Best Dorm?
- Thread starter Cyfan1965
- Start date
Old RCA (Richardson Court) was amazing. I lived in Linden Hall and on the surface, its easy to turn your nose up at it (old dorm, no A/C, community bathrooms) but it was co-ed floors split right down the middle. It created a core group of friends that a decade later we still get together on a regular basis and all stay in touch. I met my best friend and roommate there and he met his eventual wife just down the hall. Ironically, my sister lived in the same dorm 4 years prior, met her husband 4 doors down the hall (they have 3 kids now in MN). It's the small things that made the difference, no a/c meant everyone kept their doors open. Community bathrooms (no they were not co-ed) meant you had to walk down the hall and not stay stuck in your room. These small things forced interactions and strong bonds that will last a lifetime!
The newer dorms are sometimes more like apartments and the people don't interact with one another the same way. In a world where everything is moving to our eyes on screens and less personal interaction with people, these things are even more valuable in creating social interactions and bonds with others! Most of our friends stayed two years in the dorms but we were ready to move on after that!
The newer dorms are sometimes more like apartments and the people don't interact with one another the same way. In a world where everything is moving to our eyes on screens and less personal interaction with people, these things are even more valuable in creating social interactions and bonds with others! Most of our friends stayed two years in the dorms but we were ready to move on after that!
Somewhere in a box in storage I still have my Nudist Christian church t-shirt from Zevs. I got in an argument with Zevs about the irony of a Nudist Church selling shirts. I wonder where he is today?
Edit - ... awesome! Zevs has a Wikipedia page! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zevs_Cosmos
I forgot about the "Blessed Virgin Jesus" part ... we used to ask him about that too but he never had much of an answer. I think it was a typo and he couldn't afford to fix it.
I lived in Friley and LOVED it! Easily the best location with its proximity to campus and campustown bars, and the Union. Everyone was very social with parties, intramural sports (1 a.m. broom ball games at the Hockey Arena!), etc. I thought it was great.
I wonder if the social aspect of the dorms has really suffered today due to all the social media and technology, etc? I was at Friley in 1988 and 1989, so back then you had to make all your own fun. Now I feel like kids just sit and play on their phones or computers on the internet all day. Am I wrong? I hope so.
College was easily the best years of my life by FAR! Not even close.
I wonder if the social aspect of the dorms has really suffered today due to all the social media and technology, etc? I was at Friley in 1988 and 1989, so back then you had to make all your own fun. Now I feel like kids just sit and play on their phones or computers on the internet all day. Am I wrong? I hope so.
College was easily the best years of my life by FAR! Not even close.
Dana House represent! You know they have co-ed floors next door in Barton, BC? Probably easier to get into than Oak or Elm.
First, I would recommend that your son fill out his housing stuff ASAP. He can change his preferences at any time up until spring, but the date submitted will determine priority.
My son is a Senior in ME. He lived is Freeman for his first two years and absolutely loved it. My daughter is a freshman in Biology/Pre Med and lives in Linden. She also loves it.
Both are older dorms in RCA. It was easy for both my kids to find a great group of friends. My son says that the older dorms are more social. The A/C is only in the dens, so it forces kids out of their rooms and into the dens the first few weeks. Both Freeman and Linden have gotten some updates in the last couple of years too. The experience for both my kids has been great.
My son is a Senior in ME. He lived is Freeman for his first two years and absolutely loved it. My daughter is a freshman in Biology/Pre Med and lives in Linden. She also loves it.
Both are older dorms in RCA. It was easy for both my kids to find a great group of friends. My son says that the older dorms are more social. The A/C is only in the dens, so it forces kids out of their rooms and into the dens the first few weeks. Both Freeman and Linden have gotten some updates in the last couple of years too. The experience for both my kids has been great.
I think Friley depended on the house you lived in. I lived in Godfrey and it sucked - nobody ever did anything as a floor. It was boring as hell. That being said, my brother-in-law lived in one of the 5th floor houses (blanking on the name) and he had a completely different experience than I did in Friley and has friends he's still in contact with today. I developed those kinds of friends in Helser (unfortunately I only lived there for one semester as Woodrow was shut down later that year) and in Roberts (Harriman House was probably my favorite dorm experience at Iowa State).
Larch - Wolf House any other answer is wrong. Of course I was there in the mid 90s so it might have changed since I lived there.
Given all of Helsers draw backs I still loved the place. Spent two years there. Met a bunch of guys freshman year that all decided to do one more and all get our own super single room.
In the end it was the shittiness and small quarters that brought everyone out of their rooms and out of their shells. Still keep in touch with most of them and some are my closest friends to date.
In the end it was the shittiness and small quarters that brought everyone out of their rooms and out of their shells. Still keep in touch with most of them and some are my closest friends to date.
I lived in Larch in 2014. The decor hadn't been touched for 30 years I don't think, but they have since remodeled. Either way, it's by far the best dorm. Easy to get to know people, close enough to campus, close to Hilton. Seasons is a good cafeteria.
Well, that's the point. Things change. It may no longer be a psych ward. Most of the students living there in 1993 probably aren't there any more.
Also I knew some gals from Barton who were much less psych ward material than some of our more colorful Dana House compadres...
D
Deleted member 8507
Guest
Zevs wasn't a college kid. He was probably in his early 30s. He probably made nearly double digit dollars selling Nudist Christian Church t-shirts and bumper stickers.
I spent my freshman year in Larch back in 2002-03, and I’m very glad that I did. It was quite the social place back then, and I still am good friends with quite a few people I met in Larch hall. Meeting new people and learning other people’s point of view is one of the best parts of college. I would encourage anyone to start college in a fun coed dorm because of that. No matter where someone lives it will be up to them to be responsible and go to class, etc. Might as well meet new friends and have fun along the way.
The lower two floors of Barton are an honors house Anders (basment floor was female and the 2nd floor was male). The upper two are Tappan which is all female. I lived in Anders my 1st, 3rd and 4th years (lived on campus due to my scholarship) and in Tappan my 2nd year. I liked living on the co-ed floor better. An honors house worked for me cause I’m a nerd, but I had guy friends in BWR and they loved it there. There always seemed to be a good community feel in Old RCA plus you could move up into pretty large rooms as upper classman.
I was Jones House in Helser from 89-91. Might have been the smallest House on campus then. Fun time!
I lived in Welch Cassell my first year (randomly assignment) and Lyon Barker my 2nd year. If I wasn't a business student, not sure I would've lived in Lyon th 2nd year. It was so close to gerdin so that was perfect. Had some great times in Richardson court.
I would recommend friley for your son. All his classes are going to be over on that side of campus. Also, don't have him live in something new or nice his first year (Martin, Geoffrey, Fredrickson court). The old gross dorm is a vital part of your first year of college. Plus that's how you make your friends. Friley will be perfect for him.
Also, living on the side of campus your classes are on, is huge.
I would recommend friley for your son. All his classes are going to be over on that side of campus. Also, don't have him live in something new or nice his first year (Martin, Geoffrey, Fredrickson court). The old gross dorm is a vital part of your first year of college. Plus that's how you make your friends. Friley will be perfect for him.
Also, living on the side of campus your classes are on, is huge.
Just adding to this but recently even Tappan is now co-ed. Top floor is all male and the third floor is all female. This was back in 2013 and 2014. Wouldn’t trade my experience in there for any other dorm. I still talk to multiple friends from my time living there. We were always in the hallways talking to everyone who would open their doors. Pretty sure we have the CAs a headache most of the time with our shenanigans.
I always thought the more attractive women in RCA were from tappan, should have dated them more than the lower floor, or at least skipped the one I did.
