<p>1) On a scale of 1 to 10 how would you current Brown students rate the freshman dorms? I heard that they’re all decent with the exception of Perkins. Please elaborate if possible</p>
<p>2) What did you all pack that you found useless and what did you find that you missed or needed while you were there?</p>
<p>3) Where can I find cheap books and roughly how much did you spend for first semester books?</p>
<p>4) For you parents on this forum, what did your kids call home to complain about (if anything and if you feel as if it might be a common problem)?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Overall, the dorms at Brown are just mediocre. Many students seek out off campus housing as juniors and evern more do so as seniors. The Pembroke dorms- where many freshmen live - were redone recently and are pretty nice and are big. West Quad, last I saw, a couple years ago, was kind of a dump, but definitely fun. There are some new dorms being built, but not sure when they will be ready.</p>
<p>I lived in Perkins eons ago. It is far from most of the rest of campus, as it was once part of another college or university. The rooms were a little bigger than the west quad rooms which was one plus and there were built-in closets, bureaus and desks which freed up the floor space. But my memory is of cinder block walls or similar.</p>
<p>The freshmen units at Perkins were usually very close knit, as there was something to being an outsider (far away from stuff) that helped us bond together. We would normally go over to the Ratty (main dining hall) together in small groups as it was definitely a hike. At the time (30 years ago!!!) I was not thrilled to be so far from everything, but I got used to it pretty quickly. And, Perkins was closer to some shops and restaurants on Hope street and Wickendon st, But my son will be going there in the fall and if he ends up in Perkins, I will be disappointed.</p>
<p>Yeah, I have heard that Perkins creates a community but having to walk that much does not sound appealing. Hopefully I get Pembroke, I walked in there and they have a lounge on the ground floor with a dining area.</p>
<p>Perkins is no longer a freshman dorm, beginning last year.</p>
<p>Freshman dorms (at least for this past year, assuming no changes):
-Keeney Quad (really 6 dorms in one)
-Wayland
-Andrews
-MoChampEmWool (Morris, Champlin, Emery, Wooley)</p>
<p><a href=“http://reslife.brown.edu/new_students/residence_halls/firstyears.html”>http://reslife.brown.edu/new_students/residence_halls/firstyears.html</a></p>
<p>In terms of packing, don’t overpack. There’s a Bed, Bath, Beyond in the mall, and Walmart and other big box stores aren’t far away. It’s easy enough to get stuff that you may have missed the first time.</p>
<p>Books: what you spend will depend quite a bit on the classes you take. Amazon’s usually the best bet, but you can shop around online and check out the Brown bookstore before buying. Generally you can do without the book for the first few weeks of class. Definitely don’t buy them until you’re certain which classes you’re taking.</p>
<p>Since you can’t pick your freshman dorm, there’s no point in rating them. </p>
<p>My daughter bought a lot of her books used on Amazon, and saved a lot of money. </p>
<p>She rolled her eyes when we got her a tool kit, but later confessed it was a good thing to have. </p>
<p>I can’t think of anything she complained about a lot. </p>