<p>Sign-ups for the lotto for dorms are approaching, and although I've been living in Ithaca for more than a decade, I have no idea on how the dorms are "ranked" at Cornell.
So, I was wondering if someone could provide me some insight into which dorms are considered to be the "best" and "worst".
Another question I have is which buildings are in an area overpopulated by frats?</p>
<p>I’m guessing that you are going to be a freshman. Then, you are going to live on North Campus. The best dorms are considered to be Mews, Court, Kay, and Bauer which are all new. The next best are Donlon and maybe Dixon. The low and high rises are considered the worst, and I think the low rises are the worst. However, it doesn’t really matter what dorm you get put in; it’s what you make of it. I got put in one of the high rises and I love it. My best friends live on my floor and it has worked out perfectly. Also, living on North Campus, you aren’t surrounded by frats.</p>
<p>Low and high rises aren’t too bad. I’d consider Dickson and Donlan’s hall style the worst</p>
<p>If you are a freshman, you will be on North Campus a good distance away from the frats. The rankings the posters gave above are accurate depending on what in particular you are hoping for - new, corridor style, suite style, etc. You will find that no amount of worrying will change the outcome of your freshman dorm placement - you will live where they place you. My daughter requested a corridor and ended up in a suite and it turned out fine. It’s just a little old and not as “well appointed” as the newer dorms, but her room itself is really nice. Yet, if you end up in the Low Rise like my daughter, you will adjust, meet great people and realize that everyone makes the best of their dorm placement. If you plan on living on campus as a sophomore you could end up anywhere - West Campus to North Campus to Collegetown to downtown (this did happen this year) depending on your lottery number, so get used to the idea that you will make the best of any situation.</p>
<p>There are quite a few frats on/near North Campus. I pretty much concur with ny4chelsea.</p>
<ol>
<li>CKB/Mews</li>
<li>Donlon (most social)</li>
<li>Dickson/Balch (if you are into that)/Townhouses </li>
<li>Low/High rises</li>
<li>Program houses</li>
</ol>
<p>Townhouses can be a mixed bag since you tend on average to be more insulated from the rest of north, however, you do get the advantage of more privacy and the ability to host friends.</p>
<p>Other than requesting Townhouses, all female, single/double/triple you don’t get a choice about what building to live in. So finding out what other people think are the best buildings can only serve to make you disappointed when you get your assignment. The newer ones are smaller and so not that many people get assigned to them.</p>
<p>Like was already said make the best of whatever you get and you will have fun.</p>
<p>I can’t really tell you about the physical properties of buildings other than Donlon, but I will say that each building has a different set of people, personalities, and social interaction. If you put priority in a certain room type, though, you’re more likely to wind up in certain dorms. Donlon, for example, is almost all doubles and is the only building with quads. Dickson, on the other hand, is almost all singles with some triples. And then there are buildings with suites, varying layouts, and whatever else.</p>
<p>As for the frats, most of them are scattered on West Campus and the western ends of North. There is one very close to the North Campus dorms (Sammy), but it’s fairly negligible in terms of activity. Almost half of the sororities are near the dorms, though; but you don’t hear any activity from them unless you’re around during rush week.</p>