<p>I’m going to be attending the University of Alabama and I’m trying to pick which dorm to live in…Ridgecrest or Riverside? Which dorm is better? What buildings are they close to?</p>
<p>Ridgecrest is newer and has slight better amenities, I believe (other, please correct me if I’m wrong). But Riverside has a pool and closer the new mini-rec center being built beside Rose Towers. Both are close to Lakeside Dining Hall. Both are in the north side of campus, and not very convenient to much of campus except for the engineering buildings and the SEC complex.</p>
<p>A pool, really? How about Ridgecrest South, I think that is the newer one we saw when we toured. It had an underground garage (not that S will be bringing a car). Is that in the same location? What is near Arts & Sciences buildings?</p>
<p>Ridgecrest is newer and has covered parking. Riverside rooms are alittle bigger and closer to engineering buildings.
Ridgecrest 2 rooms are seperated by livingroom, when daughter was there she was next to bathroom and could hear plumming in the walls. Riverside the rooms are down a hall, bathrooms on opposite side. My DD loves Riverside, but covered parking is a plus.</p>
<p>An old classmate who lives in Riverside told me no one uses the pool after a short while because it’s just kind of gross after the first weeks of school. But the common area for the Riverside buildings is apparently a great place to meet people.
A friend who lived in Ridgecrest South had some issues with kids pulling fire alarms and nothing being done about it last year.
A friend in Ridgecrest West had no complaints.
And that’s all I know.</p>
<p>Question: What’s the laundry situation in Riverside vs Ridgecrest? I thought Ridgecrest had rooms on every floor (the site doesn’t say), but I’m not sure, and I couldn’t really tell when I was in Riverside North the other day.</p>
<p>Laundry rooms are generally on every other floor in the super suite residence halls.</p>
<p>Ridgecrest East/West, Lakeside, and Riverside buildings all have the same layout. The easiest way to tell which building you’re in is to look at the living room furniture. The color of upholstery used is specific to each building (some buildings also have a different type of couch). Ridgecrest South is the only super suite residence hall with a different suite layout.</p>
<p>Ridgecrest is relatively close to the business school and the history/political science departments. I live in Ridgecrest West, so I am partial to that building. Either way, you can’t go wrong with either dorm, especially when compared to the options at many other schools.</p>
<p>All honors housing is on the northside of campus within easy walking distance of each other. </p>
<p>[The</a> University of Alabama - Videos, Photos, and Visit Reports](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/vibe/the-university-of-alabama/?entry=image_1_7wx6wptx]The”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/vibe/the-university-of-alabama/?entry=image_1_7wx6wptx)</p>
<p>Pool area that is in the inside area of Riverside Residence Halls</p>
<p>[The</a> University of Alabama - Videos, Photos, and Visit Reports](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/vibe/the-university-of-alabama/?entry=image_1_qhyd877h]The”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/vibe/the-university-of-alabama/?entry=image_1_qhyd877h)</p>
<p>Floor plan of a Riverside and Lakeside Super Suite
[The</a> University of Alabama - Videos, Photos, and Visit Reports](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/vibe/the-university-of-alabama/?entry=image_1_dn5qsj5w]The”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/vibe/the-university-of-alabama/?entry=image_1_dn5qsj5w)</p>
<p>*An old classmate who lives in Riverside told me no one uses the pool after a short while because it’s just kind of gross after the first weeks of school. *</p>
<p>That is so not true. The pool is properly maintained.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Unlike the other colleges, whose facilities are generally localized to one part of campus, Arts and Science buildings can be all over campus, from Shelby in the north to ten Hoor in the west to Tutwiler in the south and to Gordon Palmer to the east.</p>
<p>*Arts and Science buildings can be all over campus, from Shelby in the north to ten Hoor in the west to Tutwiler in the south and to Gordon Palmer to the east. *</p>
<p>That’s because the College of Arts and Sciences include “Arts” and “Sciences” (both hard sciences and social sciences)…a very big college.</p>
<p>However, if you’re a “hard science” or math major, your buildings will be more on the east side. If your more of the “arts” or “social sciences,” then your buildings will be more on the west side. Music is on the southeast side.</p>
<p>@m2ck,
That’s just what I was told when I was there on Monday by a guy I know who lives in Riverside North.</p>
<p>Also, I spent about five hours walking around campus Monday and location really isn’t much of an issue at all. We hit pretty much every single area of campus and none of it really takes that long. And of course all the honors residence halls are very close. So unless you really mind walking (or biking) a fair bit, I doubt that’s a problem.</p>
<p>i think the furniture is kind of ick in ridgecrest south. it is a modular sectional thing with 5 sections. one “arm” piece and one corner piece. i think it would be better with a normal couch and two chairs. if four people actually wanted to sit on the furniture provided, it would be kind of cozy.</p>
<p>so, imo the living area furniture is probably better in the other dorms.</p>
<p>the table in ridgecrest south is bar height with only two chairs.</p>
<p>the beds in ridgecrest south loft up pretty high, so that can be a plus if you want that.</p>
<p>the closets in ridgecrest south have doors instead of sliders.</p>
<p>the kitchen in ridgecrest south is just an extension of the living room, not an actual semi-separate room. not sure if there is more storage in the other kitchens, but i didnt think there was very much storage in ridgecrest south. i think the other type of kitchen might be better.</p>
<p>i think the other dorms have a storage closet assigned … but ridgecrest south doesn’t.</p>
<p>the covered parking is nice, though, and i like the location, but i am not a student so i am not all that familiar with how it relates to where classes are.</p>
<p>i think the furniture is kind of ick in ridgecrest south. it is a modular sectional thing with 5 sections. one “arm” piece and one corner piece. i think it would be better with a normal couch and two chairs. if four people actually wanted to sit on the furniture provided, it would be kind of cozy.</p>
<p>LOL…when I first read your post and saw the word, “ick,” I thought you meant “gross”…but you mean that you don’t like the arrangement…LOL.</p>
<p>But since the furniture is modular, you don’t have to keep the pieces together, you can put 3 pieces together to form a “couch” and keep two pieces individually as separate chairs…or push 2 together to form a “love seat.”</p>
<p>Here’s a pic to show how one piece is set aside as a chair, and certainly 2 could be done so as well.</p>
<p>[The</a> University of Alabama - Videos, Photos, and Visit Reports](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/vibe/the-university-of-alabama/?entry=image_1_rd6nizkr]The”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/vibe/the-university-of-alabama/?entry=image_1_rd6nizkr)</p>
<p>To compare the different kitchenettes…I think the Lakeside/Riverside kitchenette has a bit more cabinet space than Ridgecrest South because of the panty, but overall, it may be close.</p>
<p>Ridgecrest South’s kitchenette</p>
<p>[The</a> University of Alabama - Videos, Photos, and Visit Reports](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/vibe/the-university-of-alabama/?entry=image_1_tijp5ads]The”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/vibe/the-university-of-alabama/?entry=image_1_tijp5ads)</p>
<p>Lakeside/Riverside kitchenette</p>
<p>[The</a> University of Alabama - Videos, Photos, and Visit Reports](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/vibe/the-university-of-alabama/?entry=image_1_8p3m1rw4]The”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/vibe/the-university-of-alabama/?entry=image_1_8p3m1rw4)</p>
<p>no it is not ick, as in gross. it is just ick, as in not very comfortable or easy to arrange very well. :)</p>
<p>and it doesn’t seem like the kind of couch that would be very easy to sleep on if one had the need for that. (it is not very deep).</p>
<p>i haven’t been in dorms other than ridgecrest south, so i am not sure how the layouts campare. i was just telling what i know about ridgecrest south.</p>
<p>as it is, my DD’s room doesn’t have a tv in the living area, so it goes virtually unused. :(</p>
<p>can’t have much of a movie night with friends with a 12inch tv! (drug in from one of the bedrooms)</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>Totally understand. We ended up running to Sams Club and buying a flat screen for the living room. Found a reasonably-priced one with a built-in DVD player for a decent price.</p>
<p>i have a line on a tv for them! but the thing is i will have to get it there!!</p>
<p>my sister in law had a tv that broke after 13 months. i am fairly handy and said i would take it and fix it if i could. well, it turned out that it was the screen that needed to be replaced and to replace it would cost 2200 bucks (on a 700 dollar tv)!!! well in my poking around i found something about your CC possibly doubling the warranty on things like that. so … i had my SIL check on that. so, since the CC didnt want to pay 2200 to fix the old one, we can get a new one instead. so … now i just need to find the best 700 dollar tv i can find! and i dont want it to be HUGE, but it seems that it will have to be about 40 inches.</p>
<p>what size did you get? when did you get it? i wouldn’t mind finding one with a dvd already in it!</p>
<p>I will suggest S pick out a dorm or two this weekend that he would prefer.</p>
<p>*what size did you get? when did you get it? i wouldn’t mind finding one with a dvd already in it! *</p>
<p>I think the one we got him is 32 inches, got it at Sams Club in T-Town. About $380…not bad…includes a DVD player.</p>
<p>aw man, bummer!</p>
<p>i’ve got 700 to spend!!</p>
<p>: ( or it that : )</p>