<p>I would go with Palevsky if you're between the two.</p>
<p>uhh... what exactly is a co-ed community bathroom? and which dorms have them?</p>
<p>Pierce and BJ are the only co-ed shared bathroom dorm. BJ bathrooms are pretty quiet (8 people on a floor or so, two toilets, two showers, and a urinal) and I don't know the Pierce bathroom situation. Whatever it is, though, it's not a big deal. The weirdest thing that happens in BJ is that you walk in on somebody using the the urinal (particularly if you're a female), but it happens infrequently and is not a big deal anyways.</p>
<p>daenaerys:</p>
<p>Sending in your deposit will have no effect on a possible merit scholarship. That's my experience anyway.</p>
<p>i feel like coed showers would be really weird</p>
<p>rainmanoutofsnow -- We're sorry to hear that. You can always try for a single-sex floor.</p>
<p>Yeah, I think I will go with Max P. Thanks!</p>
<p>Same.. Max P. is sounding good right now.</p>
<p>one more question: which dorms have community kitchens one can use? thanks!</p>
<p>ughhh how do i edit a post? anyhoo... i meant which dorms have community kitchens?... does Max P?</p>
<p>My closest Chicago friend is a freshman in Blackstone (you may actually know her, unalove; I'm almost positive you have several mutual friends), and when I visited U-C I hung out with her for a Sunday and then spent the night with a friend at Shoreland. I liked Shoreland a lot, but...hm. Breck sounds pretty fun, though!! Hrm..</p>
<p>How far is the journey from the Shoreland to the main quad? It sounds like a great dorm, but I'm a pretty lazy kid.</p>
<p>so i have a few questions about the rooming situation.</p>
<p>I heard Shoreland is being sold by the university after this year? Does that mean that it's the last year for students to room in it?</p>
<p>(maybe this one is stupid) Do you live in the same dorm for all four years? </p>
<p>Also I've been told that you can submit the housing form and be refunded the deposit if you choose not to attend. Is this true? I think i really love chicago but I want to visit before making a decision and also I need to look at my aid package (if any).</p>
<p>Thanks for the help!</p>
<p>I also have some questions... </p>
<p>I am trying to decide between Shoreland and Max P. I think I would rather be in Shoreland, but the only thing that bugs me about it is its location. Do residents still feel a part of the campus? Or are the Shorelanders outcasts compared to the rest of the university? Also, is the distance annoying?</p>
<p>I have also heard that Shoreland is more of a party dorm. I wouldn't really mind living in a party dorm, but is it constantly a study dorm? ie, Would I want to study but can't b/c of the pa?rty next door so I have to go to the library... which means a "commute"?</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I believe that community kitchenness is available to all dorms at this time with the exception of BJ. We're working on getting kitchens in this summer, so that should not be an issue for you guys, but just in case things get delayed, as of right now BJ does not have its own kitchens.</p></li>
<li><p>There's a bus that goes from campus to the Shoreland every 10-15 minutes during the day and shuttles at night. You learn to schedule you life around that bus if you're in Shoreland. The walk is doable, but probably not something you want to have to do all the time. Most just take a bus, some bike.</p></li>
<li><p>Those in Shoreland now will have a space in the new dorm that is being, ahem, erected (it doesn't look as phallic now as it used to) behind BJ should they want it. The new dorm will have a little bit of everything-- singles, doubles, apartments, suites.</p></li>
<li><p>You can live in the same dorm all four years, unless you choose to move. Nobody is going to tell you to get out.</p></li>
<li><p>I would double-check about deposits. I don't know the answer and I wouldn't want to make it up.</p></li>
<li><p>I think Shorelanders love their building enough, even with the distance. There are a lot of kids there, and it's very social. It feels less like a dorm and more like a luxury hotel with a major student infestation. If you think that distance might be annoying (I can't tell you that waiting for the 171 bus is a joy in the winter, or that going back to your place to nap between classes is harder when it takes you 15 minutes per way), Max P might be a better choice.</p></li>
<li><p>I don't know how my Shoreland friends do it... I think they divide up space a little bit differently. When I've been there, I tend to see kids studying together in the lounge (in BJ, with singles, the lounge is strictly for TV and procrastination), and the bedrooms as more social. My friend's roommate was able to finish up a paper while a bunch of people and I crashed his room. Shoreland probably has some designated quiet study spaces-- I just don't know about them because I haven't seen them.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>One of my kids lives in the Shoreland, the other has an apartment near it. Neither takes the bus other than late at night or in horrible weather. It's really only a little more than a mile from there to the main library: a 20-minute brisk walk. Both of them like (a) the walk, which is pretty pleasant, (b) the exercise, and (c) a little sense of separation between "work" and "home". </p>
<p>Not everyone would feel the same way, but lots of people do. It's one of those different-strokes-for-different-folks things.</p>
<p>Other good things about the Shoreland: It looks great from the outside. It's very convenient to the nice bus that goes up to the Loop. In a few years, people are going to be paying millions of dollars to get the views that some of the rooms -- and all of the lounges -- have. It's across the street from Something-or-other Point, which has to be one of the prettiest places in all of Chicago (unbelieveable view north across a bay to the Loop). It's clearly fun. Of my older child's friends who stayed on campus after their first year, only one who didn't already live in the Shoreland failed to move there.</p>
<p>The bad thing about the Shoreland (at least from this parent's viewpoint): The University has been trying to get rid of it for years, and never planned to be using it in 2007, much less 2009. The entire interior is going to be torn out. There is absolutely zero incentive to do more than band-aid maintenance (and at the University of Chicago everyone understands incentives). Therefore, it is a dump inside. "Squalid" would be a kind word.</p>
<p>This is such a great thread -- so many wonderful choices!</p>
<p>The upside of being in the Shoreland is that you can do whatever you want to your walls, including painting giant donkeys on them.</p>
<p>CountingDown, probably one of the best things about Chicago from a purely practical standpoint is the diversity in housing options. I know it might sound silly, but housing is an important factor in overall quality of life, and with very few exceptions, students get the kind of housing they want and choose a dorm setup that is right for them and their tastes.</p>
<p>The other terrific thing that hasn't been mentioned thus far and is true for all dorm setups is the house table system in the dining halls. Every dorm is connected to a dining hall, and every house has a designated table at the dining hall. Of course, you don't have to sit with your house if you don't want to, but it means that you always have a place to sit and you never have to feel awkward about sitting down at a table. My house tends to have our best moments at meals, so I make a point of eating dinner with them in the dining hall. Having that consistency in my day is wonderful-- no wonder I feel like my housemates are my family.</p>
<p>House tables are fantastic.</p>
<p>agreed, corranged. I've never been disappointed by the housing system chicago has (except not getting the dorm I wanted off the bat, but even though I've been offered a single in my originally top-choice dorm, I stuck with the originally assigned one).</p>
<p>They have their ducks in a row for sure.</p>