<p>Hey i got my Residence Hall and Dining Preference Form and would like some help on how to rank the dorms.
From your experience which dorms do you feel are the best? Should I sign up for a 3 person room, are the rooms bigger and is it worth it? What type of bathrooms are the best, floor, suite, and shared?
Also i will be a Computer Science/Computer Engineering major so are any of these dorms closer to where the classes will be?
Any Advice will help Thanks
If you want the dorms here they are
Barton, Bray, Cary, Burdett, Crockett, Quadrangle, Nason, Hall
Thanks</p>
<p>Hall Hall is the closest to classes and generally has the craziest 3rd floor :P</p>
<p>Barton has the reputation of being “best” but others counter act it by saying it can be less social. Most say it is plenty social. It is newest. I like the fact it has study rooms that make it easy to stay in the building yet get some quiet or work with a team. My son absolutely loved Barton, sharing a triple was fine and he’s still rooming with the same five suite mates two years later. I was impressed that a vacuum was running next door and we couldn’t hear it. The Quad is mixed years, so doesn’t have the freshman bonding experience as much, though is a very convenient location. BARH is much less convenient. My daughter chose Barton for next year, then went geographically Hall, etc based on distance though most are on freshman hill and there’s no significant difference on distance. The bridge over 15th Ave by the union is the gateway to classes, so measure distance from there.</p>
<p>As usual, I agree with Sandpit.</p>
<p>Barton may already be full, due to the EDs getting their deposits in early. A large factor in where you want to rank Barton is how you feel about triples.</p>
<p>Ranking the “Freshman 5” by how close they are to the academic side of campus makes sense. They are all very similar and very close to each other, anyway.</p>
<p>Agree with Sandpit on BARH and the Quad.</p>
<p>My S is in Cary and loves it.</p>
<p>One amendment about BARH. If you are on a sports team, the athletic fields are all up there and it may be the most convenient. I would expect the coaches would let the athletes know about this, though.</p>
<p>thanks for the input, i was accepted ED and payed my deposit after getting accepted, so if i rank Barton first is there a chance i could get in? Is it based on who payed the deposit first or who sent in their residence hall forms the earliest? Thanks and will look at a Campus map and make some decisions</p>
<p>Can you please elaborate on what it is that your S likes so much about Cary? Is there really any difference in the residence halls (Bray, Hall, Crocket, Nason and Cary), with the exception of Barton? And, priority for selection is based on when the deposit was paid, not on when the application is submitted. Thanks for sharing your info. Any other advice for us novice parents with students going this fall?</p>
<p>Prpatel05 - yes, my understanding is that you would have good shot at Barton since you are ED and sent your deposit in then (and, yes, my understanding is that the housing assignments are based on when they get your deposit).</p>
<p>Worriedmom 13 - I don’t think there is much of a difference in any of the Freshman 5, besides how close they are to the dining hall and to the academic side of the campus. I think that you can rank the Freshman 5 in whichever order you desire (such as how close to the academic side of campus), then the Quad and BARH (unless you are an athlete, in which case you might want to put BARH higher on your list).</p>
<p>Then, you just have to decide about Barton - depending on how you feel about a triple (with a much better chance of getting in if you are ED).</p>
<p>My thoughts at this point in time are try and put in early for the two-day summer orientation programs that they hold in July, so you get the dates you want.</p>
<p>Also, if you are interested in one of those optional 2-day field trips in late August before the regular orientation begins, put in early, as they were filling up last year. One of the advantages of these programs is that you get to move in before everyone else - it was very uncrowded then and move-in was a breeze.</p>
<p>In addition, there are some one-day programs as part of the late August orientation. Get your form for those in early, as some (like paintball) are very popular and fill up right away.</p>
<p>Maybe one of the current students is on line - they can probably be a lot more helpful than I can.</p>
<p>thanks for the reply
Are the rooms bigger in Barton due to the 3 people? If so how much bigger than the regular dorms which is what I saw?
The three people might be a problem if the rooms are small (Are there any pictures of the dorms, I cant seem to find them)
also are the suite bathrooms good?</p>
<p>also im going to the accepted student celebration in april, should i just wait till i go and then submit the forms are there any advantages to submitting them early? Thanks</p>
<p>Most of the Barton rooms are 220 -230 square feet, while the Freshman 5 are 188:</p>
<p>[Barton</a> Hall, Residence Life, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute](<a href=“Student Living and Learning | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute”>Student Living and Learning | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute)</p>
<p>If I remember correctly, there is no advantage to getting the housing form in early - it is your acceptance deposit that controls the room selection process.</p>
<p>When my oldest looked at RPI Barton had some doubles, and the rooms were huge for that. Now it is triples only. With triples, it all fits fine. Usually the beds are adjusted the high side and a dresser fits underneath. Some loft the bed and put a desk underneath. There’s wardrobes instead of closets. Students often had small futon couches and other chairs in there as well so it was not as cramped as you might think. (I’m talking about the suite rooms that share a bathroom among six).</p>
<p>I live in a freshman 5 dorm and one thing that I like (besides only having one roommate) is the HUGE closets we have. Plus, we have a kitchen. (Barton does not). Also, My room has a lot of natural light from a wall length window, whereas Barton has 2 small windows in the corner. I have never needed to wait to take a shower and rooms are never very far from the bathroom.
Overall, I would have hated to live in a triple because people don’t function well in groups of three, and you don’t get much extra space for that 3rd person.</p>
<p>Essie was so jealous of Barton so she decided to kick my window out, so I wouldn’t let her in any of your rooms next year.</p>
<p>Barton is my favorite dorm because the rooms are large. Even though you’re in a triple, it is highly unlikely that both of your roommates will be in the room with you at once, and even more unlikely that one or both will utilize the central space of the room (ie- anywhere but their beds). There is a lot more room to move around in and you can even comfortably fit a couch (that may or may not be originally from a study room…). The most attractive part of Barton are the study rooms… I love them. If your roommates are being loud and you don’t feel like starting a fight you can just walk over to a study room and do work… they’re much nicer than in any of the other freshmen dorms.</p>
<p>Go close to campus - but NOT a triple - if you can help it. We have that this year and it’s nightmare</p>
<p>Hey thanks, ok so i decided to chose a 2 person dorm. Has any of the Hall dorms been recently renovated or improved? Im thinking to choose between Cary or crockett unless someone can tell be one that is better. Out of these two are there any big difference besides distance, like cleanliness and stuff like that. thanks</p>
<p>which dorm is closest to the dining hall
i plan to get fat in college</p>
<p>All the dorms are relatively close to a dining hall.</p>
<p>if you are talking about the Freshman Five - then, I guess Hall and Cary would be very close.</p>
<p>But, like I said, they’re all close.</p>
<p>So is it worth the extra money to go with a two person as opposed to a three person room? Also, is The Quad obscenely cramped or is it still livable? I am going to be low on housing priority because I just submitted my deposit.</p>
<p>The main thing against the Quad is that it is mixed years, not freshman only, and less social since upperclass students have a more pre-defined social life. BARH is just far away, the rest are really pretty equivalent except Barton, which while triples, is newest and well regarded.</p>
<p>My DD had a double room in Quad her 1st year. It is def. livable and there are some big pluses 
</p>
<ol>
<li><p>It’s at the center of the academic buildings - She misses that now in the middle of of winter. It’s also directly across the street from the union and the bookstore (you never know ).</p></li>
<li><p>Yes- It’s mixed years as far as students go but if they can they will put students from the same year on the same floor, in the same stack. So she was in White III on the 2nd floor- there were 8 girls and they were all freshman. That helps at least a little. There were a lot more freshman in Quad than she originally thought there would be. </p></li>
<li><p>And another biggie- no hallway bathroom. You share with one other room and the bathroom is between you. I know Barton has this feature but not everyone can get in Barton. Quad is also Air Conditioned whereas, again other than Barton, the others are not.</p></li>
<li><p>Sage Dining Hall is right out the door which is kinda nice with the exception that it’s not open on the weekends. But- during the week it makes it easy.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>So- do not fret if you end up with Quad. :)</p>