<p>I have been accepted into the College of Engineering and UIUC. Because of the price and quality of education, I have gratefully accepted the offer and am excited to attend next fall!</p>
<p>I have narrowed down my housing choices to two locations and am very split on which I should choose.</p>
<p>I like to party occasionally, but I am not crazy. I would like to be able to have peaceful nights from time to time. I am not Catholic, but I am Buddhist and have no problem with any religious background.</p>
<p>I guess, from your experiences, which would you recommend?</p>
<p>Newman has a fantastic location in relation to the “Quad.” The living arrangement in the one section is in suites and is very nice. Food is good, but your meal plan is only good at their cafeteria. You don’t have to be Catholic to live there and they do have fun, but they don’t get “crazy,” if you know what I mean.</p>
<p>Allen is in a very nice area of campus. Tennis courts are nearby and the Campus Recreation Center (East) is right next door. You can take classes right in Allen Hall and also take music lessons there. They have cool field trips and have a “Guest-in-Residence” program that brings in some interesting people to share their experiences. About a 10 min. walk to Quad. Buses stop there, too. Meal plan allows you to eat at any university owned Res. Hall. Very diverse group of students.</p>
<p>Thank you very much for your response! I appreciate your time.</p>
<p>Does kids at Newman judge quickly? What are the kids like at Allen and Newman?</p>
<p>Also, another reason Newman seems nicer in the semi-private bathrooms. I could deal with public ones, but do they get messy during the year? Is it unpleasant? Boys bathrooms, that is.</p>
<p>Newman is a private certified residence which generally means it costs more than university residence halls, usually has nicer and larger rooms, and has more upperclassman. It also means your meal plan is restricted to that hall unlike university housing where you can use it anywhere on campus. </p>
<p>Newman is also Catholic oriented and though I agree you do not have to be Catholic to stay there, it definitely helps and many who end up there as freshman do so because their Catholic parents insist upon it under the belief that it is more oriented toward religion and religious values and less party-oriented than other halls. </p>
<p>You won’t get into Allen Hall unless you apply for the Unit One living/learning community (which has two “optional” essays but last year the only freshman who got in Allen submitted the “optional” essays and those that didn’t did not). There are many wannabe musicians, artists, writers and similar types who flock to Unit One and Allen Hall. It is a nice hall (although rooms are not air-conditoned but some common areas are; air-conditioning is usually needed only for about the first few weeks of the school year).</p>
<p>Not sure why you are focusing just on those two halls and personal view is that I would not have them on the top of my list either as a Buddhist or an engineering student. ISR is one that engineering students often try to get although it is difficult for many freshman to get in because of a high upper classman population in comparison to other halls. The other university residence halls are not ones necessarily to avoid. The “party” reputation of the six pack is overblown and though parties exist you are going to have to deal with such things at any hall. Nugent would be a great hall to get if you got lucky because it is the only hall on site that is new, with the others being 40 or more years old. As a result, it has very high demand.</p>
<p>If I were in your position and choosing private certified housing, I’d probably go with Hendrick Hall before ever even thinking about Newton. HH is popular for engineering students because it is close to engineering quad. But I also would probably choose many of any of the other PCH’s before Newton.</p>
<p>As to how people are at any particular hall, it is really hard to say there are major differences although Newton has a definite Catholic bent. What you really get at most any hall is mostly Illinois students with the vast majority coming from Chicago and its suburban area. They are a diverse group with varying personalities but a lot of “Midwest” values and thinking, e.g., few are impressed with or care about the ivies and many who are sports fans hate New York even though they have never been there.</p>
<p>Except for Private Certified Housing, (Newman, Armory, HH, IT, Presby, Bromley, Etal.,) matriculating students seem to think they can just pick a University Owned Res. Hall and that’s it. It doesn’t quite work that way. One has to select his/her top preferences and then a lottery is held early summer. Roommates are generally assigned in late July. Many are disappointed. Usually a very high percentage want to get into the “six pack,” and discover they’ve been assigned to PAR or FAR. Everything always seems to work out for the best in the end hwvr.</p>
<p>Yes, I am completely aware of the selection process. But that’s not my question. I am just hoping to learn more about the two.</p>
<p>As, for preferring Allen as an engineering student and Buddhist, I love technology, programming, etc. But I have no interest in becoming a robot. I love reading, writing, etc. just as much as I love tech. I’ve learned that Allen has a great community vibe so it’s my main preference. Thank you all for your help. I will work hard on the LLC essay and keep my fingers crossed.</p>
<p>My son is a freshman EE major with a strong musical interest. He loves it at Allen and he and his group of friends have re-upped there for their Soph years. Allen has a strong reputation with those that have lived there.</p>