Hey Guys, I know you don’t really get to chose this until your time frame is e-mailed to you, but I need to plan in advance. We toured all the different dorm styles, and I enjoyed both modular and commons style living the most (obviously Hullabaloo Hall would be ideal, but I’m not sure that is within my budget :P). The modular seemed to have slightly larger rooms, but the only meaningful difference I could see was the Common’s shared bathroom situation. Could someone give me the pro’s and con’s of each? The social aspect, how well the buildings are maintained, etc. Thanks!!
My daughter is also struggling with this. Think she was leaning towards the Commons as they just redid part of it (not dorm rooms). However, I just looked the various buildings up and they appear to have an Engineering emphasis and she is biomedical (vet school), so now having 2nd thoughts. Would also appreciate feedback.
I’m currently a sophomore. I lived in Underwood last year (a modular dorm on Southside) and now I’m an RA in Clements ( a modular on Northside). If you want something that’s literally connected to dining options, go with the commons. They just opened the Commons area and dining this year. It makes me wish I lived on Southside again. While your daughter may be a BIMS major, her classes for the first year will most likely be located in central campus buildings. It’s ultimately up to your budget.
Modular Dorms:
Pros: bigger room, only share a bathroom with one person
Cons: usually quiet (from my experience) so it is hard to meet people, no common area other than tv lounges for people to gather and hang out
Commons:
I haven’t lived in these but I have friends who have.
Pros: literally connected to the dining area, study spaces, game room, bigger dorm with more people
Cons: not the nicest dorm (they are slowly being remodeled but that will take time), sharing a bathroom with the room next to you, walls are pretty thin.
One of mine chose modulars, the other the Commons. Buildings are basically both circa late 1980’s (nothing was built between the 1980’s & 2013 - when Hullabaloo was built - just renovations of existing buildings). They have all been renovated, you can check the website to see dates of latest renovations & layouts. Neither of the room types have elevators - stairs are your only option. You request maintenance from the general dorm staff for all dorms. I believe all dorms now have central air conditioning.
Modulars had 4 closets, that was a big draw. Beds are not loftable but have built in drawers and extra floor space. IF you organize the space just right, you can fit a couch in the room (we did), a refrigerator and additional cabinet. One side of the hall had larger rooms than the other side (she had the smaller one). There are several modulars on North & South side. Bathroom setup is within your room - sink is open to the room & a door to the toilet/shower. There is a small sitting area on each floor. They do not have food facilities in the buildings, nor mail options within the building. Some have a kitchen within the building, some do not. There are exterior locking doors to your building as well as to your room. There are laundry facilities within the dorm building- one per dorm. Northside dorms are closer to train tracks, but you get used to it. They are also closer to Northgate, Sbisa & the Post Office (for mail boxes). Southside is closer to the commons.
Commons are limited with storage - semi-loft is what mine chose - space under the bed without climbing a ladder to your bed. You can choose the height of your bed (DIY). There is not much extra floor space, one refrigerator & microwave and a skinny tall bedside table was all that fit. The walls were concrete. The bathroom is jack n jill style, shared with the next room with doors on each side. Sink was inside the bathroom. There are also bathrooms in the hall (2 I think per floor) that have showers in them as well. There are sitting areas and laundry facilities on each floor. There is a dining facility, small store, mail room, study areas, recreation area (pool tables etc) and a drop off drive thru entrance on the bottom floor. There are 4 towers, each has a locked access door to the room sections of the buildings & locks on your individual doors (to include the bathroom), the main areas on the bottom floor are open to everyone. It is on the southside, next to the Corps. You will get to hear the FTAB practice on the field.
There are living and learning communities throughout the dorm system. There are four towers in the commons & one is dedicated to engineering (the other three are not). Not all engineers live in that dorm, they are sprinkled throughout the dorm system. Two of the modulars are for the university honors students only (they are required to live there). There are some based on major, some on interest, some are no substance abuse, etc.
Social side of dorm life has changed due to cell phones. You can easily meet up with friends for meals, studying, socializing etc. You will meet some people in your dorms but it isn’t the old-style dorm experience your parents had, a dorm is mainly a place to sleep & depending on your preferences, a place to study. My kids found most of their friends through activities & classes, not their dorm floors. Everyone is different, but that was their experiences. Study-wise they often used other buildings/areas.
Pricing structure of housing is based on popularity. The more popular the dorm choice is, the higher the rate. Vast majority of students are only in dorms for one year - now preference is given to freshman, some of the older traditionally longer term dorms have transitioned back to primarily freshman.
Thank you for all the great information!
My son didn’t like the tall loft style beds in most of the dorms which helped him narrowed down his choices. He said he didn’t like the idea of climbing in and out bed. He is currently in Schuhmacher, which is older but he says he really likes the location.
They have done a great job remodeling the modulars. And they are huge compared to anything else plus the bonus of sharing bathroom with just your roomie. HOWEVER as others mentioned… they are super quiet and you will have to work hard to make friends with your neighbors. Commons look great in the common areas, but the rooms are tiny.
It’s pretty easy to get around campus so location kind of takes the back seat.