My son just registered at SUNY New Paltz. He will be a freshman for the Fall 2015 semester. He is pretty quiet and shy.He is not really into the party scene. He will be an Electrical Engineering major. What would be the best dorm? What are the pros and cons of the dorms? Anyone do the FYI program? Thoughts? Any advice is appreciated.
Congratulations on your son’s decision to attend SUNY NP. It appears I’ve become a bit of a booster for the school since my daughter attends as an engineering major and loves it. A year ago I would have said the same thing about my D being quiet and shy, now…not so much, but that’s because she found her people right away and I think your son will as well. She’s not at all into the party scene either but she does have a live and let live attitude so it’s all good. Anyway, that’s irrelevant to you, sorry, I just can’t resist an opportunity to talk about my child 
. She is in the FYI program and lives in Esopus. Esopus is fairly new and has air conditioning, it’s quiet(er) and is mostly freshman and a few upperclasspersons who want a slightly more peaceful environment. It is far from the dining hall, though I think the new dorm building opening in fall 2015 has a dining hall so people that live on that end of campus won’t have to trek so far for a meal. It’s right across from Lenape, the more “luxurious” and hence more expensive dorm. I believe they both have a similar kind of vibe but there may be a little more rowdiness and shenanigans in Lenape as I’ve heard DnD (Dungeons and Dragons, and I’ve probably just “outed” myself on this board) games can get pretty loud in both, but it seems to be tolerated a little more in Lenape. The FYI program sounded like a good idea at the time, but I’m not sure if, given the opportunity, she would do it again, it was great for the first month or two, but once you find your feet it’s a little bit restrictive. Another dorm that seems to be on the quieter and less partyish side is Bouton, which is older without air conditioning, but is closer to everything. Sorry, I don’t know much about the others. I think the FYI program is a good idea, but the execution is meh. If your son thinks he might like the little social push it gives you (it’s not heavy handed, just encouraging) then it might be worth it. Hope this helps.
My brother is a freshman at NP and seems similar to your son- very quiet, shy, not into parties at all. He live in Esopus and loves it. He’s also part of the FYI program and seems to like it. Agreed with morkatmom that it isn’t the end all be all of anyone’s social life- I was in the scholars program at Binghamton, which was the same in that it sounded great but the execution was just okay- but it’s a nice thing for the right kid. He also says that there are always people hanging out in the lounge at Esopus doing homework or watching tv, which is perfect for him. Good luck!
We went to the open house last weekend. It seems that everyone loves the dorm they are in. He’s going to the orientation and they said the kids choose their dorm the last day. It’s funny that the ones that dorm in the center of campus say they would not want to live in Lenape or Esopus because they are far away from the academic buildings. The kids that live in those two love it and didn’t think the walk was bad. The kids seemed really friendly. I’m sure he is going to love it.
I’m actually an upperclassmen at SUNY New Paltz, so I can give you some more insight. I lived in Esopus Hall for freshmen and sophomore years. I did not participate in the FYI Program. I know people who did the program, and most tolerated it, and said they enjoyed the social interaction they had from the program. As a freshman, the building was mainly freshmen with some upperclassmen. As a sophomore, the building was more split; half freshmen, half sophomore/upperclassmen. The building is definitely quieter than other buildings on campus; however, there are times that it can still get a little noisier, but that’s to be expected of college dorms. One thing I did not like about Esopus was how thin the walls are, which is ironic of a newer dorm; even if people were not talking loud, you could sometimes still hear them, or even if they coughed. Again, you get used to that, but the older dorms on campus tend to have thicker walls, so if you’re more sensitive to noise, keep that in mind. As someone who has never been into parties though, Esopus is a good place to live for a generally quieter environment. The walk to classes gets brutal in the winter with the cold, but it’s manageable. The warmer weather definitely makes up for the enjoyable walk. Also, you usually only have air conditioning for the first month of the year. They usually did not turn the air conditioner on in the spring because they don’t believe it gets that hot. If you have a fan though, it’s definitely manageable though. Good luck!
Thanks for the info!