you recommend? Which one is generally the most popular with freshman? Etc.</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>My D is in Cole, but has many friends in Kronshage, and they seem to enjoy it. Both of these dorms eat at Holt Commons, right in between the two, literally steps from either. And at this time of year, with the wind blowing off Lake Mendota, that makes a difference.</p>
<p>I lived in two different lakeshore dorms eons ago and son lived in Liz. Every dorm has its pros and cons. You need to study the information on the Res Halls website for the details that differentiate each dorm. You can also get information by checking Google Earth and Bing maps. All dorms have been remodeled over the years- loftable furniture and improved bathrooms (private shower stall dressing areas!) so the age of a building is only a matter of choosing which architectural style and location you most want. Closeness to the lake, tennis courts, a library, dining, snacks… Large or small building…</p>
<p>All dorms (except those unavailable to freshmen) will have mainly freshmen- no worries about being stuck with too many older students anywhere. Within the dorms some houses/floors will be more desirable than others and therefore returning students will have taken the “best” rooms. They do reserve half of each dorm for freshmen so you will find plenty of new students everywhere- usually much more than half. Returning students are predominately sophomores. Do be sure to rank all of your acceptable lakeshore dorms higher than the southeast ones to insure you get one of them. Do not worry about ranking a popular dorm high- you may be one of the lucky ones getting your first choice there.</p>
<p>Res Halls dining facilities are open to everyone so you don’t need to eat where you live. It is also all a la carte so you are not tied to a 3 meals per day during certain hours plan. Plus, you can spend as little or as much as you like during the year- no needing to be sure you use up funds required in advance. Add a microwave oven to the provided refrigerator and delivery service from the snack bars and you don’t need to factor in distance from the after dining hours places as time needed to get food while studying.</p>
<p>It is impossible for anyone else to tell you which dorm will be best for you. Only you know which little things make or break your day. Be prepared for getting any of your top several choices- don’t have your heart set on only one dorm (for example, Liz has been a popular choice and therefore everyone who wants it can’t get it). For every good/bad thing about any dorm I could point out a countering bad/good thing. You will get a chance to edit your dorm choice rankings in the spring before they do the May lottery so don’t worry about your current decision.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot both of you…</p>
<p>I’m thinking Kronshage and Slichter right now. Any specific things or experiences with these two that anyone minds sharing? Are either of these difficult to get into?</p>
<p>Don’t worry about the difficulty of getting into any dorm- your number could come up first and you could get your first choice even of the most popular dorms. Rank your choices according to where you most want to live- remember if you definitely want Lakeshore or Southeast to place all of your choices from that area before the other.</p>
<p>Kronshage is a series of small 3 story buildings, each one a “house”. Slichter has a house per floor in two separate wings (a house is the dorm organizational unit with a “housefellow”, called a resident assistant-RA at other schools- Liz typically puts 2 floors into each house- houses range from some 50 odd students to around 70). Based on the communal bathroom arrangements single genders will either be on one entire floor or in separate wings of the same floor. Both Kronshage and Slichter have built in dressers and the closets along one wall. I don’t think Kronshage has an elevator (ie not handicapped accessible- you probably won’t wait for an elevator routinely)- don’t use that as a criterion, even on move in day (the Liz elevator is only useful for the central one of the 5 attached buildings, btw). Slichter is very close to the convenience store/carryout deli while Kronshage is closer to the Holt Commons dining. Slichter gets its mail/desk services from the Tripp Gatehouse while Kronshage uses Holt. Pros and cons to both. Res Halls offices are in the basement of Slichter but that is irrelevant to life in the dorm (I lived in Slichter after Cole eons ago and have personal knowledge of the area, including recent son/his friends summer and transportation experiences involving Liz and Kronshage- I peeked in Cole then).</p>
<p>Look at the other recent dorm related threads for more info.</p>
<p>I’m looking for a dorm at UW. Are there any dorms with a reputation of attracting the nerdier students? I.E. folks that play video games, RPG’s, card games, kids that watch sci-fi and fantasy, probably math/science/engineering students. Are there any dorms with a prevalent nerd community?</p>
<p>Fun question, Kaigem. </p>
<p>If I were doing it myself, being a senior now and seeing the way the dorms have evolved, even the short time I’ve been here, I’d have to say that the only thing I would do is put Sellery/Witte last. Other than that, you’ll find a high density of “science” people all over (and yes, they do exist in Sellery/Witte, too, but I would argue it’s not an inherent part of the “culture” there). </p>
<p>IF IT WERE ME (don’t jump all over me, ■■■■■■) this’d be my list for finding “nerdy/geeky/gamer-type dorms without overwhelming introversion.” I’d recommend Bradley or Chadbourne before these, though, for the exposure you may get to other types of people in regards to a variety of social opportunities (closing yourself to only your current interest set is a stupid way to go into college). Out of the “basic dorms”:</p>
<ol>
<li> Kronshage</li>
<li> Cole/Sullivan/Friedrick doesn’t really have much of an identity except being “far away.”</li>
<li> Liz Waters</li>
<li> Slichter</li>
<li> Adams/Tripp</li>
</ol>
<p>Anywhere you end up, go into it with an open mind and step OUT of your comfort zone.</p>
<p>Interesting. What kind of reputation/identity do you believe Slichter has. That’s probably my top choice right now.</p>
<p>Don’t get hung up on dorm reputations. Each year there are mainly different students in each one as students move on to apartments. There will be up to half older students in the dorms the current freshmen desire for next year. Most incoming freshmen will not be consulting this website for information on choosing a dorm. </p>
<p>Choose your dorm based on the criteria most important to YOU and other like minded students will also, creating a floor of students who want to be there (or also get stuck with their xth choice, but their choice of southeast or lakeshore). The dorm you live in next year will have the reputation determined by YOU.</p>