What is the difference and what are the pluses and minus of both?
The difference is the shape. The rectangle shape is the rectangle shape you would imagine. The z-room is shaped … like a z. I don’t know exactly how to describe it except it’s sorta like 2 small rooms connected in a way that looks like a z. I’m really not doing it justice. Also, the z-room shape is only found in the Southwest residential area, whereas the regular rooms are all over campus.
I recommend exploring the UMass housing website and looking at the floor plans for a general idea about the shape. They also have 360 degree room tours so you can compare the z shape and the regular. It will make more sense than what I just wrote lol.
A lot of people want z-rooms because it is sorta like 2 rooms in one so each roommate can take a side if they want (the window side is sought after). So there’s a greater sense of privacy. However, the 2 rooms are NOT equal. So it sucks if you are stuck on the smaller side. Some roommates just put both beds on the same half to solve this issue.
thanks!