W&M Freshman Dorms

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is also an incoming Freshman. I've heard that dorms with a large number of suites can feel cliquey to those who aren't in suites. And they can make it harder for kids to get to know others on their hall. For this reason, my kid is favoring dorms with hall bathrooms and more doubles and singles. For that reason, she'd prefer Barrett to Lemon or Chandler. The newer dorms - Pine and Poplar, would be good too, but there's no guarantee she'll get one. I'm trying to encourage an open mind that no matter what happens, she'll have a great year, and she'll bond with her dormmates. I hope kids these days still leave their doors open like they did when we were in college. That's a pretty clear signal.

This was true for my sons. My oldest and youngest both went/go to W&M (youngest is a sophomore at W&M this year.). They were both in GGV and were very friendly with all the guys on their floor: 16 guys, 1 hall bathroom. They also congregated in their common area on the ground floor because their room was not air conditioned. That first month of school, their room was like an oven.

My middle DS went to another college and was in a suite style dorm his first year (jack and jill type setup) with a shared bathroom between two dorm rooms. His room was also air conditioned. My middle DS is extremely introverted and did not go out of his way to meet the guys on his floor. But the bathroom situation didn't help him with meeting the guys in his dorm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would pick Chandler over Barret

Why?

[Anonymous]

Did anyone have a student live in Monroe last year? How did the room selection work out? TY.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP— my upperclassman is going to be in Pine next year in the “Global Village” aka, they are housing all the modern language hoses together on Pine 4th floor. I believe floors 1-2 of Pine are freshman, 3 is upperclassmen and 4 is Global Village.

Here’s what she knows aboutPine— 4 dorms and a new Food Court and they all have tree names so students are calling the complex “the Forest”. That’s pretty much it.

No one has been in these dorms yet, so not other insights. The description does say single use bathrooms like Lemon/ Hardy and the new “Cedar” dorm. That’s also the set up in current language housing and she really likes it. Rather than the mass of stalls and showers in large bathrooms, it is a bunch of single use bathrooms, some with just toilets, and some that also have showers. So, a lot more privacy.

She was in Reves freshman year. Small dorm and it went fast (but before the construction boom, many freshman dorms didn’t have AC, which Reves did). She had a really high housing number and could have gotten a Lemon single, and snagged the last Reves room with her roommate. She liked the smaller atmosphere. Some kids would want a bigger, more. bustling dorm.

For the last couple years, most juniors and seniors have had to live off campus. During housing selection this year, with all the new dorms coming on line, there were spots for any upperclassman that wanted one. Traditionally, more kids have chosen to stay on campus than at other, larger schools. The last 2 years with construction, they’ve had to move off. I would imagine that with so many new dorms, they will get back to more upperclassmen living on campus— especially because off campus housing near campus has been expensive and hard to find.

This all sounds amazing. What a great time to be going to W&M. The next couple years will be even better once Phase 1 is completed. Wow!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would pick Chandler over Barret

Why?

I am not the poster, and I would like to hear why, too.. guessing it's because Chandler was more recently renovated (2016), and Barrett is on the list to be renovated soon? I did notice that Chandler has suite-style rooms and Barrett does not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would pick Chandler over Barret

Why?

I am not the poster, and I would like to hear why, too.. guessing it's because Chandler was more recently renovated (2016), and Barrett is on the list to be renovated soon? I did notice that Chandler has suite-style rooms and Barrett does not.

I’ve heard it’s harder for kids to meet people in suite configurations but maybe I’m wrong about that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would pick Chandler over Barret

Why?

I am not the poster, and I would like to hear why, too.. guessing it's because Chandler was more recently renovated (2016), and Barrett is on the list to be renovated soon? I did notice that Chandler has suite-style rooms and Barrett does not.

I’ve heard it’s harder for kids to meet people in suite configurations but maybe I’m wrong about that.

Most/ All of the dorms in the new quad and the Hardy-Lemon-Cedar are largely traditional hall style with some suites— really rooms sharing a lounge. But, mostly traditional. Some of the new dorms have hall style bathrooms, but they are leaning into single occupancy bathroom. You’ll want to look at the floor plans.

[Anonymous]

The scale of updates coming this fall is notable. 25% of on-campus beds will completely new or completely renovated.

[Anonymous]

The new dorms look incredible. Is dorm selection random? Is there a deep discount for the old dorms with no AC?

[Anonymous]

When I saw what Pine Hall is going to offer, I told my daughter it is easily the nicest dorm I have ever come across. Every room has its own thermostat so she will be able to set the temperature the way she likes it. No more sweating through the early fall or piling on sweatshirts in the winter. The bathrooms are private and single use, not the old-school shared ones with rows of stalls. Each floor has a big lounge with a full kitchen, including real ovens and space to cook something other than ramen. There are quiet study rooms at the ends of the halls so she can find a peaceful place to work without having to leave the building. The outdoor terraces really impressed me. She can sit out there with a book or have a relaxed conversation with friends in the fresh air. It is right next to the new dining hall and that pedestrian bridge makes it so easy to get to the Sadler Center and the heart of campus. I told her if she gets into Pine Hall she is going to have one of the most comfortable college living situations out there.

[Anonymous]

This investment is long overdue. W&M’s dining and housing options have been such an embarrassment for so long (D+ rating in Niche), it’s surprising the school is so competitive, especially among the 40% OOS students who are comparing it to similarly priced privates (offering merit) with much better facilities. These things matter to prospective students and I’m glad W&M’s facilities will finally match its strong academic offerings. It’s about time!

[Anonymous]

The renovations and new constructions are gorgeous, after looking online. Don't know how they're affording it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The renovations and new constructions are gorgeous, after looking online. Don't know how they're affording it.

"William & Mary will use a multi-faceted approach to develop and fund different aspects of the plan through a combination of traditional university financing, leveraging its relationship with the William & Mary Real Estate Foundation and seeking public-private partnerships with third party developers."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The renovations and new constructions are gorgeous, after looking online. Don't know how they're affording it.

Dorms and dining halls are usually funded with revenue bonds, meaning they are paid for from a portion of future room and board fees. In this case, they also did it with a public private partnership to accelerate it.

[Anonymous]

The construction is running behind. Kids in GGV have been told the dorm will be used in the fall.