Choosing the Right Dorm After Acceptance

Many high school seniors are getting to the point in their college selection process that they’ve narrowed down their choices and are making some progress towards college enrollment.  This might mean that the student has already made their final selection, or they’re down to a top two or three but want to make sure they aren’t feeling behind with enrollment. For those who are at a point that they’re making housing deposits or choosing their freshman year dorm, I’ve compiled some things to keep in mind before making decisions.

Dorm Features & Amenities

Most campuses will have a recreation center, but did you know some dorms also have gyms in the building?  You might also find some that have dining options, lecture halls, community or private bathrooms, balconies, and even pools.  If there is an amenity that is important to your student, include that on your “must have” or “would be nice” list. It’s also important to keep in mind how old the dorm is if that matters to your student.  Newer dorms will likely be nice and shiny with fancy amenities, but will cost quite a bit more than the traditional-style dorm that was around when their parents went to school. Cost matters and needs to be weighed along with all of the other features and amenities!

Size & Layout

Dorms come in all different sizes, housing as few as less than 50 students and as much as thousands of students.  It might be separated by gender by floor, or by wing, or it might be a completely gendered dorm. Students will arguably have very different experiences depending on the size of the dorm, with larger halls often considered more “social” and smaller halls labeled more “close-knit.”  Some schools also have single rooms, double rooms, triple rooms, or quad rooms, and bathrooms shared amongst the wing or suite-style bathrooms shared with just a few students (but cleaned less frequently!).

Special Interest Groups

It has become common for colleges to offer themed wings or floors, such as an engineering wing, a nursing floor, or a cultural wing like an African American wing.  These would be noted on the school’s residence life website, but if your student is interested, I recommend looking into it sooner than later in case it fills up. These are really appealing to some students who really want to live with like-minded students, but other students don’t want to be around the same students all the time - so it’s totally up to each individual student on their preference!

Location

Some schools have dorms clustered together, but other schools have them spread out throughout campus.  If your student has options as a freshman, pull out a campus map and see where the dorm is located. Is it close to the rec center, where your student will spend most of their time?  Where’s the nearest dining hall? Tutoring center? Location, location, location is definitely something to keep in mind!

The “Freshman” Dorm

With all of this said… many schools, especially smaller schools, have one dorm building for freshmen so there aren’t many (or any) options to choose from.  Having all of the freshmen live together in one space is a pretty incredible experience and a great opportunity for growth, friendship, and camaraderie.

Choosing a dorm is just a small part of the college admissions and enrollment process, but it’s one that will affect your student’s entire first year experience.  I highly recommend walking around to see even just the exterior of the various options when you’re on campus for a visit and even asking students coming out of the halls how they feel about living there.  Remember there is no bad option if your student is on the right campus!