<p>We visited campus this week and were impressed with the Traditions private dorm, but have seen some reviews that are terrible. Can anyone comment on the living experience there? We can check out the costs compared to dorms, but would like to hear from some with first hand experience. Questions are about security, positives and negatives, quality of RAs, opportunities to meet other freshmen, etc. Comparisons to living on the campus dorms, etc. Thanks.</p>
<p>Did you check out the Callaway House and Cambridge also? These are the 3 private dorms. We have checked out all three of them. They all have an option that is very comparable to the living on campus dorms, 2 bedroom units with 2 kids in each bedroom.
In our opinion, the Callaway House and Cambridge were very comparable - with Traditions coming in 3rd place.
So, did you see the other 2 off campus dorms (Callaway & Cambridge)?</p>
<p>We visited Callaway House a year or so ago. Why did you think Tradtions was third? Also, would like to know what you have heard about the viability, safety, experience of these off campus dorms v. on campus. we liked traditions location (my son will be engineering) and liked that they have an option of two bedrooms connected to a sitting area so the student can have some privacy to study. Callaway & Cambridge would guarantee a bus ride to his classes. appreciate what you have learned. (We have all fo the cost info - so less concerned about that aspect at this point.)</p>
<p>I live in the Traditions. Obviously no place is “perfect” but i would say that i am very happy so far with my experience here. One main plus about living at the trad is that it is so close to campus that you can walk to class without too much of a hassle. i consider it my workout for the day. as for the actual living experience in the dorms, I have really been pleased with it. Security - There are cameras on every floor, and if you walk into the main entrance, there is a huge screen with a gazillion camera views, so it is very secure. also on weekends there is a cop or two who walks around patroling the building. Quality of RA’s - the RA’s here are great, they really make an effort to create activities and what not so that we can do fun things while meeting people. They are all really nice and personable, I havent met one who hasnt always been very nice and polite. also, they are always willing to help no matter what. Opportunities to meet fish - there are tons of ways to meet other freshman, especially at the very begining of the year. there was a brick painting, also there are intermural teams if you want to join, floor dinners, etc. The RA’s do a really good job of creating events for the freshman to go to, but its just a matter of whether you chose to participate that determines how you meet other kids. Comparison to living on campus - one of my good friends lives on campus, and yes it is cheaper there, but it is reallllllly small and tight, but they manage. I have never lived on campus so i cant give a first hand experience. Pros & Cons - Pros, close to campus, more room, cafeteria downstairs, workout room, close to northgate, most everyone is freshman, theatre, maid service every week. Cons - sometime the food downstairs sucks, and the cafe closes at either 7 or 8, i cant remember, but its early. and the parking garage is soo dangerous!
ONe of my good friends also lives at callaway, which she likes, although it is more expensive. It has tighter security in that they check your bags everytime you enter the building. its further away from campus, on southside off of george bush&wellborn, but it is also closer to kyle field, etc. As for the cambridge, i dont know much about other then that it is the furthest dorm from campus, but there is a bus route that runs by it.
hope this helps!</p>
<p>thanks for the info. why is the parking garage so dangerous? I did see some police reports about theft, etc. My son will drive his truck - so want to better understand the safety concerns. any more insight?</p>
<p>oh, well its just a two-way garage meaning that when your going around the corners and cant see whose coming the other way, its kinda scary and a close fit. esp when trucks park on the corner and their bed is sticking all the way out. its not anything terrible, just be careful and drive slow. As for theft, I dont have my own car here, but my roommate and friends do and none of them have had their car broken into or anything. Also I havent heard of anyone getting their things stolen, and even though A&M is known for being such a “friendly” school, I still make sure that I lock my door everytime i leave because there are sketchy people no matter where you go to school. As for the maids, they arent allowed to clean your living room or bedroom unless your things are decently picked up because they cant pick up and move your things. So overall, i havent heard of any theft this year, but im sure theres always some idiot who thinks its cool to steal. also since there are cameras everywhere i wouldnt b suprised if the person would get caught. the only thing i can think of is that lots of people who have been partying out on northgate will come back to teh tradition and mess with name tags on the doors and small things like that, but thats it.</p>
<p>Thanks-very helpful. snieswiadomy, another question. One observation in the dorms (specifically the Commons) it didn’t seem like there were easy places to hang out together. The TV rooms are very small and no one was there and the food area didn’t seem like a place to meet new people. It just seemed Traditions, as an example, had more spaces for kids to hang out and meet others as a new freshman - pool, ping pong, pool table, tv room, workout area, etc. Is it easy to meet others in the dorm or do most people make their friends through other groups? Are the dorm activities well attended?</p>
<p>My opinion of the Traditions is only my opinion. My daughter, husband and I all were on the same page - The Traditions was not as well kept looking as the other 2 off campus private dorms. The carpets were dirty and stained. We were buzzed into the back door - no one came to check on us - nothing… we just wandered around not sure of where to go and no one cared… so made me wonder if they just buzzed in everyone. I was not impressed with the security and maybe that was strike one. The location of the Traditions is closest to the noisy bar side of town, strike two. We were there late late for a tour on the last day of class before Thanksgiving break, I think we arrived to tour about 9:45 - with tours open until 11pm (I think)
For us it came down between The Cambridge and Callaway House. The Cambridge is very nice - on the bus route and found out the Cambridge is last on the pickup route and first on the dropoff route of the bus. That is nice since you’d pretty much have to ride the bus. We left it up to our daughter to make the decision and she chose Callaway. The apt floorplan was much nicer - we liked the covered parking with designated parking spot. We liked the security at Callaway- one way into building - no blind buzzing in of anyone. The Callaway is near the Student Activity Center - not sure that is what it is called. I think we figured it was about 1.5 mile from the Architecture building - an easy bike ride.<br>
It is all opinion - and there are good and bad points to all of them. Our daughter is an only child - and has never shared a room/bathroom ever. We figured she’d not do as well in on campus situation - and at Callaway another plus was she would have a sink in her room - she would have to share a shower/tub and toilet with one other girl.</p>
<p>I am curious as to why you don’t want your kid on Campus? The dorms are a lot of fun and we are really in the heart of the campus. Kids I know off campus really aren’t as involved in activities on campus in the evenings. Good luck and Gig 'em!</p>
<p>No, it’s not that we don’t want him in tihe campus dorms. He may do just that - it’s just that we now think that the private dorms are a viable option at A&M and want to learn more about the pros/cons and which ones are best. We saw the pros of the private dorms as more studying locations, nicer, more options for hanging out & meeting other students, etc. but, we aren’t sold yet - just trying to get some views by those attending A&M or parents who have done the same research we are trying to do.</p>
<p>I have no problem with my daughter living on campus. My daughter was not in the top 10% of her high school class - she is just a place out! She did very well on SAT/ACT but again just one notch below automatic acceptance. Therefore she went into the review admit catagory. We were told it would be mid April before she found out if she was accepted to A&M. We toured the private dorms the night before our on campus dorm tour… bad decision, it is hard to compare once you have seen the off campus private dorms. Especially for an only child who has never shared a bedroom or space with anyone. Hard to compare the private bedroom, shared living space, full sized beds - two closets… and so on and so on… And then there was the sure thought by the time she was accepted, all the best on campus dorms would be taken. We decided upon Callaway House.
-----> And then she gets early admission! She could have had her choice - probably - to any on-campus dorm. She is very excited about Callaway House, does not want to change to on-campus dorm.</p>
<p>TexasMom2009 - I have a few friends who live on campus, one of them actually who lives in the commons. I think overall it depends how much of an effort your RA makes to get the kids to know eachother. I know that there are floor dinners, pond hoping, bbq picnics, etc that my friends have done with their floors, but it all depends on how much of an effort your RA makes. Compared to the private dorms i would agree that there arent as many “hang out” places in the dorms, but it also has to do with your effort that you make to get to know other kids, such as joining organizations and what not. thats how i have met a lot of my friends. playing intermurals, joining FLO’s (Freshman Leadership Organizations), fish camp, etc. The commons is actually one of the dorms that has a bigger hang out place than the other dorms. personally i think that living on campus is nice because you are always on campus so you always know activites, etc. that are going on, but living at the tradition im practically on campus so i feel that i have the same opportunties also. i think that living at any dorm, on campus or off is a great way to meet other freshman, i think that the worst thing would be to live in a random apartment complex or house because then you are not forced to branch out and get to know others.</p>
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<p>No, it all depends on how much of an effort YOU make to get to know other kids. I lived in the commons my freshman year and my RA did nothing… but my best friends were still the ones that lived around me because we were open, not because the RA made us.</p>
<p>haha, i said that too!</p>
<p>Completely agree! It’s up to the student to get to know others - but I do think some settings make it easier than others. And, no matter where you live, you have to get involved on campus. It sounds like off campus is a legitimate option for a freshmen though there are pros and cons to living on campus. If anyone has any comments on how the Callaway House, Cambridge and Traditions compare or if there are any problems with any of them - please let me know. I know that the location of each relative to campus is different - but if you set that aside…</p>
<p>i didnt tour callaway, but i did tour the trad and cambridge. of those two i preferred cambridge. but ithink on campus would be better than all those options.</p>
<p>Isn’t Callaway Villas a private dorm? Does anybody have an opinion of the Villas?</p>
<p>The Callaway Villas is an apartment complex behind Callaway House - owned and operated by the same company. I haven’t seen the Villas, but do know there are some options if you live in the Villas - you can buy a a meal plan if you want at Callaway House, and share some of the same facilities. Example the Villas have a nicer pool - and Callaway House can use the Villas pool (though Callaway House has its own pool). The Villas is an apartment complex though.</p>
<p>i am very interested in all 3 off campus dorms but have learned that the tradition and callaway are very expensive compared to cambridge. cambridge does also have many different floor plans. does anyone know who has stayed at cambridge? i am considering a 1 bedroom 1 bath double occupancy - which is ultimately like an on-campus dorm. or is it worth it $ wise to pay for the 2 bedroom 2 bath double occupancy?</p>
<p>I would have to say its a lot easier to make friends on campus then a private dorm. These off campus places truly do feel like apartments, i dont know if my roommates and i havent clicked or what. I dont even know the names of my neighbors. I think all the private dorms are way overpriced and most of those amenities you wont even use but maybe once. I would strongly suggest staying away from a private dorm because in the end you would probably say you would have wanted an apartment instead if your paying that much money for a private dorm and still have a roommate.</p>