Balch Hall questions

ceruleanyankee · 06-19-2006, 10:22 AM

hey girls, this is in case you were LUCKY (and i emphasize that) to land into balch hall. i tell you this because last year i lived there and had an amazing time. many girls at first hate the fact that they live in a girls-only hall, but trust me, balch is one of the nicest dorms on campus (and don't let anyone tell you otherwise!). below are some GREAT reasons why balch is AWESOME!
1. closest dorm on north campus to central campus. cuts your walking time down by a few minutes, and makes rainy days ok when you get to just go in right away!
2. beautiful interiors- wide sweeping staircases, lounges with fireplaces and antique-style furniture. it's old-feeling without actually being old- they replace furniture all of the time.
3. BIGGEST ROOMS EVER. most singles are the size of typical doubles in other dorms, and doubles/triples are GIGANTIC.
4. wonderful in-dorm programming by RAs. i know 2 of them next year and they are AMAZING.

if you have any questions about balch (or housing in general), feel free to post them here, PM me, whatever. i'm at work, but i'll try to answer them as soon as possible!

janwu16 · 06-19-2006, 06:07 PM

i actually landed a UG double in balch hall and it said that there was a adjoining sink with the next room, so does that mean there's a bathroom between the two rooms?

mercury · 06-19-2006, 07:03 PM

Not a full bathroom, just a sink.

ceruleanyankee · 06-19-2006, 09:57 PM

correct. there are bathrooms for each unit or each section (I lived in 4-2, so both the lower/upper parts had a bathroom). You only get access to a sink/light. Most singles will share a sink (in its own room) between the two rooms, but doubles/triples/some singles have their own sinks. Just work out who will bring the soap!

norcalguy · 06-19-2006, 10:18 PM

Outside of the fact there are no guys in Balch, it really is superior to just about every other dorm. The facilities are very nice, there is a ton of programming and support, and it is very close to central campus (closer than any other dorm on North).

alright then · 06-20-2006, 12:22 PM

How many rooms/people are there in each of the units? what does it mean by unit anyway

ceruleanyankee · 06-20-2006, 12:38 PM

Ok, this is a bit confusing, but bear with me.
Balch is 'U' shaped- there are 4 units overall. If you're facing the front, standing beneath the arch at the bottom of the 'U', the two units on your left are Units 1 and 2. The two on your right (which also have the Carol Tatkon Center and Balch's Womyn's Center) are Units 3 and 4. There are 5 floors in Balch, floors 2-6. Not each unit will have rooms on each floor (ie. Unit 1 does not have a 6th floor, Unit 4 does not have a 2nd floor because of the Tatkon).
So, for example, my room from last year was 4276 (a fantastic room

). The '4' indicates the floor, 4th floor. The '2' indicates Unit 2, the left side of the 'U'. '76' is the room #.

Floors are grouped by 'unit'. I was in 4-2. Each unit/2 units has its own RA, and its own toilet. A few units are split by a few stairs, as was my unit- there was a 'lower' and an 'upper' 4-2.

Each section has its own lounge. Unit 1 has a BEAUTIFUL study lounge, Unit 2 has a TV lounge and a study lounge, Unit 3 has a TV lounge, and Unit 4 has a small TV lounge and a study lounge. You can obviously use any of the lounges. A nice benefit is also the fact that you can walk to the Tatkon Center and get a smoothie in your slippers!

I hope this was helpful/easy to understand.. if you need more clarification just let me know!

ceruleanyankee · 06-20-2006, 12:40 PM

Forgot to add, there are roughly 20-30 girls in each section (4-2, etc).

tiringil · 06-17-2007, 06:01 PM

How does the connected sinks work? Haha... like... uh locks on both side? or..

whatisinaname · 06-17-2007, 06:30 PM

i also heard that even though guys don't live there, they freely roam the halls often if you would still like play out your "oh you caught me after my shower" fantasies lol

norcalguy · 06-17-2007, 07:28 PM

lol I didn't see too many just "roaming" around alone. After all, you can't just walk into Balch if you're a guy. You need someone to let you in which means the guys who go to Balch typically have "business" of some sort.

emms732 · 06-17-2007, 07:36 PM

Hmmm, I personally did not enjoy living in Balch.

For starters, the labyrinth of narrow hallways reminded me of “The Shining.” I was seriously expecting to see a crazed, axe-wielding Jack Nicholson running around the building.

And not everyone can revel over a large room. My room was extremely small. Cornell’s tma website even has it listed as “the small double.” I couldn’t fit anything in there other than a small fridge.

Some people really do enjoy living in Balch though.... I just had a horrible experience ( i.e. a severely broken heater, a non-functional sink for 2 months, bathroom lock-downs etc)

Advantages:
-Tatkon Center- My writing seminar was held there. It was nice not having to wear snow boots to get to class.
- It is generally a quiet place to study (except on gray’s night)

seuferk · 06-17-2007, 08:40 PM

Does anyone who lived there have any pictures of the inside? I saw a couple on the classof website, but any other than that? Is it really social, I mean, I know it changes with who is where and what not, but are the girls typical? Are there mainly singles/mainly doubles?
I think that I'm happy about being in Balch--apart from the horror stories from some people. oh..just curious. what does the unit 4 side overlook? I'm in the 4360s...just curious.
thanks for the help! I enjoy reading about whats going to go on next year : )

rach719 · 06-17-2007, 09:24 PM

what does UG stand for???/
mine's like UG single...

seuferk · 06-17-2007, 10:16 PM

undergraduate

i mean....I can't think of anything else that it could be.