<p>I guess I’m still not quite getting what’s so amazing about RCS N. Is it just the room layout? The rooms themselves actually seem a tetch smaller than some of the other rooms.</p>
<p>I kind of like DS’s room situation / layout in Riverside East. It looks good on the floor-plan, anyway…</p>
<p>Stormtrooper – DS is in Riverside East. If one of his roommates pulls out, I’ll be sure to let you know!</p>
<p>“I guess I’m still not quite getting what’s so amazing about RCS N.”</p>
<p>nothing really. all the supersuites are awesome. but some students might have a preference for RCS over others. i think it looks really cool from the outside.</p>
<p>the thing i like least about it is the weird sectional furniture and the fact that it doesn’t come with a storage closet for boxes and the like.</p>
<p>i think it looks really cool from the outside.</p>
<p>How so? (Having never seen it. :D)</p>
<p>We liked the layout of RCS N suites better. Son liked the game room and tv room in the common area plus the outdoor deck/roof with space to sit/study/sun in addition to the volleyball and basketball courts. Also, liked that the suites have the higher lofted beds, a full size refrig and window blinds provided. If he takes a car (doubtful until next year), the parking is nice. Don’t like the sectional furniture.</p>
<p>Didn’t get to see the inside of the other buildings, so its hard to compare their suites. As a bio major, Riverside may be closer to most of my son’s classes, but that didn’t seem to matter much to him after we walked the campus.</p>
<p>Don’t all the honors dorms have window blinds provided? And lofted beds?</p>
<p>I hope they all have window blinds, because I stunk at installing stuff like that, LOL. (DH is good at it, though.)</p>
<p>There are no storage closets outside the suites in Ridgecrest. There are blinds provided and the beds do loft to a higher position. The bedrooms are a bit smaller and the closet has two double doors that swing open instead of sliding. The bedroom layout is slightly different but each room has a peculiar wall that juts out. In my son’s room the wall juts out in the middle, this can make placement of the furniture a little difficult. Ridgecrest is the closest to Publix.</p>
<p>It really doesn’t matter which residence house “suite style” building you wind up in, they all have small pros/cons, in my opinion.</p>
<p>Very interesting. So, will we need to purchase window blinds for Riverside? (If so, we’re going the el-cheapo Levolor-at-Home-Depo route, LOL.)</p>
<p>I don’t think the higher-lofting beds are much of an attraction for DS. But blinds provided – that’s a very practical consideration!</p>
<p>oops, that would be Depot, not Depo. Ack!</p>
<p>Ridgecrest South doesn’t have the storage closets but Ridgecrest East & West have them. They’re very useful IMHO.</p>
<p>I know South is the popular dorm that most incoming kids want. But for my money Ridgecrest East & West are the better dorms. </p>
<p>The location is virtually the same but East & West have the storage closets, better furniture, and not near the problems with fire alarms and other nonsense that South has been reported to have the past 2 years.</p>
<p>Thanks so much, y’all! Can someone answer my question re window blinds? (Sorry to be SUCH a pest and a noodge, but I’ve been assuming blinds were supplied for all dorms. Thank goodness there’s a Home Depot near the school – although personally I prefer Lowe’s Home Improvement to that UGLY “Agent Orange.”)</p>
<p>ALL dorms provide window blinds. If you’re a light sleeper and sensitive to sunlight then you may need a curtain or shade, or hang a towel over the blind to prevent any sunlight from creeping through.</p>
<p>The situation with the fire alarms at Ridgecrest should definitely improve with the recent addition of security cameras.</p>
<p>NJBama – thanks much! DS sleeps like a log, so he should be fine. All he has in his current bedroom here at home are 2-inch faux-wood plantation blinds – and he does just fine with them.</p>
<p>Thanks!!</p>
<p>I am actually glad he’s in a dorm with so many engineering students around…they’ll help him keep his nose to the grindstone, LOL.</p>
<p>LadyD, both Tuscaloosa and Northport have a Lowe’s.</p>
<p>When I give dorm tours, I try to take families over to see the other dorm layouts as the large “Lakeside Residence Hall coming in 2006” sign that’s in the model room of Ridgecrest South doesn’t do the buildings just doesn’t cut it, IMHO. There used to be a model room in Ridgecrest East, E104, but that closed once Ridgecrest South opened. I’d encourage prospective families to contact housing and ask for it to be reopened so families can see samples of all the honors housing options.</p>
<p>I agree with NJBama that Ridgecrest East (non-Honors) and West (Honors) are the better dorms for the money. In addition to the reasons he mentioned, Ridgecrest East and especially West are a lot quieter and less crowded than Ridgecrest South. Don’t get me wrong, I like all of the honors dorms, but after many opportunities to move over to Ridgecrest South, I have stayed in Ridgecrest West.</p>
<p>Best of luck in the housing selection process and Roll Tide!</p>
<p>OK, I must be the peskiest, noodgiest mom in the history of motherhood, but I am just wondering…are the Riverside dorms quiet, too? Anyone know? Quiet = good in my book! (Don’t know about DS, LOL.)</p>
<p>And now I’ve got to get back to the truly boring project I’m working on.</p>
<p>Thanks so much, y’all, for all your help and guidance – and for putting up with my pesky questions!</p>
<p>Thanks NJBama and SEA_tide for all the first hand feedback on the dorms! Excited for BB on May 31st so my wife can experience UA.</p>
<p>Rand ^^^ Funny, I had a bit of worry too before our last (2nd) visit for CBHP weekend. My D and I came home with such wonderful stories, that I was worried my W would not be as wowed by her experience. Luckily, she was extremely pleased. I have no doubt that the May 31st Honors BB will be a WONDERFUL event, so you’re wife will have a great experience. Are you staying in the dorms? If not, be sure she gets over to see them.</p>
<p>I only wish that we could attend one of the Honors BBs, but my D has pre-graduation and graduation on the 1st and 2nd of June, so it was just not an option for us. We’re headed down instead 6/8. Good luck and have fun!</p>
<p>Dad2ILD Thanks. Yes, we are staying in the dorms (it’s a good deal, let’s us meet other parents, and puts us right on campus so we can have more time to explore). We were lucky that our son’s graduation is the weekend before the 31st, but our D who is a freshman in H.S. can’t go with us because of snow days that have extended the school year. She will have to wait until August.</p>
<p>DAD2ILD - Our family will be there June 6 - 8 as well. Our soon-to-be CBHP S has graduation at the same time. Is your family in Texas?</p>
<p>I really hope they let us peek into Ridgecrest West - it would be really helpful to see a D room!</p>
<p>Sea Tide - any suggestions for us to possibly see one of the D rooms?</p>