Got a lot of great info on CC when my student was applying to college so I thought I’d pay it back with some little info I’ve learned. Wilson House, while gorgeous from the outside, is quite run down and should be avoided.
2018-2019 it was the “healthy living” house, don’t know if it is this year. That appealed to my child so they selected the house. Tufts doesn’t mention that it is right at the end of frat row. Not a biggie but ironic that you step out of the “healthy living” house to the chaos of frat parties every weekend.
The real problem is the building is quite run-down. There is no a/c of course so keeping the windows open for fresh air on hot nights means the noise from the frat parties can make it quite difficult to sleep. And even if you do shut the windows, the lack of insulation and thin glass does little to change the sound quality.
The state of the building leads to some real health concerns as well. The walls on lower floor (formerly rooms but now just a “study space” because they realize it’s unhealthy are covered with mold. (You may have seen this story: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/national/wp/2019/05/16/feature/university-of-maryland-mold-adenovirus/) I definitely wouldn’t recommend an student with a compromised immunity system live here.
Lots of other parts are falling apart. One woman’s window wouldn’t close much of the year. The heat at the beginning of the year was quite bad, but it was only when she could show administration that snow was blowing across her bed and desk that they finally fixed it. Some of the bathrooms are okay but the boys first floor bathroom has one toilet that is not sealed correctly to the floor, and will tip off if not careful and the shower gives off a strong sulfur smell. Basically it’s like a bad NYC tenement building except you are paying a kings ransom to stay there.
TL;DR - avoid if your student has any health issues, and don’t think “healthy living” makes it better than any other dorm.