<p>I think I might have posted about “dorm stereotypes” in the thread poetrygirl posted a link for, but I’ll throw in my two cents here as well. First of all, having lived in two of the different houses and met people from all of them, I really don’t think there’s any one type of individual that gets put in any particular dorm. That being said, it’s impossible, in my opinion, to say what the people in any one dorm are like. Besides, the make-up of each dorm changes so much each year what with new freshmen, departing seniors, and a new house team that the dorm’s overall feel changes as well. That being said, here’s what I’d say about each of them…</p>
<p>Cushing: I don’t think you usually see Cushing on campus tours, so let me just start by saying that this is the house that most of the people I’ve talked to seem to think has the loveliest architecture (it’s often compared to Hogwarts). Cushing is located off of the academic quad and is a little separate from most of the other dorms on campus. It’s next to Noyes on one side and Blodgett (primarily psychology, anthropology, & religion) and Kenyon (primarily psychology, economics, & dance) on the other. I agree with wolfwarrior in saying that Cushing residents, in general, seem to intermix with the other dorms a bit less and spend more time with one another… this is probably because of its location. In the front of Cushing is a grassy lawn and behind the dorm is a road that leads up to Kenyon, Blodgett, and the Wimpheimer School, an early childhood school on-campus (across the street is a graveyard). I’d say Cushing is 3-4 minutes from ACDC (the main cafeteria), about the same distance from Main building (the center of campus, more or less), and 5-6 minutes from the library (I’ve never counted though, so my time estimations are probably off). Last year Cushing sponsored Day-Glo Toga in the fall and Prom in the spring.</p>
<p>Davison: Davison was closed this past year for renovations, but will be opening next year. It’s been completely redone, so one of its biggest appeals is most definitely going to be its newness. I don’t believe there’s going to be a full kitchen in the dorm, but I’m not positive on that. I do know, however, that each floor will have a study room which will make Davison unique from most of the other dorms on-campus. Davison is located on the residential quad, across from Lathrop and next to Raymond, Jewett, and Josselyn. On one side of the dorm is the residential quad and on the other is a small parking strip and, across from that, Joss Beach (another grassy quad). The dorm is probably 3-4 minutes from ACDC, 4-5 from Main, and 2-3 from the Library. My freshman year, Davison sponsored Harvest Ball and Mazel Tov, Matthew, a bar mitzvah-themed party.</p>
<p>Jewett: As wolfwarrior mentioned in his post, Jewett is known as the “hotel dorm” on-campus. Redone four years ago, the dorm still feels quite new and the inside has a decided 21st century feel with glass doors and an industrial feel in the common areas (ie, the parlor and multi-purpose room). Jewett is nine floors tall and is the tallest dorm on-campus (it has an elevator, which is somewhat reliable). It is also the dorm with the smallest rooms on-campus: while most of the rooms in other dorms that I’ve seen I’d call spacious, Jewett’s rooms are anything but that. Of course, the facts that there’s a study room on each floor and it’s possible to loft the beds helps with the smallness somewhat. Jewett is located at one end of the residential quad and is next to Joss, Davison, and Lathrop. Behind the dorm is a medium-sized parking lot. Jewett is 2-3 minutes from ACDC, 3-4 from the Library, and 4-5 from Main. Last year, Jewett hosted Seven Sins in the spring and Anything But Cloth and Dormal Formal in the fall.</p>
<p>Josselyn (Joss): Joss is located at one edge of campus just off the Residential Quad and is one of the biggest dorms on campus. It is next to Jewett and Davison, faces out onto Joss Beach, and is abutted by the school’s tennis courts. It has particularly wide hallways, which can sometimes make for noisy parties on weekends. The bathrooms and laundry room were renovated two years ago, so are in pretty good shape. In addition, the rooms in Joss are, on average, quite large… I think it might be the dorm with the biggest rooms on-campus. That being said, there seems to be a shortage of singles in Joss, compared to most of the other dorms. While many, if not most, of the rising sophomores in other dorms receive singles, rising sophomores in Joss usually end up with doubles (two-room doubles exist, but there are a limited number of those). Joss is 3-4 minutes from the ACDC, 5-6 from Main, and 3-4 from the library.</p>
<p>Lathrop: Again, wolfwarrior is right in bringing up the “party dorm” stereotype in conjunction with Lathrop. I also agree with him in saying that this stereotype seems to be changing a bit and would say that Lathrop isn’t nearly as big a party place as Joss or Main these days. This past year, the vast majority of parties in Lathrop took place on either the fourth or fifth floors, and the fifth is going to be unoccupied next year. Lathrop feels rather old, compared to most of the other dorms on-campus… it’s next in the scheduled dorm renovations and could certainly use it. That being said, if you end up in Lathrop, don’t feel cheated. While the amenities may not be as new as in Joss, Jewett, or Davison, the dorm is perfectly clean and is by no means falling apart. I lived in Lathrop this year and had little issue with it. Lathrop is located on the residential quad across from Davison, and next to Strong and Jewett. On one side of the dorm is the quad and on the other is one of the main campus roads (across which is the ACDC). Lathrop is 1-2 minutes from ACDC, 3-4 minutes from Main, and 3-4 from the Library. Last year, the dorm teamed up with Jewett to sponsor Anything But Cloth and Dormal Formal, as well as to organize a floor of Seven Sins.</p>
<p>Main: Main is the largest dorm on-campus both in size and number of residents. It’s a national historic landmark, the original building on-campus, and the most centrally located dorm. It’s also the only dorm that serves functions other than housing: it is the location of the Retreat (eatery), the Kiosk (coffee stand), the bookstore, the Post Office, the Computer Store, large meeting rooms, and a number of both administrative and student-oriented offices. Because of these different amenities, the dorm part of Main begins on the second floor. It contains more triples than any other dorm on-campus (usually for freshmen) as well as a number of suites (these usually go to juniors or sophomores). Main has wide hallways like in Joss as well as a number of turrets. Both of these areas can be conducive for loud parties on weekends. Main is 2-3 minutes from ACDC and 2-3 minutes from the library. Last year, it sponsored Moulin Rouge, CrossOver, and a Pool Party.</p>
<p>Noyes: The architecture of Noyes makes it stand out from all of the other dorms on-campus: it has a decidedly late 1950s feel. The Jetson Lounge, one of the common areas in the dorm, was renovated a couple of years ago (I think… if not, it’s in fantastic shape). Noyes is located off of the residential quad: it’s next to ACDC on one side and Cushing on the other. In front of Noyes is Noyes Circle, a grassy area where the Ultimate Frisbee team holds practices, and behind is a road and a graveyard. Noyes is located 1-2 minutes from ACDC, 3-4 from Main, and 5-6 from the library. Last year, it sponsored Harvest Ball and Day Glo Toga.</p>
<p>Raymond: Raymond is another of the Residential Quad dorms: next to Davison, Rockefeller Hall (philosophy, mathematics, political science), and the Library and across from Strong. My freshman year, Raymond (along with Davison and Strong), was one of the quieter dorms on-campus, and this was also (usually) the case last year. While one of the older buildings on-campus, Raymond is in pretty good shape. It faces the residential quad on one side and Joss Beach and Chicago Hall (Russian, French, Spanish, Italian, German) on the other (between the grass and the dorm in a small parking lot). Raymond is 1-2 minutes from the library, 2-3 from Main, and 4-5 from ACDC. Last year, it sponsored a Roaring Twenties party as well as the Haunted Hotel. </p>
<p>Strong: Strong is the fourth of the quad dorms (along with Davison, Lathrop, and Raymond). It’s a women-only dorm and is usually a quiet place to live… few parties take place in the dorm. Strong is located on the residential quad and is next to Lathrop and Rockefeller Hall. It’s across from Raymond and faces one of the campus’s main roads. Strong is quite centrally located: it’s 1-2 minutes from Main, 2-3 from the Library, and 2-3 from ACDC. Last year, Strong helped to sponsor Roaring Twenties, Dormal Formal, and Forces of Nature.</p>