<p>I am a first year student (2011 class) who wants to get a room in the upper/lower apartments. Which is better, the upper or the lower apartments? I heard that the apartment is pretty isloated and everyone there is a sophomore=bad for freshman? I would actualy mcuh rather live in a residence hall, but I don’t have anywhere to stay for the quarter breaks, I live way up in Norcal. WHich is better for first year people genrally, as in food, hanging out, etc, apartments or rez hall? And if apartments, which one?</p>
<p>errr, well which college are u in? i’m a freshman living in the erc apartments right now, but i’ve lived in the res halls 1st/fall quarter, and tell you the truth, i don’t really mind living in either one. but if you want to stay over breaks, then i recommend you ask for apartments (we still get running water/electricity during breaks unlike the res halls who have to clean out/unplug refrigerators and other such things). it definitely is quieter in the apartment areas, but its easier for me to study though, and it’s not like you are completely alone when you need help with hw, or wanna have someone to go get food from the nearest dining hall because i believe your apartment suite is still all freshmen (at least this is how it is for me). most of the apartments actually don’t have ocean view, cept maybe (mayyyyybe) the top floors of the muir apartments because the apartments are either more to the center of the campus than the res halls, and/or shorter than the res halls.</p>
<p>I am assuming you are a TMC student. I chose to live in the lower apartments as a freshman because I wanted my own room. What a mistake that was! Sure, having your own room definitely comes in handy but unless you plan to just study and don’t socialize, you will regret living in the apartments, especially the lowers. The uppers are more happening because they are clustered into a quad, while lowers are stretched into a long line. However, one drawback to uppers is that there are no single rooms. </p>
<p>I think the apartments are not very happening in terms of social life because of difficulty in gaining access. Unless you know one of the people living there, no one will open the door for you. Meanwhile in the dorms (resident hall), guys and girls suites alternate and people come and go freely as they please and just hang out. It?s like summer camp with little supervision and ground rules.</p>
<p>So going back to living in the lowers, all four of us in the apartment were freshmen and we used to go by the dorms and envy how much fun people were having. If you go to the cafeteria (Ocean View Terrace) and see people eating by themselves, they are from the apartments. Meanwhile, the dorm people come in a huge group and seem like they are having the time of their lives.</p>
<p>I know that triple rooms don’t sound too appealing and there are definite drawbacks to living in the dorms such as the noise and sharing the bathroom with a bunch of people. However, the people you will meet and the experience you will have will overcome all the inconveniences. Since you are allowed to live in the dorms only your freshman year, you won’t get another chance. Strangely, what I miss most about the dorms, during the times that I was invited in, were the late night discussions about some random topics in life.</p>