Single Dorms

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Chicago ✅
1

<p>I've heard a lot of interesting stories about the dorms (especially Snitchcock), but my main priority is the type of rooms each dorm has. Specifically, I really want to be in a single room; my rationale is that I've spent the past two summers in various programs with roommates and inevitably realized in a week that I seriously miss my privacy. </p>

<p>Also, it seems to me like the the distinctive "culture" of each dorm, e.g. Snitchcock and BJ are really nerdy, Max P and Pierce are really socialable, and that South Campus is basically neither because it's so darn new, are all really nebulous distinctions that have all been for a large part dismissed by the current first years I've asked anyway. To the extant that these dorms are really different, it seems to me that although there may be differing proportions of hard party attenders and consummate anti-socials, to name two extremes of the spectrum, there are really both types in every dorm. </p>

<p>Anyway, back to single dorms. I've done some research and found that BJ, Maclean, and Breckinridge are the three dorms where I'm basically guaranteed a single if I apply. BJ seems to be frequently grouped with Snitchcock as being weird, while Maclean and Breckinridge seem to be considered one of the "forlorn, small dorms" that no one ever talks about. What are these three dorms like? I'm pretty nerdy but I also like to indulge in the seven sins every now and then - will going to a frat party lead to me getting ostracized by my house in any of those three dorms? </p>

<p>Also, are there any other dorms that would offer a good chance of me getting a single? I know Snell is entirely single, but seeing as I haven't even submitted my housing app, I think that's not really a possibility. </p>

<p>Right now, I'm leaning only slightly towards BJ for the completely irrational reason that it sounds familiar and also because it's fairly big, with more people to interact with, and seems to have somewhat of a presence. However, in terms of location, Maclean seems to be the nicest, it's right next to the main quad. Can someone elucidate the differences between these three (BJ, Maclean, and Breckinridge), if there are any other single dorms to consider, and what relative chances I have of getting into each one?</p>

<p>One last question - is it true that BJ's tunnel to the law library will be opened? I'm hearing mixed stories about whether it will be or not.</p>

2

<p>Ah yes. Dorm threads.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Dorms with lots of singles are Snell-Hitchcock (Snell specifically), BJ, Maclean, Breckinridge, and South Campus. </p></li>
<li><p>BJ is closer to the quad than Maclean is, so don’t let that be your deciding factor. BJ is also closer to a dining hall, and there’s a major bus stop right outside the front door.</p></li>
<li><p>Maclean, whether this is true or not, has a reputation for being a bit detached. That doesn’t necessarily mean anti-social, but it’s not the best fit for someone who wants social interaction all the time. I haven’t been there, so I can’t says for sure. Take that with a grain of salt.</p></li>
<li><p>Yes, BJ may be big, but don’t expect a lot of social interaction. This isn’t so much that BJ people are anti-social, but the courtyard thing really keeps it divided. You physically cannot walk from one end of the building to the other without going outside into the courtyard (or sneaking through the basement), so the houses keep to themselves. So while it may have over 300 residents, it feels smaller because the houses are each around 50 people.</p></li>
<li><p>Breckinridge further away from the main quad, but it has amazing house spirit. I don’t really know much else without having seen it, so I won’t ruin it for you. I do believe that it has single-sex floors though, so keep that in mind.</p></li>
<li><p>South Campus. It’s half singles and half doubles, so there are something like 250-300 singles in it. They vary in size considerably, so it’s hard to say if you’ll get a room as big as the ones in BJ, Breckinridge, and Maclean.</p></li>
<li><p>I’m not exactly sure how difficult it’s going to be to get into different dorms this year. Last year, the school apparently changed the policy for Snell-Hitchcock to make it so that everyone who wants it has a chance, not just rich kids who get in EA and don’t have to wait for financial aid packages. There are people there who didn’t put it on their lists. BJ, Breckinridge, and Maclean are all fairly easy to get into as long as you don’t wait until June to submit. South Campus is big, so it should be easy to get into it in theory. However, it’s also heavenly, and I have a feeling that a lot of returning students are going to want to move there.</p></li>
<li><p>The tunnel will not be opened. Besides, you have to sign into the law library unless you’re a law school student, and you already have to walk outside to get to the part of the building where the tunnel is. Some university official was quoted in an autumn quarter Maroon article that security always trumps convenience. This was in response to how the convenience store attached to South Campus is not accessible from inside the dorm. If you come here, be prepared to walk outside, no matter the weather.</p></li>
</ol>

3

<p>So, you want a single, do you? They’re great, I attest. I wouldn’t enjoy college nearly as much if I had a roommate.</p>

<p>You’re quite likely to get a single in BJ, Snitchcock, Maclean, Broadview, and Breckenridge. I believe there are also many singles in South, but I’ve never confirmed this.</p>

<p>Snitchcock is known for being pure-blood Chicago; they say its full of ED admits, quirky nerds, etc. </p>

<p>I would call Maclean and Broadview the quiet, distant dorms. From what I’ve heard, people here generally keep to themselves.</p>

<p>Breckenridge has the most… colorful… people I’ve ever met. It may be more Snitchcock than Snitchcock.</p>

<p>I’m in Burton-Judson. People here seem social, but are very cloistered within their houses; few people are genuinely outgoing. </p>

<p>South… don’t ask about South. I don’t know.</p>

<p>The preceding was personal opinion. Merely my anecdotes, hardly a well-studied outline of information.</p>

4

<p>A fair portion of my dorm (BJ) goes to frat parties weekly (or twice-weekly); others drink within the dorm frequently, others occasionally. I don’t drink; I’m the minority.</p>

5

<p>BJ sounds like my top choice as of now…then possibly Maclean and South. Not sure if I should wait until I visit to decide. Can you indicate whether you want a single or double on your housing app? The only real doubt about South is that even if it’s half singles, that means I have a 50% of NOT getting a single - BJ & the other, smaller (more forlorn?) dorms seem to be guaranteed singles.</p>

6

<p>^^^^ it’s more than a 50% chance because there are two people for every double. So, more like a 66% chance.</p>

<p>There is a section where you indicate single or double and then you rank its importance among 8 other questions.</p>

<p>I’m conflicted between BJ and Breck. Breck sounds nice, but idk if I want that much social interaction all the time…</p>

7

<p>Sorry for invading your thread friedmanfreak, but I have some questions about the same dorms you mentioned. :stuck_out_tongue: Well, three of them anyway: BJ, Snell/Hitch, Breck. I would appreciate if anyone could answer the following about each of these three.</p>

<p>1) Carpeted or non-carpeted floors? (Speaking of which, can I adjust the temp of my own room or are they all controlled by one heating control?)
2) How is the sound-isolation? Are the walls paper thin?
3) Proximity to bus stop/Metra?
4) How much are people interested in Scav?
5) Biggest complaint people who live in them have?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

8

<p>^Those are some good questions. I’d like to know the answer for #2 and #5 for Max, South, and Pierce. Thanks guys!</p>

9

<p>Can anyone describe Broadview and South?</p>

10

<p>I’m in South. A lot of girls in my house got singles when they didn’t want them, while some boys got roommates when they would have preferred singles. I have no idea if this extends to other houses. </p>

<p>BJ/South–1-2 min walk to dining hall, 5-15 min walk to classes, 5 min walk to Harper library, 1-2 min walk to bus stop. You get to eat in South dining hall. South is (relatively) loud, BJ is (relatively) quiet. </p>

<p>Max–You get to eat in Bartlett. It’s pretty close to the Reg library, Bartlett, the main quads, and the gym. </p>

<p>Snitchcock–is in the middle of the quads, right next to everything. Extremely convenient. Eats in Bartlett. </p>

<p>Pierce–I’ve heard they have rats and tiny doubles. Pierce dining hall is inferior to the other two. It’s right next to the gym, though. </p>

<p>Broadview and Breck have to take buses to get to campus. They’re very far away.</p>

11

<p>In response to 134’s Question, Regarding Only BJ</p>

<p>1) Carpeted or non-carpeted floors? (Speaking of which, can I adjust the temp of my own room or are they all controlled by one heating control?)</p>

<p>The lounge is carpeted; everything else is laminate/vinyl.</p>

<p>2) How is the sound-isolation? Are the walls paper thin?</p>

<p>I live on the first floor, and all of the sound from the lounge (a few doors down) carries into my room. The walls are fine; I never hear my neighbors. The doors, however, are very useless. I recommend a fan for dead noise during sleep/study. </p>

<p>3) Proximity to bus stop/Metra?</p>

<p>I’ve never used the Metra (bad reputation). The 170, 171, 172 and 2. All stop right in front of the dorm. The 6 stops a few blocks east, and 55 a few blocks north. Very, very convenient, if you know how to use transportation. The walk across the Midway is NOT necessary if you plan your trips. </p>

<p>4) How much are people interested in Scav?</p>

<p>People in my house (Mathews) are interested, but a few of the other houses in BJ don’t participate at all. Snitchcock and Breck are more intense than we are. </p>

<p>5) Biggest complaint people who live in them have?</p>

<p>The bathrooms aren’t very clean. It’s an old building. Also, everyone whines because we have to walk around the building to reach a dining hall attached to our dorm, because they lock the inner doors.</p>

12

<p>I have never understood this: Why must we share rooms!!! It is an invasion of privacy. Social interaction is not likely to be improved with just that one extra person–what then are Common Rooms for? As for space, I would totally be okay with a closet for a dorm room if it at least meant the personal space that is a fundamental right of every human being. </p>

<p>Yes, I seriously would rather live in a closet (with just air and a window, of course)!</p>

13

<p>Those five questions for South (I’m a resident):</p>

<p>1) All the rooms are carpeted </p>

<p>2) Sound insulation is pretty good- you can hear loud music playing from people’s rooms (although not so much through shared walls) and people talking loudly in the hallway but it’s really minimal and not a big deal. I think most noise comes from the hallway and not from other people’s rooms. </p>

<p>3) South is pretty close to the bus/metra- the 59 bus which goes to the red line is right behind us (although it can get sketchy) and there’s the bus stop right in front of BJ that gets the 170, 171, and 172 (and also the 2- but service on this is limited to rush hour and kind of wierd). The 170, 171, and 172 will take you around Hyde Park or to other means of transportation like the Metra or 55 if you don’t want to walk. The Metra and 6 bus (which are probably some of the safest ways to get out of Hyde Park) which take you downtown are kind of far (like a 10-15 minute walk) and the 55 is all the way up on 55th (again maybe 10-15 minutes). So basically you can get around pretty easily but the better ways to get downtown are a bit of a walk. Also the evening South Route goes in front of BJ and behind SCRH.</p>

<p>4) I’m not really sure about Scav, but I get the impression that if you want to be enthused about it you can be, but if not nobody will care. And likewise I’d say that it isn’t what people look forward to all year or are obsessed with it, but people have fun participating.</p>

<p>5) Biggest complaints- I personally hate walking the Midway (others love it though). Also just because it is so new there isn’t so much dorm-like charm like I’ve seen in BJ or Snitchcock for example. Also it can get kind of quiet just because the houses are spread out over 4 floors, and the doors don’t stay open on their own but rather automatically shut, so it’s harder to just walk in and talk to people. The bathrooms all have hand-dryers rather than paper towels (maybe this is my own pet peeve). Probably my biggest compaint though- it gets very cold in the public spaces in the winter (like common rooms, the study lounge, and the east/west lounges) because of all the windows and the fact that they’re all two-stories. Individual rooms are fine though- each has their own heat control. </p>

<p>But really these are my biggest complaints- and all aren’t that big of a deal (like you learn to bring a blanket with you when you study in the lounges or go to the libraries, or the fact that it isn’t old or charming is awesome when you have new amenities and everything is really clean/no infestation problems, or how to prop the door open)</p>

14

<p>Cost-wise, how much more for single room compare to double?</p>

15

<p>For first-years, you pay a flat rate no matter where you live.</p>

16

<p>is it true there are rats/insects in some of the dorms?</p>

17

<p>bump bump</p>

<p>any comments on blackstone?? It’s my first choice as of now, because it has shared singles with private bath</p>

18

<p>Private path, say you? That’s pretty bloody good. Certainly don’t get that at Oxford.</p>