<p>After considering just about all of the south campus dorms, I've decided my favorites are Willard and CRC. (I'll be in Medill next year.) The problem is, I'm having trouble deciding which one to put for my "first choice" on the housing app.</p>
<p>A lot of people said that Willard can be "cultish." Can anyone elaborate on that?</p>
<p>Other than that, though, Willard sounds great. I like the idea of living with people with diverse majors, who aren't mostly majoring in journalism or RTVF, like in CRC. I enjoy journalism, but would staying at CRC be like drowing myself in communications-related stuff?</p>
<p>But with CRC, apparently you get to know some of the j-professors well, have extra little journalism-related discussions, and have access to a lot of equipment. (Although I dunno how useful that will be to me since I'm majoring in magazine journalism.)</p>
<p>Willard is my number 1, after having visited different dorms. The "cultish"-ness is just that they're very, very cliquish, and are in their minds the in-crowd. It's supposedly a cliquishness attached to an elitism.</p>
<p>well since they're res colleges, you always have the option of non-res life. you basically live somewhere else but have the benefit of participating in that dorm's activities and stuff-but if you're going to do it, start early when people are forming friends and cliques. nonres costs i think 30-60 per quarter depending on the rc</p>
<p>The "cultish"-ness is just that they're very, very cliquish, and are in their minds the in-crowd. It's supposedly a cliquishness attached to an elitism.</p>
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<p>Arbiter, I do not mean this question to sound the way it may. I don't mean this to be a judgment or a criticism. </p>
<p>I am curious as to why "cliquishness attached to an elitism" is attractive and makes Willard your #1 pick. I am also dorm searching and don't see that as a positive for myself, but I am asking because maybe I am missing something. And are there other things about this particular dorm aside from the cliquishness that makes it appealing?</p>
<p>Please respond to this query in the spirit in which it is sincerely asked. I do not want you to think I am judging your choice; I just want to understand it better.</p>
<p>Willard is as cliquish as you want it to be. It's as easy to live in Willard and have a life outside of it as it is in any other dorm. In fact maybe easier, because the students you're around in Willard are especially involved on campus and you'll be hearing about many, many great opportunities.</p>
<p>The cliquishness isn't always attached to elitism, or "the in crowd," Arbiter. A lot of times it's just attached to...weirdness. "Oh, you're in that weird group that calls themselves WOO SHACK and does all these weird events?" That kind of thing. </p>
<p>That said, I loved living in Willard for 2 years and met awesome people, and even did dorm government, but by the end I realized I did not want to be part of the "Woo Shack" cult and had to consciously distance myself from it. But the facilities and location could not be nicer and there really is a good sense of community, just don't get carried away with it.</p>
<p>I didn't mean those as positive attributes; as you yourself clearly picked up on, they're negatives (ones I am only repeating as hearsay). I put it as my first choice in spite of, not because of, those elements. Willard seems like a great bunch of people, in a great location and with great facilities. I apologize for stepping on some toes if I did- I didn't mean to malign Willard, I was simply trying to explain the reputation as an outsider.</p>
<p>On the contrary, your stereotype of Willard sounded better than it actually was. I was just trying to make it realistic for you. I wasn't offended.</p>
<p>CRC is a great dorm for: community (you'll be BFF with your floor/suitemates), facilities (screening room, nice lounge) and location (central campus, next door to Medill buildings). It is a bad dorm for: anyone who cares about rooms (smallest. rooms. ever.) and maybe TOO much community? Just as cliquish as Willard, for sure.</p>
<p>From an outside perspective, Willard gives off an cult-ish vibe. However, I have good friends who do live in Willard and have escaped that, to a certain degree. With that said, they do have a ton of fun and most people seem to want to live there again the next year.</p>