<p>Penn 2009 student here…Im pretty sure I want to live in the quad but can someone tell me the difference between the 3 quad houses (Fisher Hassenfield, Riepe and Ward)…any recommendations for which one is the best?</p>
<p>location... layout of rooms... there should be a link on the penn website... for housing</p>
<p>have you looked at the housing brochure they send you in the mail, or the things that are available online? i was having a lot of trouble deciding which house in the quad too, but all of those resources really helped.
I think they are all pretty similar, except riepe has "close ties with all schools except seas." fisher seems more political/business oriented than the others, and ware is more general/techy (women in science program, etc). Ware is also the biggest house. I did have trouble figuring out the difference between each of the houses though, and am going to wait until I visit to decide what house i want to sign up for.</p>
<p>just an fyi... if you enter the quad from the gates next to the diner* and go straight, the last door on the left that goes into ware... u'll see a room with a bay window... biggest room in the quad*</p>
<p>I have a question about the quad...I know that it's one of the most social places on campus and a great place for freshman to meet lots of people, how prevelant is the alcohol there? I don't drink and don't really plan to, and while I have no problems with going to parties with alcohol, I really rather that it isn't the main source of weekend entertainment.</p>
<p>there's as much as you want there to be... if you're trying to avoid it... u won't see it, if you want it, you can probably get it</p>
<p>in response to the post classifying the houses as political/techy, etc., i can tell you that it's really not true. yes, some houses have residential programs. i, for one, currently live in fisher, and am in the law and society program. does that mean that i live with a bunch of pre-law, political nerds? not in the least. in fact, some people (most people) apply to residential programs because it makes getting into the quad easier. i live with english, polysci, bio, and women's studies majors, in addition to wharton, nursing, and engineering students.
now that that's said, i love fisher. i'm so glad i live in this house. it's smaller than the other two (well, it seems it at least) because it's the triangular part of the quad. the rooms on the opposite sides on the house are, therefore, closer together than they would be if fisher was a square (like ware or spruce (i think they renamed it to riepe?)). so i feel that fisher is a better way of knowing one another, and it seems that people are in closer contact. also, we're right near the upper quad gate, but fisher is on the side of the gate away from spruce and ware. so people who walk through fisher probably live there, since it doesn't lead to another college house. this also makes for a better community. also, there's a lot of greenspace in fisher where kids play frisbee, etc. it's not as big as ware, so people will play with one another, joining in, and meeting new people. i feel that it happends more than in ware, where the greenspace is larger and segmented by walkways.
spruce, i feel, has less overall community. it is segmented into two areas- spruce, and "baby quad." baby quad is adoreable- its a set off mini-quad with its own greenspace and pretty architecture (just like everywhere else in the quad). however, i've spoken to lots of people who live there, and they say it's noisy.
p.s- by spruce, i mean riepe.
now, fisher is the oldest of the quad houses, followed by ware, and then spruce. but you couldn't tell by being inside because it was newly renovated, with AC, new bathrooms, etc.
you also may want to consider where your classes are. fisher is closer to huntsman for you wharton kids, and spruce is closer to the nursing and engineering buildings. college classes happen just about everywhere, so that shouldnt be too much of a concern.
again, i know i'm biased because i live here, but i love fisher.</p>
<p>I hate how you need a key to get into Front door/bathrooms. You kids are so paranoid.</p>
<p>The key thing is a relatively recent development...back when I was a freshman, the quad was still all open access. And then some girl got assaulted in her room by a non-student who managed to sneak past the security guard...so there was a pretty major (and literal!) lock-down after that. They've been talking about unlocking it though.</p>
<p>do all students get this key or is it one of those things that we have to "sign out"? I'd actually feel much safer if there were keys, especially if I had to use the bathroom in the middle of the night or something.</p>
<p>How hard would it be to get a single-room in Ware or Fisher?</p>
<p>fairly hard... frosh usually double or triple up</p>
<p>Holy crap... no single? What if you need private time?</p>
<p>ask your roommate to leave? live in a different house? go to some of the common rooms? go to a quiet library?</p>
<p>there are lounges... kids just sleep there sometimes... u can do that</p>
<p>a looooot of people have singles.</p>
<p>a lot of people have singles? I've never heard that before...care to elaborate?</p>
<p>right, but not in the quad* frosh generally have to double up</p>
<p>there are actually a decent amout of singles in the quad. if you really really really want to get a single, then apply to stouffer. 90% of the building is singles. plus its right next door to the quad. however, stouffer is really anti-social.</p>
<p>I want a social house with a single. If I have extenuating circumstances do you think I could get one?</p>