I’ll be a freshman at Wes in the fall and I’m currently considering my housing options. I’m not into heavy drinking/partying/drugs but I do that kind of stuff occasionally and I like being social. I would also prefer living in a two person double. Could anyone give me the general vibe and pros/cons of Westco, 200 Church Street, Bennet Hall, and Clark?
WestCo: Are most people who live here people you ‘typically’ associate with when you think of Wes (aka artsy/activist)? Is the drug scene in this dorm very active?
200 Church: Good for diversity (I’m an international student)? Do you miss out from the typical dorm experience if you live in this residence house?
Bennet Hall/Clark: Too loud because all Frosh? Heavy drinking/partying scene?
Sounds like you’ve already done some due diligence. WestCo is somewhat self-selecting and has been Ground Zero for all the things you mention for as long as anyone can remember. There’s a basement area that hosts the WestCo Cafe and numerous open mic performances throughout the year. Pros: Has the most two-room doubles (I presume that’s what you meant by “two person double”) of any dorm on campus. It’s the sort of place where people socialize in the hallways. Con: As with most of Foss Hill, they have not had a major face-lift since the Russian Sputnik was launched in 1957.
A former fraternity house, 200 Church has the advantage of rooming frosh along with upper-classmen. Good for getting involved with ongoing activities right away. IMO, there is no “typical” dorm experience at Wesleyan.
Hard to predict from year to year which dorm will break out as the party dorm. It’s really the luck of the draw. Bennet is the newest in terms of length of time on campus. Clark, one of the oldest, was gutted and put back together about ten years ago. So, it’s pretty new, too although, I’d say the walls in Clark are probably thicker.
I’ll be a freshman at Wes in the fall and I’m currently considering my housing options. I’m not into heavy drinking/partying/drugs but I do that kind of stuff occasionally and I like being social. I would also prefer living in a two person double. Could anyone give me the general vibe and pros/cons of Westco, 200 Church Street, Bennet Hall, and Clark?
-Westco: You do tend to get the artsy/stoner/musical vibe from most people there; however, you’ll get that everywhere. One thing to fear though: from what I’ve heard, the ‘self governing’ that goes on in Westco is more of a popularity contest, and is very similar to rushing at frats/sororities. Pretty good party scene because of its very central location.
-200 Church: It’s basically a dorm. You won’t miss out on anything. And yes to diversity! They have great programs/events and have lots of chill people.
-Bennet is a pretty normal dorm, and since it’s so new, it is LOVELY to live in. Clark is meh. Good location though. Having so many frosh in one place does let the dorms get a bit juvenile, but you’ll barely notice it.
Honestly, there’s partying everywhere, and it’s also very easily avoided. Also, don’t overlook the Butts!!! I lived on the first floor of Butt C (renovated. such a nice life.), and I probably had a better experience than a lot of people (HUGE windows, easy access to the science buildings, didn’t even have to walk outside to get to Summies, and the rooms—especially the doubles—are huge).
I just finished writing this and I just realized that housing for this year is already out. Oops. But if you got the butts and are worried your life will be sad, fear not! The butts are the best.
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Just curious @doctorhorrible96, do first years live in singles in the Butts? I looked at the floor plans and it looks like there are lots of singles. Are singles an option for first years at Wes? It seems unusual to me, most schools put them in doubles and triples.
There are a certain, small percentage of freshman who get placed in a single, but generally singles go only to the freshman who beg and plead for them. If you don’t give Wes a good reason on your housing app why you should get a single, you are almost certainly going to be put in a double (or a small percentage get placed in a triple; but my S survived a triple quite well, so don’t fear its all managable). Many of those singles you are seeing in the BUTTs are designated as “Copenhagens,” which is one of the sophomore housing options. I don’t know why they call them Copenhagens, but what that means is 6 sophomores get together as a group and agree to take a cluster of rooms together (often dead-ending a hall) made up primarily by singles that have been pre-designated as Copenhagen housing. You are with your friends, but in a single - so many sophs like it, but lots of sophs do program housing (mine did) sophomore year or maybe or other dorms that are mostly sophs.
You really are not afforded lots of choice as a freshman (this is almost universally true at all colleges). There are a few specialty options you can ask for, but other than those, they will randomly assign you somewhere and it WILL all be good. It is part of the experience! Sit back and enjoy the ride.