<p>I don’t think quads are isolating. You still have to go into the hall/entryway to go to the bathroom, do laundry, etc, so there are plenty of times to say hi to people and chit chat. The first few weeks many freshman quads also leave their common doors open. If anything, it’s not the quads that are isolating, but entryways. Instead of entering through a door that opens into a dorm hall, it opens up to a stairwell with about 3 rooms on each floor. It’s kind of hard to explain, but it makes sense once you see it. Those on higher floors have less people just wandering into their room. However, those on the first floor have a lot more foot traffic, because everybody has to walk by to get to their room.</p>
<p>Not all dorms use entryways, but they are common in some of the older dorm buildings. I lived on the first floor last year and didn’t experience any problems (people always stopped by on their way upstairs). One of my new roommates this year lived on the third floor and did find it quieter up there since there was less foot traffic. She said it was nice on one hand because it was quiet and not distracting. She ended up spending her hangout time in our room and in another room on the first floor. She also met people on her club sports team, orchestra, dining hall</p>
<p>The first few weeks of college, there is a ton of just randomly sitting with people in the dining halls and casually meeting at parties and classes. If you make an effort to be friendly and say hi, I promise you will have learn more names than you can possibly remember.</p>
<p>I think it takes anyone a while to find REAL friends that are more than acquaintances. When you’re just meeting people and only known them a month, it’s not likely that you’ll think you’ve found your best friend in the whole world. Friendships are built with common experiences, and those only come with time.</p>