On a dorm choice note, S23 lucked out with his random roommate and the dorm he got freshman year. At Cuse, it truly is a lottery unless you do an LLC.
And D25 chose to do an LLC (it was a scholarship she had to apply for an write an essay about and get teacher LOR for) so she knows exactly what dorms she will be in. The 360 Video tour. https://youtu.be/BPPibMx09hk?si=IpA7RdQU-o_2WGiB
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Those videos are maddening. No real sense of how the room is laid out, and the strange background âmusicâ choices.
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I just mute the music. Compared to my sonâs, this was way more detailed info! We went in totally blind with his dorm not knowing true layout or any dimensions at all. Didnât even know if there was carpet or not.
As for D25âs dorm layout, I have seen a few different ways. Some have moved desks into bedroom area and created a new living area chill space, others leave the desks out there for quiet study area. Most seem to put the dresser into the closet but we shall see. D25 likes to hang things up.
Troutman Hall featuresEach room features:
- Twin-XL bed: Each resident has a Twin-XL bed (36âW x 80âL) with options to bunk, raise (up to 32â of under-bed storage) or loft.
- Two dressers: Each room includes a 6-drawer dresser (30.25"W x 20.25"D x 48.25"H) per student for convenient storage.
- Desk and chair: Every resident has a dedicated study area with a desk (38"W x 24"D x 30.5"H) and desk chair.
- Two closets: A closet (6âW x 2â6"D) per student for storage.
- Internet: Convenient Wi-Fi plus Ethernet hook-up available.
- Shower curtain and window curtains: Equipped with privacy accessories for added comfort.
Approximate room dimensions: - Bedroom - 10â 1/2" wide by 15â 1/2" long
- Common room - 8â10" by 15â 1/2"long
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I love when they actually include a floorplan. 
When schools also give room dimensions, I give hallelujahs!
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Thatâs really nice!
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With S23 this is all we gotâŠRoom types in Lawrinson Hall include singles, split doubles, and corner doubles. Furnishings include a bed (XL twin), desk, desk chair, dresser, and closet for each student.
So yes, I am actually stoked that D25âs has more info! For S23 I searched the internet for potential info from past students and did get a few not so great old student videos which were better than nothing. I made it my mission to bring a tape measure and post actual dimensions for future parents of Lawrinson Hall kids. 
One of pros for her final choice was that the dorms were all suite style with no communal bathrooms, thereâs 1 of the main dining halls in the dorm complex plus other spots such as the quick market for fast grab pizza and sushi, and a Subway so she has plenty of food options without having to walk in the weather if she doesnât want to. A pro for me was that its only $3200 a semester for the dorm.
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Itâs funny, my DH went to Syracuse (many moons ago, from 1991 to 1995, lol) â and he had a split double as both a freshman and sophomore, I think. Iâve actually never heard of this type of room at any other university!
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He only had it his freshman year. This year he had an open suite in Booth which was similar to what his sister will be in minus the bathroom. S23 says he misses the pod bathrooms he had last year where each toilet/sink/shower is an individual room with a locked door. But he said he communal bathrooms this year are still going to be way nicer than the frat house bathrooms he is moving into next year. yuck.
My D25 probably counted dorm quality as the top criteria for college choice. She and I did a lot of researchâthere are a lot of Tour My Room/Room Tour for college dorms on YouTube. She really liked that some of the communal bathrooms have the floor to ceiling privacy doors. (I will tell you as someone who has watched a lot of dorm room tours that many donât show you the common bathroomâit is really a missed opportunity, kids.) So, if the schoolâs webpage isnât super helpful, try to google the name of the freshman dorms to get ideas. (Or, if you are like us, you will watch all of them for each potential dorm.) 
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@DivineMarshmallow Iâm a Baylor grad ('99) and have family who live in Waco and work at BU. DM me if you want housing tips! I lived in North Russell, and Collins is the other traditional freshman dorm, but I know there are probably other options now. I went pot luck for my roommate, and matched with a great person. Never besties, but good roommates. I ended up in a local apartment one block from campus with 3 other girls from my hall for years 2-4. Off-campus housing has always been readily available and affordable in Waco. I have a lot of friends who have kids there/headed there too!
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My daughter also had a suite in Booth this year! We just moved her out yesterday actually. She was not thrilled with the communal bathrooms, but it actually wasnât bad at all. She had a great experience at Booth! I canât believe they are half way done with undergrad at âCuseâŠ
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One more data point; I am an HC alumna and itâs my D26âs first choice (as of now, she will apply ED). The bullet points Iâd say about HC is that itâs a close community; good school spirit; religion is not foisted upon students (neither I nor my daughter are religious); I had great experiences with professors; Worcester weather can be rough (but weâre from San Diego County).
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On communal bathrooms, have also heard feedback from students that some of the prefer them because they are properly cleaned daily or sometimes multiple times a day, whereas en-suite bathrooms are the responsibility of the roommates and there is often some difference of opinion on how clean they need to be or differing levels of effort going into it ..
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Thank you so much! Her first 2 choices are residential colleges with a 2 year commitment (actually really key in her decision to attend; these seem pretty rare unless in honors at most colleges)âŠwhich takes the pressure off of finding an apartment for her sophomore year. I will definitely reach out later though. Baylor seems like a wonderful communityâweâre very excited!
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D25 just got an email from Univ of Toronto thanking her for accepting their offer. But she did not accept! I hope this is a wonky glitch. (We love UofT, just too cold.) I told her to check her portal.
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This:
Is exactly how my son feels. He doesnât want to clean the bathroom himself, and assumes most people donât like cleaning bathrooms. Therefore, a private bathroom would probably not be as clean as he wants it, because no one would be inclined to clean it. Heâd much rather have the communal bathroom and outsource the cleaning.
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This is completely off topic, but if you want to help out a really nice, talented class of 2025 kid, one of S25âs friends is competing on American Idol. His name is Slater Nalley. Voting will be open tonight from 8:00 until around 9:45.
You can also text 11 to 21523 to vote for Slater.
10 votes per method.
Thanks in advance! (I hope this isnât against the rules!)
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Serial posting today. In the you take the good with the bad department⊠I found out S25 decided to skip school on a day he had an AP Stats test and tanked his grade. I also found out he was named Athlete of the Week which was a big surprise. Today has been a roller coaster!
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Anyone elseâs kid have AP Chem tomorrow? D25 has 3 AP tests this week. Weâre in the home stretch!
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No chem for my humanities kid (no need to torture yourself unnecessarily), but 3 APâs this week and 1 next. Definitely in the home stretch. Good luck to all!
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