<p>So what is this deal with having to apply for UW Housing as soon after 3/26 as possible... perhaps not having to, but greatly increasing your chances of not getting stuck someplace not particularly desirable?</p>
<p>This is kind of weird, given the fact that most schools will send out their decisions around end of march, which puts someone waiting to evaluate all their options at a disadvantage.</p>
<p>There are limited spaces in the res halls and high demand, so if you want to make sure you get a room, you apply as soon as the app is available. Two years ago, they had more people want to live in the dorms than the number spaces available so there were plenty of doubles and even triples while still others had makeshift dorms in the floor lounges. </p>
<p>I should point out that filling out the housing app doesn't mean you necessarily are going to go there. In fact, they encourage everyone who's interested in dorming to fill out the app regardless of whether you've been accepted or not. It's always easier to come back and cancel. Check out <a href="http://hfs.washington.edu/student_housing/residence_halls.aspx?id=1715#Tips%5B/url%5D">http://hfs.washington.edu/student_housing/residence_halls.aspx?id=1715#Tips</a> for more info.</p>
<p>Proud Husky, from your expierence which dorms are best?</p>
<p>For freshman year, I'd recommend Lander since everyone there starts off in the same boat--that is, you're all freshman and looking to meet new people. It was actually my 4th choice, but after living there my first year, I'm really glad that I got it because I met a ton of great friends. If you live on the water side, the view is amazing too. =) There's a game room, 1101 Cafe, and laundry rooms in the building, and it's close to the bus stops that can take you downtown or up the Ave to restaurants, the post office, and the bookstore (although most students walk =P). Everything I've mentioned goes for Terry as well (although with slighter larger rooms) as it's adjacent to Lander. Both of these are on the south side of campus.</p>
<p>If you'd rather live on the north side, I'd say McCarty is the best if you're looking to meet more people. Most folks have their doors open so you can say hi, but it doesn't have quite the same feel as Lander because you have a mix of freshmen, sophomores, juniors (and maybe even seniors) there. Upperclassmen don't really go out and say hi to everyone on their floor like freshmen do. Rooms in McCarty are some of the biggest on campus. There's Ian's Domain--an internet cafe--in the basement and laundry rooms on every other floor.</p>
<p>McMahon's also cool if you have a group of friends you want to live with, but for a freshman, I wouldn't recommend it if you're trying to meet lots of people. The rooms are split into clusters that have 4 rooms, a shared living space, and a bathroom. Doors in the halls are almost never open cause everyone's in there cluster, so you really don't get the same feel you would in Lander, Terry, or McCarty. There is McMahon 8, one of the larger dining places on campus. It's pretty good, but gets old quickly.</p>
<p>Others that I didn't really detail are Mercer (south campus--brick rooms, haven't heard too many positives about Mercer), Haggett (north campus--octagonal rooms, halls are dark and jail like although the lounges aren't half bad), and Hansee (north campus--for non-freshmen over 20 years old). </p>
<p>For your freshman year, I'd recommend Lander. It's a really neat experience, and freshman year is the only time you can live there. If you really want to live there, I'd suggest putting "First Year Experience" as the theme on your housing app. I hope this helps!</p>
<p>I'll be applying to UW next year. If I decide to enroll, would you recommend dorming or outside housing. I have the option on staying at my parent's condo. It's a neat and small condo just too blocks from the Space Needle. It's not exactly near the campus though.</p>
<p>I'm only asking because I've heard UW has some really terrible dorms. Also, how many students chose not to dorm?</p>
<p>I would definitely opt for the condo. I'm in my dorm right now, and often times I can't go to sleep because the walls are so thin you can hear everyone on the floor. My Terry Hall triple room is only built for two people, so it's really cramped. The bathroom situation is kind of annoying too if you live in Terry or Lander, as you share a big bathroom with about 65 to 70 other girls because one floor's bathroom is used for two floors of girls. Plus a condo for yourself would be a party every night!</p>
<p>It would depend on your personality and interests, I think, because someone living in Terry or Lander might have the kind of experience Sherstas199 is describing or they may have a great experience that I had in Lander last year. If you opt for the condo, it's going to be much harder getting connected to other students on campus. UW is already a large campus as it is, and it's easy to feel disconnected from campus regardless of where you stay. If you want a quiet floor, there are special floors with longer quiet hours. If you're an engineering major, there's a floor for all engineers. Same with business, honors, and several other themes. </p>
<p>Personally, I don't think the dorms are that bad at all. I got a double in Lander last year, and my roommate and I had an awesome room set up (TV, couch, lofted bed, microwave, 2 mini fridges) and an even awesomer view of Mt. Rainier and Portage Bay. This year, we're in McCarty and have an even bigger room with all the same stuff we had last year. Don't forget too, if you live in the condo, you have to worry about cooking and cleaning on your own. In the dorms, you can just focus on studying (libraries are always open if you'd rather have it quiet) and being a student. I don't know the exact number of students who choose not to dorm, but their options include commuting or joining Greek Row. Hope that helps.</p>
<p>Proud - I think you mentioned before that you were in the Honors floor in Lander. Are you in Honors in McCarty also? Would you recommend one over the other for freshmen? Do the honors floors tend to be quieter than others?</p>
<p>To Friedrice - I would think very hard about how much you would gain by living on campus your first year. Much easier to find a group of friends, who you will keep even after you move out of the dorms. Being a commuter at a huge school tends to keep you from having that classic college experience where you can walk to activities and enjoy all that campus has to offer.</p>