1. JJ's Place is a campus dining location that's open until 3 am. They sell all sorts of snacks, and sandwiches (the chicken parm sandwich is my fave), and pizza, and smoothies....
2. So far, everyone I know that lives in Furnald really like it. It's known for being less social than the other dorms, but each floor has lots of events to do together, like go down to 42nd St to see Harry Potter as a group (tickets are paid for). A lot of people say that they DON'T like Furnald because it's a bit competitive to get in.
3. Check out Columbia's description of the LLC at
http://www.studentaffairs.columbia.edu/resprograms/llc/
4.
Carman:
pros: you'll meet a lot of people your first year, it's air-conditioned, the elevators are fast, if you get a high floor (8+) you get beautiful views of manhattan or the campus, and it's 4 to each bathroom. it's also right next to lerner hall.
cons: it's not as nice-looking as the other dorms and you'll probably need to leave the dorm to study. Also, it's all doubles (but large ones!)
John Jay:
pros: you'll meet a reasonable amount of people your first year, it's mostly singles (and they're kinda small), and the health center and two dining locations are right downstairs. It has a nice lounge too, with a piano, and also has great views of the campus and of manhattan (and you'll have a better chance of getting a room with one than Carman).
cons: the elevator is insanely slow, and it doesn't go all the way up. also, there's no air conditioning, and since it's corridor-style, there's only one community bathroom per floor (for each gender)
Hartley-Wallach:
pros: you'll get to know upperclassmen right away and the suites have kitchens. most suites (of 11-16 people each) have two bathrooms, it's fully-carpeted, and suites are provided with cable tv at no extra charge
cons: the LLC isn't as big a deal as it sounds, and being a first-year in either one of these dorms guarantees you a double. the views aren't very nice either, and there's no air-conditioning
Furnald:
pros: it's pretty classy, and has a beautiful lounge. rooms have giant bulletin boards, so you can post whatever all over your wall. it's right next to lerner hall and right on broadway, as well.
cons: rooms are small, and there's one bathroom per floor for each gender. the views aren't nice, and are equal to hartley-wallach's. the elevator doesn't go to the top floor.
One thing I didn't mention before is that all of the first-year dorms are located on south campus to foster a sense of community right away. whichever dorm you're in, it's really nice to walk out and see almost nothing but first-years walking around.