<p>I had a little extra time while in Madison last weekend so I went by The Lucky private dorm and asked for a tour. First the place was buzzing with kids coming and going and most seemed to know each other and the staff knew all of them by name. The common areas are very plush and nicely done. I saw a unit in the "freshman dorm style" section first. It's a 2br/2ba unit designed for two students per bedroom. The bedrooms are larger than many dorms but not huge. Fully furnished with beds, dressers and desks all modern but not terribly expensive looking. Beds can be bunked or down. There is a nice kitchen with all appliances, living room and two full baths. Overall it's equal to a nice but not luxury newer apartment. Security appears very good. People decorate their doors and they have RAs and events for the students. Rules are said to be enforced so no loud parties oe drinking.
No food service but they can purchase dining at the nearby UW res hall commons for as much as they want to buy. No less convenient than the other dorms using the same commons which is right across the street.<br>
The residents are a typical mix with no obvious "coastie" aspect. They all seemed very normal and friendly. A good portion (20% maybe) are internationals--mostly Asians. The building is nearly 100% leased with all the freshman ( 2 floors) units taken and the more luxury upper floors nearly all leased. Most of those are students too with a mix of grads, undergrads, and a few faculty or other UW workers. Being adjacent to the student health center was considered a big plus with the flu going around. </p>
<p>Basically I think students living at Lucky have a very nice place to live but don't miss out on the general dorm type experience--it feels just like a nicer version of a dorm. A number of last year's freshman level residents have moved up to the higher floors because they like the location and convenience. They also are attracting transfer students and market to them as the UW dorms have little space set aside just for them and they feel it is an unmet market niche. It can get spendy to live on the upper floors but people seem to have it as it is nearly full. Apparently they took lots of the market share away from the Towers and Statesider which they said were below half full. Competition is good.</p>
<p>Interesting post, barron. Thanks. I wondered about Lucky when we toured – a far cry from my former dump on Broome St, which is still standing, which stunned me for some reason.</p>
<p>How does the cost of Lucky compare to the dorms? It certainly LOOKED like a more expensive option. My niece, a junior at UW, made an eye-rolling suggestion that it was home to the “rich kids,” but I’m not sure if that’s true or not.</p>
<p>The cheapest rooms–doubles–would be just a bit more than the more expensive ($25/mo or so) public dorms that are somewhat comparable–Smith for example. I’m sure it has a rep as a place for “rich” kids but if you stick with the basic units it’s not that different for what you get. Nobody is walking around wearing blazers or designer outfits. They all looked very typical UW Madison. I doubt you could see someone walking down State Street and say–“must live in Lucky”.</p>
<p>Interesting to see how the Towers and Statesider compete going forward. I understand these 2 were already suffering with higher vacancy rates the last few years. They are both in great locations.</p>
<p>Key phrase- “for what you get” regarding costs. Students on a tight budget will go for cheaper options. Res Halls food service is open to anyone, a nice plus for the campus. Res Halls residents pay (or is it others pay that much more?) 60% of the cash prices. It is a financial decision to be made. The two older private dorms are that much further away from campus- every block matters in winter.</p>
<p>The Lucky manager said the Towers and Statesider were running below 30% occupancy. That is unsustainable. People like new and both those properties are pretty old. I think their location is fine unless you are in eng. or ag. Just a block from the main library and two blocks to the Union. When it was really cold I’d cut through Memorial to get warm before heading to the Union. But I heard this weekend that the average lows in winter are up around 4-5 degrees from the 70s numbers in S. Wisconsin. Almost balmy.</p>
<p>I wrote a post a while back about my experience living in lucky 101. I agree with almost everything you said barrons, and would live there again in a second if I had to redo my freshman year.</p>
<p>I think they both need major renovations, probably have asbestos, etc. Often easier and almost as cheap to build new with new suites concept, etc. Plus they have plans to build in the Lakeshore area which is better IMHO.</p>
<p>Also- they are far from classes- remember the Union is on the edge of campus. There are plans on the Res Halls website that call for redoing the Lakeshore dorms area that sound like a much better idea as above.</p>
<p>Towers and S-sider are only 1 block up State. Besides Chad, we’re talking feet, not blocks dif. with SE. Plus you don’t need to walk across a wasteland of busy streets and parking lots to get there like SE. For the right price I still think it worthwhile for the UW to investigate buying.</p>
<p>I really don’t think that Towers/Statesider are operating at below 30% occupancy. While I have no direct knowledge of the actual occupancy rate, my daughter is in Towers and the building seemed fairly crowded when I moved her in a few weeks ago.<br>
With regard to the price of Lucky compared to the on-campus dorms, I think that the quoted price of Lucky does not include a meal plan while the on-campus dorms (and Towers/ Statesider) do. That obviously changes the cost comparison significantly.</p>
<p>Yes, I think Smith is nearly the same price for a double, but with out food. Plus, at Lucky you may need to sublet in the summer. My parents (not to mention the Fi Aid office) would’ve taken me out of school if I made that $ decision.</p>
<p>We just got back from visiting UW, which my son has now moved up his rankings. It was fascinating to tour one learning community dorm and then the Regent/Lucky options. We expected the private dorms to be ridiculously expensive with ala carte pricing. Just comparing ROOM prices, not food, here is the reality:</p>
<p>University Housing
basic double dorm room for 2012-2013 $6900
single room or new dorm (ogg, lake shore) add $950 to above
learning community add $200-300 and some varying room type upcharges $300-$950</p>
<p>Lucky/Regent
a double arrangement (2 bedrooms, 2 ppl per bedroom) at Lucky/Regent in their freshman program (9mo. lease with RAs on the halls)
Regent $5085
Lucky $7650</p>
<p>So, keeping food separate, there are actually cost savings with this route. The negatives appear to be limiting the social net of kids to meet with and having to figure out food, but the positives are more space and control over food. Students get discounted food costs if they are on-campus for campus dining, but kids off-campus can eat in the university dining halls.</p>
<p>Lucky is NOT cheaper. Share with 4 people in two rooms- compare to a basic double. Clean your own kitchen.</p>
<p>The cost of Res Halls food is definitely cheaper for Res Halls dorm residents- a 60% difference in prices at the dining places I believe. Part of the dorm cost pays for the food service buildings, hence the food discount. Who cleans the bathrooms in Lucky’s apartments? Res Halls bathrooms may sometimes be down the hall but no maintenance/cleaning. Consider all factors when choosing. Regent is on the far west end of campus (and old- around in the early 1970’s but redone since I hope), Lucky is more expensive.</p>
<p>Agree with wis75 that if you’re planning to eat in the UW dining halls, you have to back out the dining hall portion of the dorm cost from the UW residence hall price to get the true cost, as you’ll get that money back in the form of a discount on the food purchased and it’s more appropriately considered part of your food cost than your dorm cost. If you’re not planning on eating in the UW dining halls much, then the cost of Lucky becomes much closer to that of the UW dorms.</p>