Which dorm is your first choice?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Elon University
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<p>I want to wish everyone who is waiting on an ED or EA decision good luck. My son is a junior - Elon is at the top of his list - so we will be in your shoes next year. I'd like to hear which dorms you like the best and why. I understand that when you fill out your housing request in May you have to list 6 possibilities - so what would you list?</p>

<p>I think hall style dorms are best for freshmen - you get to meet more people that way. At Elon, other than Smith (which is all male, but is hall-style), which dorms are co-ed and hall-style? Seems like many dorms offer suites.</p>

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<p>Hi, rockvillemom! I have 2 friends who are currently freshman at Elon from my small town, one applied ED and the other only applied because the application was free, but nonetheless, they both ended up going. The friend who applied ED is currently in a dorm called West, which is hall style, but it is all female. She absolutely loves it, and if I get accepted ED, that’s what I will put as my top choice. As for my other friend, he is currently in Moffitt, which is a co-ed dorm with suite-style rooms. I’m not sure what he likes specifically about it, but he seems to be enjoying it just fine. </p>

<p>On Elon’s website, I seem to find that only Smith, West, and Carolina are hall style. West and Carolina are female dorms, and as you said, Smith is male. So, to answer your question, I don’t think there are any. I’ll give you a link to where I’ve found all this. </p>

<p><a href=“http://www.elon.edu/images/e-web/students/residence_life/typesofhousing/residencelifeataglance.pdf[/url]”>http://www.elon.edu/images/e-web/students/residence_life/typesofhousing/residencelifeataglance.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>As for my other choices personally besides West (which I’m only picking based on my friend’s personal review of it to me), I would definitely pick the Colonnades, since I think they are the most beautiful buildings on campus, being the newest residential buildings. When I saw them, I was instantly struck by them, but I highly doubt I would get a space there. All the dorms on North Campus really aren’t that appealing to me, like Moffit, Staley, Colcough, Chandler, and Maynard. They appear to be very old and not up with the rest of the innovative and classy feel of the rest of campus, but most freshman end up there, which was yet another incentive for me to apply ED, since we get first choice on dorms if accepted out of the freshman class. I also like the Hook, Brannock, and Barney dorms, which are all co-ed, but don’t house as many students. I would prefer being in a co-ed dorm, so those all take precedence with me as well. Hope this helps a little! I seemed to have rambled quite a bit.</p>

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<p>That was very helpful! The info on the website gives facts - like how many students are in each dorm and the room dimensions - but not the pros and cons of each. We are planning to visit again in April and Will try to look at more of the dorms - saw Smith and that area and the Colonnades - but do not recall seeing the North Campus dorms you mentioned or Daniely. Good luck to you!</p>

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<p>hi RM and leanne…</p>

<p>just to let you know, the students who are admitted ED attend the first March orientation and, therefore, get an opportunity to see all the dorms before they decide; apparently, it’s part of the orientation schedule at that time (Lafalum would probably be able to expand more on this)…</p>

<p>The campus tour (at least last year) only took us to West; my daughter had been in other dorms when she revisited but by no means saw everything to make an informed decision (if it comes down to that)…</p>

<p>On this same discussion, I wonder if the new Residence Plan being put in place starting in the Fall of 2011 will actually “change” the landscape as to where freshmen will live next year; the new Colonnades buildings are said to have been built for freshmen housing expansion…</p>

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<p>Also, the learning communities they are dorm specific. So while the dorm might not be the most up to date, being in a community of your choosing may offer other perks. My D is in a suite style in Staley and is happy. Her biggest and actually only complaint is about the laundry facilities. Good luck to all of you.</p>

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<p>Elon has a new long-term plan for housing, it can be seen at:
[Transformation</a> of Elon University Residential Experience](<a href=“Elon University - America’s Top-Ranked Teaching University”>Elon University - America’s Top-Ranked Teaching University)
This is a long term plan, so it’s difficult to tell exactly what phase it will be in when your student enrolls as a freshman. At any rate, thinking about which dorm you want before you are even admitted is putting the cart before the horse! Also, as tour guides will tell you, WHO you end up living with is a lot more important than WHERE you live. </p>

<p>Rockvillemom, there are other “hall style” dorms, such as Moffit and Staley. But those two, along with 3 other dorms in the North Area (next to Lake Mary Nell, near the football stadium) will be torn down and replaced beginning next year. There are currently 3 new Colonnades dorms under construction, as well as more Greek houses being built in the Loy Center, I believe those will be ready in time to replace the existing dorms that will be demolished, so the total number of available beds will not drop. Then over the next two years the demolished dorms will be replaced with an International Village, which will be freshman housing that will tied in with the Global Experience course that all freshmen are required to take. The plan is that the Global Experience classes will live together. My daughter is currently in an experimental College Writing section that has her whole class living on her co-ed floor in her dorm. She loves it, and the professor says the quality of class discussion is much higher in that class than in her other sections where the kids don’t live together.</p>

<p>Currently a lot of freshmen live in the Danieley Center. The kids who live there end up loving it. The kids who don’t live there say they are glad they don’t because it’s too far away from everything else. Danieley is behind the Colonnades area, so it might feel less disconnected from campus when the new Colonnades dorms open.</p>

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<p>Lafalum - thanks for your response - I am the type of person who likes to think and plan several steps ahead - so putting the cart before the horse is nothing new for me! I was mostly curious re hall-style vs. suite - it seems to me that freshmen do well in hall-style dorms where they can meet lots of people - but Elon seems to have more suite-style dorms - so that’s where my question came from. It does sound like it will change a bit between now and next fall - let alone fall 2012 - so thanks for the update.</p>