A student’s residence hall can determine the quality of their college experience-how long their walk to class is and what people they will meet. These are also the places where most students will experience having their first roommate, making new friendships and living on their own for the first time.

Lydia Pratt, a junior international relations major, lived in Koonce Hall in Tri-Towers her freshman year in 2019. Tri-Towers is located on the east side of campus near Eastway. 

For some students, dorms provide a convenient walk to classes and dining halls. “It was pretty close to my class, never more than a 10 minute walk,” Pratt said. 

Athena Zerefos, a senior biology pre-med major, has lived in Stopher, Leebrick and Centennial Court B. She had the opposite experience in her first residence hall. 

“I liked living in Stopher because the rooms were really nice, but it was far from the library, my classes and the dining halls,” Zerefos said. 

Something else the dorms offer is a living space where students do not have to worry about the extra costs of living.

“Living in the dorms has definitely been a positive experience for me. It’s nice that you don’t have to worry about buying furniture and stuff like you would living in an apartment” Zerefos stated. 

Something both students could agree on was the residence halls’ community bathrooms. 

“What I disliked most about Koonce was the community bathrooms. Not many people cleaned up after themselves and it was just always messy everywhere,” Pratt said. 

Athena agreed stating that when living in Leebrick hall the bathrooms were “nasty.”

Despite the negatives about the dorms, Pratt would still recommend Koonce Hall to a friend or an incoming freshman. 

“I had a really fun freshman year, I learned a lot about campus and met a lot of people. I think all of Tri-Towers, not just Koonce, is a great place to live your first year and I would tell a friend the same.”

Jordan Coleman is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].