<p>I anticipate there's probably going to be a lot of questions about this since the housing application went live today - so being someone who's relatively undecided about this, can someone please help explain the benefits of either one?</p>
<p>I understand some of the stereotypes about halls and colleges and even particular ones at Northwestern, but I want to know what social life is like depending on which you pick. </p>
<p>Some of the questions floating around in my head:
Are residential colleges necessarily more close-knit?
Do you close yourself off to other people (not in yours) if you're in one?
Why do some people pick a residential college while some pick a residential hall?
Are you more isolated in a residential hall?
Is the difference between them really just overexaggerated and does it not matter much either way?</p>
<p>I have lived in a residential college, and currently live in a residential hall on campus, so I hope I’ll give you my impressions from both. I would say that generally (not always, as some of the residential colleges like Willard have over 300 students living in them) RC’s are a little bit more close-knit. Typically, they will organize dorm-wide events/trips/whatever that usually reflect the “theme” of the college and usually a good fraction of people will go. I definitely felt living in a RC people were more willing to interact with others, while in a RH, people mostly stick to the few friends they know on their hall, especially once you are past freshman year.</p>
<p>I’m not sure there is necessarily one singular reason why people pick a RC over a RH. I know some people who just got placed into them. But if you can find someone who did pick an RC outright, its most likely because they either were interested in what the dorm does, or the dorm was newer than anything else (like Slivka).</p>
<p>Past those few details, I would say that living in a RC versus an RH is rather similar. Just remember that most RC are on the southern side of campus, so if you are an engineering, that makes for a heck of a walk up north in the winter. I should also say, that if you are interested in a more “college”-like atmosphere, north campus is definitely better. The dorms are a lot closer together, they are all within the campus (as opposed to being more separate, and integrated into the city as they are down south) and they are also interspersed with the frats, which always makes for a good time. Meanwhile, if you prefer to be close to Evanston, you’re planning on being a liberal arts major, and you like the more “artsy” scene, south campus is definitely for you.</p>
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<p>For what it’s worth, our D chose NU in large part because she wanted a classic “college-like” experience, and she couldn’t be happier than she is on SOUTH campus. She is a Theatre major, and isn’t particularly interested in sports, but she is in a sorority and is very much involved in campus life. She travels into Chicago fairly often, plus enjoys the proximity to Evanston as she’s frequently involved in late-night activities (rehearsals, performances, etc.).</p>
<p>She was placed in a RC, and while it was low on her original list she’s made lots of great friends and has enjoyed living there.</p>
<p>I lived in a res hall last year and it was fine. It was a fairly large one, so it definitely was not isolating or anything because there were always people around. I was not originally happy about living there, but I ended up liking it a lot because of the friends I made there, who were wonderful.</p>
<p>We had weekly munchies in my dorm and occasional social events/intramural sports teams/etc, so there was definitely a sense of community.</p>
<p>I know there are people who swear by the RC system, but I know plenty of people who’ve only lived in res halls and who have made amazing groups of friends there.</p>