<p>Neo - I lived in Gregory my freshman year (but in MLP) and I liked it a lot, but then I guess i fit the Gregory stereotype :). The rooms aren't really that different in quality from the high rises, and you're guaranteed your own room (as part of a suite) which was a big plus for me. Also, since there are a lot of freshmen, you tend to have a fairly closeknit community. And you are closer to parties and stuff - this is good if you're going to them, not so good if you're trying to write a paper and have people screaming outside your window until 3am.
The film program seems pretty cool - the film lounge is AWESOME. It also used to have the coolest GA ever (he was my academic advisor, and basically saved my ass in terms of financial aid) but sadly he left this year. I'm sure the new GA is equally awesome though...</p>
<p>And just as a general aside to everyone - if you are really interested in doing a particular residential program, or if somewhere just feels right for you - go ahead and apply for it! A lot of people will live in the quad and love it but
1. It's not the be all and end all of the "typical" Penn freshman experience.
2. Not everyone wants to have a "typical" freshman experience. If you just don't think that the quad sounds like the place for you, it doesn't have to be. Choosing to live somewhere else doesn't mean you'll end up being a social leper (unless you really want to be, of course).
3. If you don't live in the quad then you won't need to use a key to get into the bathroom, or have to unlock the door for your friends coming to visit.</p>