Freshman Dorm Question

madjackrogers · 1 year

If you're in the honors college, put Holmes. Even if you're not, I think you can still throw it down as an option, which would be great if you're into the semi-quiet studying thing. Not that you have to be, of course.

Other than that, it always comes down to preference. The shoeboxes are convenient and generally calmer, but I think their rooms are smaller (though that's not where they get their nickname). The high rises are fine, but the horseshoe is generally pretty sorority/fraternity heavy. Johnstone is party central and generally crazy, but you really can't beat it for being conveniently located to everything.

tscherb · 1 year

If you have a difficult major Holmes. It was really quiet but i met some cool people. Also smoked in my room all the time and never got caught. Make friends with your RAs.

ElectricPancake · 1 year

I've stayed in the shoeboxes (freshmen year), clemson house (summer1), the high rises (summer camp), and had good friends in johnstone.

First and foremost, they are all crap.

Johnstone/Johnstone Annex - Johnstone Annex is just the newer attachment to the building, and by newer, it's still one of the oldest buildings on campus. This place is right next door to the Harcombe food court. Pros: Middle of campus, near food court. Cons: Old, loud, paper thin walls (cinderblock in the annex), farthest away from a freshmen parking lot. Small rooms.
Shoeboxes - Thicker walls, generally quieter, closer to parking, especially on weekends. Small rooms.
Clemson House - Elevator, food court, nicest and largest rooms, private bathroom (one per assignment, with another student). Best choice, but your walk to and from campus will be the longest. Closest parking.
High Rises - Close to Schletter (sp) food court. Old, small rooms, nothing awesome or too terrible here.

My recommendation would be to make Clemson House your first choice, shoeboxes second, johnstone annex third.

trainmaster611 · 1 year

Clemson House! Still haven't been to a dorm on campus that I liked more than that one.

bwayne555 · 1 year

So jealous I couldn't live in Clemson House. It got made into a freshman dorm during my sophomore year.

Really though, any of them will be fun. Enjoy your freshman year coming up and keep asking us if you have questions.

wcrisler · 1 year

Anything but Johnstone.

BobbbyRock · 1 year

I lived in Clemson House my freshman year (ie this year.) It was really cool having my own shower that I didn't have to wear flip flops in to avoid the risk of getting athlete's foot, and my own bathroom that I didn't have to share with everybody on the floor. Also, I had a 4 person room (which is a dorm that has two bedrooms, a kitchen, bathroom, and two large closets.) We even bunked our beds all in one room and turned the other into a game room.

On the flip side, having 3 roommates was kind of a pain, as they were on the messy side and I was always having to help clean messes that I didn't necessarily help create. The community was a little different because of the layout. I didn't really meet a lot of people on my hall (my neighbor was in one of my classes and I didn't even know it until halfway through the semester.) I was very envious of my friends that were in traditional freshman dorms and knew a lot more people than I did. Also, the hill gets old quickly. My second semester I spent more time in my girlfriends dorm than my own, because it was more convenient to get to.

Overall: Clemson House is great if you're going to be spending a lot of time in your dorm. If you end up spending a lot of time outside of your dorm, it doesn't really matter where you end up because you'll rarely be there anyways. You should just try to pick a place in the middle of everything. The horseshoe (Byrnes for guys if you want a highrise) is probably your best bet if you choose that route.

Also, I'll be an RA for byrnes next year, so if you end up on the 10th floor there by any chance, be sure to let your RA know when the narwhal bacons.

OnDaHouse · 1 year

I'd go for the ones on the horseshoe. That's Manning/Lever for girls and Byrnes for guys. There's also a coed low-rise, Mauldin. These are incredibly close to Schilletter (the better) dining hall and east campus. A lot of your first year general education classes should be close by as well.

blindwolf343 · 1 year

Johnstone all the way man. Sure its one of the older dorms on campus but god damn is it fun. And close to downtown! Everyone should experience Johnstone before it gets torn down.

slugmos · 1 year

Clemson House. You have your own gym, dining hall, large(er) rooms, and location. For a freshman, not bad.

odsquad64 · 1 year

If you're doing engineering, go for the shoeboxes (Sanders, etc.) and try to get in the RISE program. You and everyone you live with will have almost all the same classes; it's really helpful both academically and socially.

EdTheHyena · 1 year

If you're going to major in business, think about living in Benet and doing the CBE. Don't know anyone who didn't like it.

TheBlayer · 1 year

I loved living in Cope (Shoeboxes). You could get shit done, you could get wasted and have antics, and you could walk 2 minutes to class. All the dorms are gross, but the huge windows allowed for a lot of natural light that made them feel a LOT cleaner. Having one tiny window in most dorms and nothing but yellow lighting just makes the room feel dingier than ever.

WaffleMoose · 1 year

Pretty much any of the standard dorms for freshman will be pretty similar. Try to J-stone, shoeboxes, or horseshoe. Holmes is nice if you are eligible.

What I would recommend avoiding is getting in the non-freshman areas, which happens sometimes when the others fill up. Avoid Clemson house, McCabe, Stadium Suites, or Calhoun Courts. These are generally nicer rooms, but you won't get to know the people on your hall the same way you do in a freshman dorm. Upperclassmen already have friends and have less incentive to get to know the people on their floor.

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