Written by Megan Cloud
If you choose to live on campus at Barnard there are several housing styles to choose from, and after your first year on campus you may select housing based on what style appeals to you. For many college students, privacy is the most important aspect of housing. Those students might choose a suite in 620, or a single in Elliot or the Quad. For students with a more social environment in mind, 616, 600, or a room in the campus-owned apartments might be the best bet. Another consideration is how independent you want to be from the college scene. Many people in college may enjoy a traditional corridor-style of living for their first few years, but then may want a more independent lifestyle as they near graduation. As you move to addresses further away from the college's physical location, you will find that you are no longer required to purchase a meal plan, get rooms with kitchens, private baths, and sitting rooms, and live in settings that are no longer college dorms, but regular apartments. One of the few problems with the range of offered housing is that while there's something for everyone at Barnard, the chances of a person getting matched up with their dream room is pretty slim. Another problem is that some housing options are a little bit far from campus, so while a person may be able to find a room that they like, they may not be able to find one that is very close to campus.
One very important thing to keep in mind at Barnard is that some of the rooms and suites are very old, so there are a lot of exposed pipes and some rooms with very strange, small dimensions. On the other hand, old also brings a lot of charm to some of the rooms that feature hardwood floors and fireplaces.