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I have started checking out colleges and the one thing I have noticed is the dorms. Every time I visit a college, they wow me with all the good stuff and the pretty buildings and wonderful academic programs. Then at the end when they have made their good impressions, they show you the dorms. All of the dorms have made me sick, they are so unclean, the buildings are falling apart, and the smell is putrid. What really bothers me is the cleanliness, I am a neat freak and can't stand a dirty mess. I don't need the ritz, just something decent and clean.

Now I am faced with a difficult decision. Either try to get used to the "dorm lifestyle" or drive 1.5 hours one way to a school I sort of like.

By Dave Berry on Sunday, June 09, 2002 - 03:37 pm: Edit

Interesting observation, Mike. Usually, most college tours show their best and newest dorms. There's no doubt that the dorm experience is one of the key aspects of a college education (at least for a year or two). After that, you may be able to seek off-campus housing. I'm not sure what the first-year housing requirements are for your candidate schools, but maybe you could live off campus from Day One. Have you thought about that?

OTOH, if you can hack the dorm conditions, you're likely to develop some great long-term friendships as well as learning what it's like to compromise in close-in group situations. Some time after graduation, you may find yourself living in an apartment where your dorm social skills will come in handy. Just a thought.

By Dadster on Sunday, June 09, 2002 - 04:10 pm: Edit

I've notice the same thing, Mike. Sometimes the colleges make a point to tour the newest & best dorm, but often it seems to be up to where the tour guide has a buddy.

You might consider trying for a single room - you'd have a bit of control over your own environment that way. That's often tough for a freshman, though. Maybe if you tell them you practice violin 6 to 8 hours per day they'll cut you some slack! ;-)

By Roger (Roger) on Monday, June 10, 2002 - 10:30 pm: Edit

Dorm life takes some adjustment, Mike, but I think you'll find the friendships you develop are worth the attempt. It will almost certainly prove to be better than commuting.

By Evekarma (Evekarma) on Saturday, September 07, 2002 - 03:06 pm: Edit

Here's a question along these lines. I've been looking at both George Washington and American to apply to next year. GW has a wonderful website that shows all the dorms and types of rooms, etc. It's very informative. On the other hand, American doesn't even have any pictures of the outside of dorms on their website or in their viewbook. This concerns me because as a freshman, I'd like to request a single room because of my health problems. I'd like to know what American offers, and right now I'm really liking GW because I could have a single room or if that couldn't happen, a double with a private bath.

So my question really is: Should I be wary of American's dorms, or wait until I visit to judge?

Has anyone gone to American or visited and knows what the dorms are like?

I'd appreciate any information/advice. Thanks in advance!

Lisa (EveKarma)

By Dadster on Saturday, September 07, 2002 - 06:01 pm: Edit

Hi, Lisa. You can wait until you visit, or you could contact the housing office and see if they have any info for prospective students. Some colleges have been really good about getting useful info onto their web site, while others haven't been as aggressive. I don't think that always means you should be wary of the dorm situation, it may just reflect a slower adoption of the web to distribute information.

By Rhonda on Monday, September 09, 2002 - 11:28 am: Edit

Lisa, if you have a health reason for needing a single room, you should contact the housing office at AU (and GW, too, b/c even if their dorms are nice, i've heard they're pretty crammed) to make sure they will be able to accomodate you. You don't want to find out too late that they can't or won't.

By Jkazoo (Jkazoo) on Tuesday, September 10, 2002 - 01:10 pm: Edit

We have visited American and seen the interior of the a dorm. I would call them "standard" in terms of size and layout. They do have one entire wall of built-ins - dressers, closets, and general storage space. The bathrooms are not private, but there is one for men and one for women on each floor. I don't know about the availability of singles.

It is possible to view the interior of a dorm on American's website, but it is not that easy to navigate. Look for the virtual tour. At the exterior of one of the dorms, your cursor will become a little doorway - double click on that and you will work your way into the building.

By BillG on Tuesday, September 10, 2002 - 08:13 pm: Edit

At the exterior of one of the dorms, your cursor will become a little doorway...

School tours by the developers of Myst? What's next, an easter egg in the girl's locker room...?

By Rachel Tucker on Friday, November 08, 2002 - 02:54 pm: Edit

Is it better to room with a friend or a stranger?

By gwgirl on Monday, November 11, 2002 - 04:03 pm: Edit

I go to GW and the dorms are sooo much better than any other school I can think of. There is a full dorm of freshman singles, and that is the only dorm on campus that doesnt have private bathrooms per room. the main freshman dorms, are "crammed" as far as the other dorms on campus tho, but are 10,000 times better than most sophomore dorms even at other schools. And upperclassmen dorms are awesome. I live in one called "city hall", im a sophomore. i live in a triple, we have a bedroom, a main room, a huge marble bathroom, 4 closets, a kitchen and a balcony overlooking an outdoor pool that is open from may-the end of september. it was rated #6 best dorm in the NY times. GO GW!

By Ang on Wednesday, November 20, 2002 - 12:16 am: Edit

This is for Rachel Tucker. I am a freshmen in college and I started out living with a girl from my hometown. She wasn't one of my good friends, but I was comfortable with her. Which may have been the problem. I already knew her so we didn't feel obligated to meet the other kids on our floor, or even the other kids in our hall. There were pros and cons to living with someone I already knew. I knew I could trust her, which is nice... but I didn't make any new friends very quickly either. I know kids who have roomed with their friends and end up hating each other, and I know kids who roomed with someone new and ended up best friends... If you are going to be attending college with someone you know, start out rooming with new people. That way you can each make new friends and introduce each other to these people giving you both a larger pool of new friends... just some food for thought.

By Julia on Wednesday, February 12, 2003 - 02:38 pm: Edit

rachel tucker:
definitely DON'T room with your friend, . ang is rite!! one of my friends roomed with her friend and they ended up hating each other!!! Maybe you could live across the hall from each other or maybe next door. living in close quarters for long periods of time is a friendship ruiner FOR SURE!
just a lil help!
-julia

By Nick on Saturday, February 15, 2003 - 05:26 am: Edit

Living in the dorms is great. I am a senior at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and have lived in one type or another since I came as here as a freshman in August 1999. I live in the grad dorms now even though I am un undergrad. It has about 80 sq feet which doenst seem like Buckingham Palace but if you know how to use your space, and judge what to bring and what to leave at home it works to your advantage. Oh yeah I am a messy little f*cker so cleaning my little hole in the wall is a breeze.

By basic on Sunday, February 16, 2003 - 09:54 am: Edit

What are the dorms like at SUNY Buffalo,does anyone know?

By Cornellian 2007 on Sunday, February 16, 2003 - 10:07 am: Edit

I went on a tour there. I remember the tour showed a double in the Elicott (I think that's the name?) dorm. The room was very nice, but no air conditioning. I remember the campus and town were ugly as hell, but the dorm rooms were the only part of campus that I thought were reasonably nice.

By Lucky (Lucky) on Sunday, February 16, 2003 - 01:59 pm: Edit

On the Princeton Review 345 Best Colleges online list, these are the listings that SUNY - Buffalo earned:

#15: Class Discussions Rare
#20: Professors Suck All Life From Materials
#15: Teaching Assistants Teach Too Many Upper-Level Courses
#20: Long Lines And Red Tape
#02: Lots Of Beer
#02: Lots Of Hard Liquor
#13: Major Frat And Sorority Scene
#06: Party Schools
#07: Reefer Madness
#13: Least Happy Students

You can find this listing (and explanations) here:
http://www.princetonreview.com/college/research/profiles/rankings.asp?listing=1024014&LTID=1

With those things in mind, I would definitely take heed to these listings. SUNY - Buffalo didn't get any positive rankings, and in fact, they're pretty horrid. It says nothing of dorms but I think, at this school, those are the least of your worries.

Rankings aren't everything most certainly, but considering that this school had NO positive listings, you should keep that in mind.

Lucky

By Fifie on Tuesday, February 18, 2003 - 11:55 pm: Edit

How are the dorm like in Alabama state and florida state University

By DeeJayWhadeva on Thursday, February 20, 2003 - 11:26 pm: Edit

As a college student I have made great effort to secure a single room, many months before the next semester. I am a bachelor, and have almost no social life whatsoever (its all good), although I read, study and pray alot. Nevertheless, my aloneness is central to my peace of mind, although most students I've met either don't mind sharing rooms with others, or look forward to it.
A girl I know relies on her two roomates to get by, the same way I rely on my own space to get through semesters. However, the key I think is keeping an open mind and always talking about anything that comes up about living with your roomates: freindly and mellow ways to say "would you mind getting the trash this time?" are key, that is, you have to be proactive in keeping your space and the space you share clean and organized - or at the least, sanitized and not in anybody's way. Living with roomates is okay, but
personally, in my first few semesters, it was mostly a matter of constant intense partying, drinking and drugs, and violence at times, which was causing me to want to leave college. Instead,
I talked it all out with college councelors, and I was able to get a single room for the 5 semesters I've been here since. If not for that I would have transferred to a more cohesive university. Also, it seems that in some college towns and cities, there are lower cost rooms you can rent for low cost, esp. if you're a student.
There might also be some way to work it all out with Financial Aid people, if you're willing to wait for hours and able to quickly get the people behind the desk to understand your situation and concerns. Whatever happens, college is a totally beneficial situation, and a blessing. I've found if I really "can't stand it" there's a professor or councelor I can talk to at my University who really understands. Good luck finding a compatible location. Peace

By Dts (Dts) on Tuesday, March 25, 2003 - 09:59 pm: Edit

where can i find a list of the best/worst dorms? as on Ny times? cant seem to find it..

By Girldevil (Girldevil) on Tuesday, July 01, 2003 - 03:22 pm: Edit

how are the dorms of Duke University East Campus? neone visited them ??

By Daffodil22 (Daffodil22) on Thursday, April 22, 2004 - 09:38 pm: Edit

I visited both GW and American, and AU's dorms were nicer. The rooms are bigger and the buildings are newer. However, GW's dorm rooms have private bathrooms!