<p>Over the weekend, we toured Barton and the freshman dorms, but not Burdett and the Quad dorms. Can any of the current students talk about those dorms and how they compare to Barton and the "Freshman Hill" dorms? Also, how do you feel about the additional distance from the classroom buildings? Are Burdett and the Quad dorms so much nicer than the Freshman Hill dorms that it's worth the extra walk? Is the walk pretty safe in the daytime? Or do you have to take a bus shuttle every time? Thanks!</p>
<p>I'm just another mom. But, I can tell you that on our visit in November, we visited a family friend (a girl) who lives in the Quad. She is a frosh and loves it there. She likes the atmosphere. They are older dorms, not designed at all like Freshman Hill. Its just a walk across the bridge and down the way. Her mom is a friend of mine, and is really concerned about her daughter. She has never expressed any safety concerns. As on any campus, walking in pairs or more at night is always the safe thing to do.</p>
<p>Quad is actually closer to classes than any other underclass dorm building. I literally can wake up 5 minutes before class and still be able to show up early. Also, Quad is constructed well, as in the walls aren't paper thin like Barton. Although Barton is a nice dorm building... </p>
<p>The only problem I have with Quad is that to do laundry, you have to walk outside to a separate building, making laundry entertaining to do during poor weather.</p>
<p>As for Burdett... I've never liked it.. way too far in my opinion. Better hire a Sherpa to help your kid get to class if they wind up there.</p>
<p>Another parent. My daughter is currently a freshman and is in a triple in Barton. Barton is very nice - almost like a hotel. The building is very clean and new. I think most of the rooms are triples this year. The rooms are big enough that they each have their own little space and each student has a bed, dresser, wardrobe and desk. She is in one of the rooms that shares a bathroom with another room, so that is very nice. The dorm is air conditioned which is nice in August/September when it can still be pretty warm and humid. The walk to classes is not that bad - she never takes the shuttle bus. Barton does have a reputation of being a bit anti-social, but it seems most of the kids in her wing keep their doors open so she has not found that to be a problem. Overall the dorm is quiet. One advantage of being on Freshman Hill is that there are a lot of freshman, so it makes it easier to meet people early on. The Quad is a beautiful, old building, but it could make it harder to meet people during orientation when only freshman will be on campus. Is Burdett the same as BARH? If so, that is probably an additional 5 minute walk past Freshman Hill, but still not too bad. The campus really isn't that big. As far as safety, my daughter has had some evening classes and has not felt unsafe walking around campus even after those. She is usually able to find someone to walk back with. Good luck to your child. My daughter is very happy there.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies! Is Freshman Hill all party party party? Would Quad be much quieter? Does anyone know where the special-interest housing will be?</p>
<p>A quick reply about the Quad: </p>
<p>I lived in the Quad my freshman year and I am living there again now, and it is considerably quieter then some freshman dorms, just because there are not as many people around, in the hall, etc. On the other hand, the walls seem quite thin. I really don't know for sure. </p>
<p>Another thing is you may not be able to socialize as easily because the majority of freshman (probably %80-90) live on freshman hill. I made a few friends in the quad but its a totally different experience in the big dorms. </p>
<p>Pros: Extremely close to campus, AC, shared bath. Will be right next to newly expanded Russel Sage Dining hall.
Cons: very old, run down, may be a little ways away from friends on freshman hill. </p>
<p>Besides Barton, all the freshman dorms are pretty similar. The other option is Bar-H. I don't know much about it, but I've been there once or twice and it seems very nice. They have there own dinning hall right in the dorm, seems to have good food and is open late. It is a probably an extra 5 minute walk to campus though, but it is right next to all the athletic facilities.</p>
<p>My son lives in Bray which is one of the freshman dorms I think. I get the impression from him that RPI is not a big party place at all. My wife was visiting him last Friday and he told her that he has only seen 1 drunk person in his dorm, and that was early on in the year. The kids get in big trouble apparently if they get caught drinking/drunk. My wife pointed out to my son last Friday at the Relay for Life that she attended, that she was in the presence of thousands of students from RPI on a Friday night (granted it was a cancer relay for life fundraiser), but she did not see even 1 beer can or any students who were drinking/partying, etc. My son's reply was, "Mom, this is RPI, there's no partying going on here". I'm sure that that is not the case, but compared with one of our friend's kids who went to orientation at Vanderbilt, and there were kids by the dozens vomiting from drinking too much (at orientation mind you, with their parents nearby), I'd say that RPI is pretty "dry" compared with other schools. The other thing is that it is very rigorous academically, which cuts into the partying time I'd suspect.</p>
<p>I lived in Hall Hall last semester, and I'm moving to an upper classmen dorm next year.
Hall, Bray, Nason, Crockett, and Cary are all pretty much the same. Your standard college dorm with a floor bath. Nothing special, but nothing bad.</p>
<p>BARH is bigger but farther away. It has its own dining hall that is supposedly better. I've never eaten there. Its not that far, only 5 extra, the people who live there like it.</p>
<p>Quad is a tad small, but really close to campus. People say its run down, but the interior was just as well upkept as my dorm. </p>
<p>Barton is the newest dorm. Those kids stay in their rooms all the time because they are nice and have A/C. If you want your kid to meet people from all around, don't tell them to live in Barton. I know 2 kids from there, and they both hang out elsewhere. They say everyone has their door shut there, in my hall 95% of the doors were open most of the time. Plus there are triples there so I don't know if you'd want that.</p>