So I was just assigned a double in Mary Markley hall and I had a few questions/rumors that I was hoping some more experienced students on here could debunk for me. First of all, can anyone give me a comparable idea of the size of the rooms at markley? All I ever hear is that they are horribly small, but I’m trying to get an idea. I ask because I absolutely hate a bunked bed but I want to know If ill have room for a desk and such while still keeping my bed on the floor. Also, is the dorm really infested with bugs? This just seemed so unlikely as the rest of the University is so up to date and sanitary. I have had people tell me that there are cockroaches all over the place. Just looking for some real (non stereotypical) insight as to where Ill be spending the next two semesters of my life, so any and all responses are welcome. Other unrelated comments about the dorm would be appreciated too! Thank you so much!
You might have a friend who has a friend whose roommate saw a cockroach once. That’s about the extent of the problem. It is blown way out of proportion.
The rooms are small, but every dorm room is small. You will be able to fit 2 down beds and 2 desks, but not much else if you do that because the desks UM provides are bulky. I suggest lofting your bed (not bunking), and having your desk under your bed. I hated the idea of sleeping up high at first, but I ended up loving it and it is definitely the way to go, and you are able to fit a futon, tv, etc. with 2 lofted beds.
My kiddo was at Markley for one semester before she got an apartment on North Campus. Her room was mercifully large, but it was an overflow room (a lounge that had been turned into a three person space) The standard doubles at Markley are shoe boxes. Super tiny. The bug thing is overblown. Can only speak for my own observations, but my daughter’s room was clean and pleasant. No bugs. It’s a nice building, with nice lounges, a good location, good security. Down side (and why she left)…it’s the dorm that never sleeps. Noisy, rowdy, known for being a party dorm. It’s safe…but my kid got tired of vomit in the stairwells on game weekends and the general noise. She did witness a single roach once in a communal bathroom. Lots of sirens, cause you’re close to the hospital. Lots of freshman behavior. One really good thing about Markley…is that it’s a sought after dorm. If you hate it, you probably won’t have trouble trading out of it for something else for winter term. North was a much better fit for my kiddo…she loved the Northwood apartments. Tiny…but your own kitchen and bathroom and a door to close when your roommate makes you crazy can be wonderful. Made the bus ride worthwhile.
could you define lofted? to me it sounds no different than bunking. Or is the difference just that it is not lofted above someone else’s bed?
Bunked = one lofted bed and one down bed on top of each other
Lofted = no down bed just the upper bunk, so you can have a desk/fridge/dresser under your bed. And then your roommate can do whatever he or she pleases.
They are about 13x13 ish. I saw many beds that were both only about 3 ft high with dressers under with the desk at the end. Both beds fit nicely that way. But leaves just a few feet strip between them open.
It is not a nice dorm, but kids seem to love it. My S said they didn’t have much in the way of bugs, though there are some. Ppl leave food out…bugs will come!
They’re not as small as you think they would be, and you may want to consider half-lofting (as HRSMom described)! I know Michigan dorms have two types of furniture - the older furniture you won’t be able to half-loft with and the newer you will, but Markley has both so that’s really a toss up. Either way, they’re small enough that you won’t want more than three or four people in there at a time, but large enough that you should be able to fit all your things comfortably.
A lot of people LOVE Markley because its a very sociable dorm where everyone seems to know everyone in their hall. The bug problem is overblown and it may not look as nice as the other dorms on campus, but it has nearly all the same basic amenities.
My biggest suggestion is to make sure you utilize the Markley dining hall! You’ll likely hear a lot of people turn their nose up at the thought of it but since they’ve remodeled, it’s a total gem. NOTHING beats breakfast there in the morning (always plenty of options) and the make-your-own-pizza station is absolutely all it’s cracked up to be. They usually have a lot of really good options there (unless you have a lot of dietary restrictions) and it doesn’t get as much word-of-mouth love as it deserves.
The rooms are definitely small (you’ll envy your non-Markley friends), but as a living space it’s completely doable. Half-lofting is a great idea if you intend to stick with the dorm furniture, but fully lofting your bed will give you the most room to work with if you also want to bring some furniture of your own. I would have preferred to half-loft, but by lofting I was able to add some extra storage and shelving that otherwise wouldn’t have fit the room.
The cockroach problem really depends on where you live. I lived in the back of the building (closest to the hospital) and that tends to be where you’ll see most of the roaches. While I saw them trapped under styrofoam cups in the hallway pretty frequently, my friends who lived in the front of the building didn’t have any problems whatsoever. Fortunately, there were enough complaints last year that housing tried to fix the problem over winter break–it wasn’t a cure-all, but I did end up seeing fewer roaches, which is something.
For me, Markley was perfectly acceptable. Of course there are much larger (and cleaner) Central dorms, but if you’re looking to make fast friends and dip into college social life, you really can’t go wrong here.
Thanks for all this info. Do you have any idea which numbers face the back and which are in the front?