Dorms

metsfan · 03-07-2006, 12:42 PM

How nice are the dorms at Colgate, specifically East Hall (that's still the substance-free dorm, right?)? Any photos/links to photos of the dorms would also be helpful. I think I heard somewhere that there's a housing lottery, although I don't know if it's to get a dorm or preference in choosing a dorm, but does anyone know if AMS get preference in choosing dorms or anything similiar? Thanks for any replies.

jrpar · 03-07-2006, 01:00 PM

The freshman dorms are all pretty nice - lots of 3, 4 and 5 bedroom suites in the older dorms (Andrews, Stillman, East and West); Curtis is newer and has small doubles. The best part about the freshman dorms is that they are up the hill - near the classrooms and dining hall. The one freshman dorm that isn't the greatest is Gate House - it's physically separated from the rest of the dorms. It's rumored Gate House will be torn down at some point but I don't know if that's true. In June or so, incoming freshmen fill out a brief housing form - things like do you like to study in your room or not, are you neat, etc., and you rank your preferences for single, double, triple, quad, etc. AMS do not get any preference in housing.

If you go to Colgate's website, click on "Student Life", then "Housing Options", and you'll find a brief description of each dorm, a picture and floor plans.

metsfan · 03-07-2006, 01:17 PM

For the April Visit Days for AMS thing, do they just assign you to stay with some random person, or is there some other thing they do? And how do they have room for all the many prospective freshmen to stay at Colgate? Thanks again for replies.

jrpar · 03-07-2006, 01:27 PM

Current freshmen and sophomores volunteer to host prospective freshmen during April visiting days - you'll probably be put with an AMS so you can learn more about the program. I think a lot of prospects sleep on the floor or on couches in the suite living rooms - bring a sleeping bag!

existentialpony · 03-07-2006, 01:58 PM

metsfan, I'll be looking into substance-free housing (East Hall) as well. =) I'll post if I find anything out.

cat076 · 03-07-2006, 02:01 PM

when i visited in the summer, i was shown a newly renovated dorm with 3 room quads--2 bedrooms connected by a common room. i don't remember if it was for freshmen or not--it might have been for sophomores?

rachel212 · 03-07-2006, 04:46 PM

what does 'coed by room' mean?

sorry if this is ridiculously stoopid.

Oldhat · 03-07-2006, 05:32 PM

Co-ed by room means on each floor one room is girls only, and the next boys only alternating accordingly. You're not stupid, it sounds odd!!

comfortably-numb · 03-08-2006, 12:04 PM

In which dorm do you have most chances of getting a single?

mhc48 · 03-08-2006, 01:33 PM

Last year there were two different admitted students weekends, so there was plenty of opportunities to stay over. My daughter had not been planning on staying up there overnight but was able to get a spot.

The Lottery is for upperclassmen, not freshman. For Freshman, they send a questionaire in June which they use to assign rooms based on expressed preferences as to the type of person you are, roommates, neatness and number of persons sharing a room.

Someone here last year advised that if you have a preference for a particular Dorm you should write it in in the Dorm questionaire. Others said that it didn't work that way, but it did work for my daughter. But what she also did was to list preferences which practically assured that she'd have to be in the dorm she wanted. So when you visit in April, if you're not housed in the dorm you want, check it out and fill out the preferences to match its facilities. (i.e. - like wanting a quad room or sub free etc.)

Also some of the dorms are not like the traditional long halls with rooms on both sides the way you often see. Stillman for one example, has three "wings" and each wing has four quad rooms and a bathroom clustered around the central stairway on each floor. One floor is male the next female. Some people don't like that set up 'cause it somewhat limits the number of people you meet in your dorm. Instead of a lot of people down a long hall, it's 16 males or females on your particular floor. There is interplay and a common room in each wing but it's a different set up than you may expect.

jrpar · 03-08-2006, 01:46 PM

I'd agree to go ahead and write in your preferred dorm on your housing form, but my son's experience was different than mhc's daughter. He named the dorm he really wanted to be in, and ranked the types of room (i.e. double, triple, quad) found in that dorm as his top preferences, but he still ended up in another dorm in a size room that he had indicated as his last preference. He was momentarily disappointed but his dorm experience has been great this year anyways.

I don't know how many kids request substance-free, but I think you have a good chance of getting this if you request it (in which case you would be in East).

I don't know which dorm has the most singles, but I think if you list single as your top choice you have a shot. I think most kids do not request singles freshman year.