<p>Hey guys im a transfer student and will be a junior this coming August, but have a few questions:</p>
<p>I chose all of my top choices as Suite-Style dorms, all in North Campus (heard south campus is a lot of freshman). I just thought that since there are more people in a suite-style dorm compared to the traditional, it might give us the chance to grow closer to the group of people (8 people, 2 per room) that we are living with. I just got assigned to Carmichael.</p>
<p>However I just looked this up online and read that it's actually the opposite? Is it really easier for people to find and make friends in a traditional dorm? I am outgoing and stuff but i would like you guys to put that aside please</p>
<p>Suite-style dorms vs traditional dorms, for an incoming transfer student who will know nobody in UNC. Which is a better way to make friends?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Also is there the issue of nobody leaving doors open in suit-style dorms? Do the people in suite-style dorms tend to associate only with those within their own rooms?</p>
<p>“is living in a suite this year and I think he misses the dorm living he had last year. He said the kids in the suites keep more to themselves and he preferred the open door socializing of the regular dorm rooms.”</p>
<p>I don’t think any North Campus dorms are suite style, so I’m not sure which ones you thought you chose. That being said, Carmichael is really nice because it just got renovated (although I’ve heard the rooms are small). It is technically a Middle Campus dorm and a much better location than South Campus dorms (in my opinion).</p>
<p>I think it just depends on whether or not you want to make friends in your dorm. Freshman year I lived in a suite in Hinton James. My experience with suites is this - either you love everyone in your suite and you are all glued together at the hip or you all hate/couldn’t care less about each other. LOL. My roommate and I soon figured out we had nothing in common with most of our suitemates, and we only befriended one girl (and we’re still friends with her). Everyone else I could have done without.</p>
<p>You obviously have to make more of an effort if you are in a hall style dorm (although I’m thinking Carmichael is suite style). Some halls are definitely friendlier than others. My roommate and I tried to be friendly with our hallmates at first, but now I just kind of like to be left alone when I’m in the dorm. As long as you make an effort to be friendly wherever you are, you should make friends no matter what.</p>
<p>And it really depends on the people in the suite/on the hall - when I lived in a suite, no one really did the open door thing, but I know plenty of suites that did!</p>
<p>Oh lol I meant mid-campus when I was talking about the suite-style dorms, confused the two</p>
<p>Thanks a lot for the post, it was really useful. And yeah that’s how I saw it too, either you like everyone in your suite or you just don’t care really. I mean, Carmichael seems reallly nice - it’s right near the Football Stadium, the swimming pool (is this usually crowded?) and it has a mix of everyone - athletes, sophs/juniors and even first years. Also heard the competition for Carmichael is high from another thread, so I should start looking at the positives lol</p>
<p>I’m just worried about being in a suite where maybe everyone else already knows a group of people, and I’ll be the only new incoming student. Maybe if I was an incoming soph I would go to South Campus with the freshman, but I don’t know.</p>
<p>About your open door thing, which suite did you live in? Did you even know most of the people on your floor? Oh and which suites did the open door thing if you remember lol</p>
<p>Thanks a lot again!</p>
<p>Yeah, Carmichael is really nice, and a lot of people wanted it after it got renovated. It is the athlete dorm too, so you know it has to be nice, lol! And the location is great - it’s so close to the SRC and everything. I don’t know much about the pool (except that it exists). I’m also not positive if Carmichael is suite or hall - anybody know for sure? </p>
<p>Trust me, you will not be the only new incoming student (who’s not a freshman). People are really nice and always looking to meet new people, so I wouldn’t worry about not fitting into a group. A lot of people just have lots of different friends and not a set group of friends. As a freshman, I met one of my really good friends who was a junior transfer at the time, so don’t discriminate! Ha.</p>
<p>The suite I lived in was just a suite in Hinton James - my suitemates weren’t that friendly, but other people I knew in Hinton James LOVED their suites and suitemates and met all their future bridesmaids, yada yada. When I moved into my current dorm I didn’t know anyone on my hall (except my roommate). Some people are eager to make friends and some people aren’t. People are always friendlier at the beginning of the Fall semester though because people are moving into new dorms, etc. I always like Fall semester better than Spring semester!</p>
<p>Haha true, athletes being in Carmichael has to mean somethinggg lol</p>
<p>And I’m pretty sure Carmichael is a suite-style. It’s nice how your best friend turned out to be a junior haha, haven’t heard too many similar stories. And yeah people are going to be nicer during the Fall semester, everyone understands new people are coming in and out, and we’ve all been there at one point. I actually just looked up a suite dorm online and now know how they look like. Looks like you need to go through two doors instead of one, that looks like the only difference really, so the open door idea might not be as nice when compared to the traditional ones</p>
<p>I’m still going to ask around and decide later this week, I’m pretty sure we can e-mail the housing staff and ask for a switch/room change because people have done it before. Hopefully other people can post up info and their experiences!</p>
<p>Thanks a lot again</p>
<p>Also, does anyone have info on MORRISON? I don’t know if its filled with freshman or upperclassmen, I searched through threads and people say different things lol</p>
<p>I don’t really know how likely you would be to get a room change, unless it was like for a medical reason or something. And, Carmichael is definitely suite-style. Anyway, everyone’s experience on hall style versus suite style differ, and it definitely depends on who your suitemates are, or who’s on your hall, as to whether or not they’ll do open-door.</p>
<p>Yeah, I would just stay in Carmichael… I associate Morrison with being mostly sophomores (don’t know why, I just do). I would much rather be in Carmichael than in a high rise!</p>
<p>Coolguy, I think that Motown is mainly freshmen and then sophomores and the occasional junior in the super-suites… though this kinda stuff does change.</p>
<p>I dunno, you might be happy in some North Campus places. I lived North my first year and made plenty of friends that way. It’s hard to judge where people will keep their doors open.</p>
<p>Really though, the best way to make friends is through clubs. Even if you end up being in a quieter dorm you’ll be just fine so long as you get involved with some clubs. You really bond with people when you fundraise and then celebrate what you’ve gotten done together.</p>
<p>The previous posts are right on, making friends is what you make of it, everyone’s different. In either case, hall or suite style, you are more likely to make friends just because you live on campus. And I guess both dorm styles have advantages and disadvantages, both socially and regarding comfort. I think the suite style dorm is better for making friends and more comfortable regarding the bathroom situation. Negative side is you and the other 7 will be responsible for cleaning it.</p>
<p>I’m a junior transfer too, and still waiting for my dorm assignment 
Carmichael was one of my top choices, but I’ve been waiting for so long that I cant even remember why I chose it in the first place lol
It’s nice to know it’s close to the pool though!!! I didnt know that! I love swimming in the morning. Well, I dont know, I just hope I get anywhere FAR AWAY from South campus or at least away from Hinton James… ahhh the wait is killing meeeee</p>
<p>When did you submit your app?</p>
<p>Just fyi - in an 8 person suite, you don’t clean the bathroom. Housekeeping does. Thankfully!</p>
<p>Really??? I remember reading something saying that housekeeping wouldnt clean those bathrooms because that would imply going in passing through the rooms. Huh go figure, guess that person got that info wrong. Even better then!</p>
<p>The only bathrooms that aren’t cleaned are the 4 person suites, aka the bathrooms in Manning East & West…or my dorm, hah, lucky me!</p>
<p>Housekeeping enters the 8 person suites through the suite door - all four rooms and the bathroom open onto a tiny hallway/entry way, so they don’t have to pass through anybody’s room. lauriebeth is right about the 2 room/4 person suites not getting cleaned by housekeeping (because housekeeping would have to enter through the rooms). But don’t worry lauriebeth, those bathrooms are much nicer than the ones in Hinton James so it pays off even if you have to clean it yourself! LOL.</p>
<p>haha yeah it sure pays off! Thanks for making that clear guys, now I get it :)</p>