Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign dorm question..

[Sukhoi]

What would you guys suggest as the top dorms for freshman engineering students? I know Townsend is closest to the engineering quad, but it doesn't sound like there are too many freshman in it, and it's supposed to be hard to get into anyway.

I'm leaning toward the Gregory Drive and Peabody Drive dorms...the ones on Florida and Pennsylvania are just too far away. So out of those dorms, I guess my list is Forbes, Garner, Hopkins, Scott, Snyder (though I don't know if I like the substance free part), and Weston. Any advantages or disadvantages of them? I'd be getting a standard double room. It looks like the first three dorms I mentioned have an exercise room, while the last three have a large library.

Oh, and for meal plans, 20 meals or 14? I think I might get 14 and then make breakfast for myself. It can't be that hard to buy a box of stuff to eat.

 

[johnjohn320]

Tonwsend isn't that hard to get into...my sister was in the female dorm right next to it last year.

 

[Sukhoi]

But are there many freshman in it? I'd like to be in a mostly freshman dorm if possible.

 

[johnjohn320]

I dunno, but Wardhall (the one my sister was in righ next to Townsend) was mostly freshmen.

 

[Sukhoi]

Actually I noticed on the back of the housing form that Townsend is only 30% freshmen.

It looks like the freshman dorms at the Florida and Pennsylvania ones. They are all 70% freshmen. Any preferences on them? From what I can tell, Florida dorms are newer, much larger, have A/C, cost $100 a year more, have an exercise room, and are slightly farther away. The Pennsylvania dorms are older, smaller, and a bit closer to campus.

 

[johnjohn320]

Why do you care if it's mostly freshmen?

 

[axelfox]

that campus is freakin' huge and when it snows, its over.........

 

[PowerMac4Ever]

Nah, you want to get into a dorm with lots of upper classmen. They will tell you which professors and classes are easy and whatnot.

btw, congrats on getting in. U of I is an excellent school and admission has been very competitive the past few years.

 

[KokomoGST]

Well, for freshman engineering students... just by sheer numbers of engineering students, I'd say ISR... if you can get in.
PAR is good community if you're lucky to have a "good floor"... then there's Six-pack (the Champaign residences), where its kinda partypartyparty due to the fact that of all the frats nearby. Once you get used to the bus routes at PAR/FAR, it's not bad. Substance-free... almost laughable... ok, it is laughable. Even though I don't do that stuffs, I did know some people that did in the "substance-free" halls.

I'm not sure if they have the flex meal plan left... if you have a car on campus, doing the cereal in the morning thing works well with 14. If not, just go 20 flex... replace breakfast with midnight snack. =]

But I'm an alum so from a few years ago so...

 

[Sukhoi]

Thanks! I haven't heard back from some other schools yet, so I don't know if I'm going to Illinios or not. I'm from Northeast Ohio so it'd be one heck of a drive.

I remember seeing the flex plans in the booklet, so I'll have to see how much more expensive they are. I never thought of going flex 20 and having a snack.

I'd like to be in a mostly freshman dorm (FAR/PAR) since we'll all be new to college, etc.

I think I'll put down FAR as first choice, PAR second, and then one of the Champaign dorms (don't remember which) as third choice. I'm putting FAR over PAR since they seem to be nicer buildings with more ammenities. Do you know if since it's a high rise dorm, if people in FAR stay in their room most of the time or generally aren't as social? I'd like to be in a dorm where people actually walk around outside their rooms.