|
|
Comparable Schools'
Campus Housing Grades:
Quick StatsUndergrads Living on Campus
94 %
Best Dorms
- East Campus
- Hogan
- Ruggles
Number of Campus Owned Apartments
2
College Prowler Take
Columbia housing is not created equally. All Columbia College and SEAS freshmen are required to live on campus, and the University saves decent living space for them. Once you have to undergo the housing lottery, you’d better hope that the housing gods are with you. Some suites are spacious with great views. Some singles are closets. There are as many sob stories as there are success stories.
For Columbia College students living on campus, the dorms are small but pretty good. Most students choose to stay on campus because there is no better deal in New York. Living with friends can sometimes improve a less-than-ideal situation, but others say that a small room is a small room. To get satisfactory housing, a sacrifice must be made. Generally, if you get space, you have no privacy, and if you have privacy, there’s no space, but there are exceptions to this rule. For General Studies students, submitting your housing information on time is key to finding a suitable place to live and study. For undergraduates who are subjected to the lottery, often it’s the luck of the draw (though during housing season, there are many, many Web sites with mathematical breakdowns of your chances of nailing a certain room based on the number you’ve drawn). Most Columbia students view the on-campus living situation as a character-building experience—you learn your limits of socialization and how to live with someone whose feng-shui differs ever so slightly from yours. Also, when all else fails, room transfers and off-campus housing are possible. Students Speak Out
Love your school more than free food? Hate your school more than term papers?
Somewhere in between? Show the world what YOU think of YOUR school:
Anonymous says:  |
Carman is a freshman favorite. If...
Carman is a freshman favorite. If you want the roommate experience or have a tough time meeting people, then it is totally the dorm for you because you are guaranteed to know three people—your suitemates. Whatever you do, don’t go for a John Jay double; you could get a walkthrough and those are nice, but you could get an L shape and those are not so nice, so don’t risk it. For a double, pick Carman. Furnald is also a really nice dorm, though it’s less social than the others because it is half sophomores. |
Anonymous says: |
The dorms really vary in quality....
The dorms really vary in quality. Housing is chosen based on seniority; however there are lots of restrictions, and certain dorms are reserved for freshmen. Except for sophomore year, most students are generally able to get singles for the rest of the other three years. |
Anonymous says: |
I say John Jay is the way to go,...
I say John Jay is the way to go, but that’s only because I lived there. Wherever you live, you will hopefully think it is the better, cooler, nicer dorm. People from Jay love Jay; people from Carman love Carman; people from Furnald think that both of those suck and say that Furnald’s the way to go. Good luck. |
Anonymous says: |
Dorms are nice. Columbia gives you...
Dorms are nice. Columbia gives you singles if you want them. I have actually lived in both of the freshman dorms. Carman is known to be more social; I liked it a lot. But having a single is really sweet, so I’d honestly go for John Jay if I had to do it over. |
Anonymous says: |
The dorms are hit and miss. The...
The dorms are hit and miss. The apartment housing, however, is really much more hospitable and homey. If you’re lucky, you’ll be placed in an apartment that doesn’t look like much from the outside, but on the inside, it’s beautifully well-kept and refurbished. |
FactsWhat You Get
- Bed
- Campus phone
- Desk and chair
- Dresser
- Dresser
- Ethernet connection
Room Types
- Apartments
- Doubles
- Singles
- Suites
Available for Rent
Refrigerators
Bed Types
- Bunkable beds
- Lofts
- Twin extra-long
Also Available
- Single-sex floors are available in hall-style dorms, and special interest housing can be obtained through an application process.
Cleaning Service
In hall-style dorms, floor bathrooms are cleaned once a day, and in suite-style dorms, bathrooms are cleaned once a week.
Dormitories
Broadway
Floors: 10
Number of Occupants: 371
Bathrooms: Four single-sex bathrooms per floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles and doubles
This building has three speedy elevators and two rooftop lounges for studying or holding meetings. Floor lounges have TVs, and each communal kitchen is equipped with a dishwasher. Added bonus: the building is within spitting distance of Lerner Hall, Butler Library, many academic buildings, and the restaurants and shops that line Broadway.
600 W. 113th
Floors: 11
Number of Occupants: 123
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles and doubles
The building has convenient just-off-Broadway location, and it’s very close to local restaurants, as well as McBain, Watt, Broadway, and River. Rooms are arranged into two large suites per floor, much like River Hall. Many kitchen facilities are available, as well as lots of bathrooms.
John Jay
Floors: 15
Number of Occupants: 459
Bathrooms: Two single-sex bathrooms on each floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Freshmen
Room Types: Singles
This freshman dorm is in the same building as the dining hall (ensuring all weekend trips to brunch are conducted in pajamas), and its residents enjoy the privacy of their singles, while still being able to socialize with their freshman floormates.
Carman
Floors: 13
Number of Occupants: 572
Bathrooms: One for every four people
Coed: Yes
Residents: Freshmen
Room Types: Doubles
This freshman dorm bustles with activity all the time, as every first-year lives in a suite—two doubles next door that share a bathroom.
Hartley
Floors: 10
Number of Occupants: 231
Bathrooms: One in each suite
Coed: Yes
Residents: Mostly freshmen
Room Types: Singles and doubles
With Wallach, Hartley forms the Learning and Living Center, known as the LLC. With regular events, this dorm offers more of a community-oriented experience for all its residents (who range from freshman to senior). Because of this, you must apply to live in the LLC.
Furnald
Floors: 10
Number of Occupants: 234
Bathrooms: Two single-sex bathrooms on each floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Mostly upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles and doubles
Formerly a senior dorm, Residential Life has now opened it up to underclassmen, so a few lucky freshman and sophomores get to enjoy living in the middle of all the action in probably the most beautiful residence hall on campus.
East Campus
Floors: 20
Number of Occupants: 742
Bathrooms: One for every two, five or six people, depending on what type of suite you live in
Coed: Yes
Residents: Mostly upperclassmen
Room Types: Duplex suites with three singles and one double, flats with two singles, townhouses with five or six singles
East Campus is a popular dorm because of its diverse population—almost everyone at Columbia wants to live in these dishwasher-equipped suites that often have awesome high-rise views of the city (the roof is not to be missed. It’s the best view of New York City in all of Manhattan). This year, freshman will also be living here, adding even more types of people to this populous residence hall.
Hogan
Floors: 7
Number of Occupants: 114
Bathrooms: One in each suite
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles
If you ruled the world, you’d be a senior, living in this dorm with your three best friends. With beautiful kitchens, huge singles, and a nice common room, Hogan is the top of the Columbia housing heap.
River
Floors: 6
Number of Occupants: 127
Bathrooms: One in each suite, for five or six people
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles
The seniors who didn’t make it into Hogan often find residential happiness in this suite-style dorm that offers more apartment-style living than underclassmen hall arrangements. Added bonus: it was recently renovated, with new bathrooms and kitchens, which include a half-dishwasher.
McBain
Floors: 8
Number of Occupants: 338
Bathrooms: Bathrooms:Two single-sex bathrooms on each floo
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Mostly doubles, a few singles, some of which are huge
Sometimes referred to as Carman II, McBain is a sophomore dorm that often houses freshmen who lived in Carman during their first year, and has the same friendly feel.
Harmony Hall
Floors: 8
Number of Occupants: 88
Bathrooms: Shared by floors
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles
Each floor has a kitchen and a common area with a flat-screen TV. There are also printing stations in the main lobby and a laundry room in the basement.
Ruggles
Floors: 8
Number of Occupants: 192
Bathrooms: One in each four-person suite, one and one half in each seven-person suites
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles
Another favorite among upperclassmen for more suite-style living, Ruggles boasts free “John-Jay TV”—lucky residents can see directly across 114th Street into the freshman dorm, John Jay, for some entertainment on slow study nights.
Wien
Floors: 8
Number of Occupants: 369
Coed: Yes
Residents: Mostly upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles and doubles
Wien is the sophomore’s best chance for a single, and the rooms have private sinks to boot, which helps make up for sharing a single bathroom with your coed floor. Plus, the whole building got new windows, and many new tile floors were put in over the summer of 2001.
Wallach
Floors: 10
Number of Occupants: 237
Bathrooms: One in each suite
Coed: Yes
Residents: Mostly freshmen
Room Types: Singles and doubles
With Hartley, Wallach forms the Learning and Living Center, known as the LLC. With regular events, this dorm offers more of a community-oriented experience for all its residents (who range from freshman to seniors). Because of this, you must apply to live in the LLC.
Schapiro
Floors: 16
Number of Occupants: 417
Bathrooms: On lower, more populous floors, two sets of single-sex bathrooms, and on higher floors, only one set
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles and doubles
Schapiro is a no-nonsense place to get a single in a hall, with floor bathrooms and kitchens. Added bonus: A south facing room on floors 12-16 will give you a great view of Manhattan.
Woodbridge
Floors: 6
Number of Occupants: 162
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Doubles
Woodbridge is a popular choice for seniors and juniors. The seniors tend to get the rooms with views, while the juniors take the inner rooms. As dorms go, this one is pretty luxurious. Lots of space and great location make it a favorite. Future Woodbridge residents should note that they’re not very likely to speak to anyone in the building aside from their roommate. Most are okay with this, but if you need a large social network encompassing everyone on your floor, Woodbridge might not be the best place to pick.
Campus Owned Apartments
47 Claremont
Floors: 5
Coed: Yes
Room Types: Suite-style or apartment-style with groups of three, four, or seven students
Claremont is another of apartment-style Columbia building, but some rooms are suite-style. Probably the biggest point against Claremont is its relative distance from the rest of the Columbia world. Claremont can accomodate groups of three, four, or seven students. Many rooms are carpeted, though some have nice hardwood floors. The kitchen serves as an ersatz common room.
Watt
Floors: 6
Number of Units: 143
Bathrooms: One in each apartment
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments
This is the closest any Columbia student living on campus will get to real New York apartment life (without the cost!). Seniors who have the luckiest day of their life when lottery numbers are assigned can get a studio apartment—meaning their own kitchen and bathroom. Juniors and sophomores often sacrifice privacy for standard of living and share a one bedroom.
Did You Know?Columbia dorms are riddled with serious elevator etiquette. Because most buildings are tall, old, and have slow elevators, it is customary to walk one or two flights of stairs in lieu of taking the elevator. The same goes for walking one flight to the basement for laundry (though exceptions are made for coming up with a big bag of clothes and detergent). Those disobeying these unwritten laws will be subjected to snide comments from fellow elevator riders accompanied by frequent button pushing to speed up the ride.
Most Recent Contributing Author
Name: Alexandre Millet
Hometown: Washington D.C., Geneva
Major: Economics and Computer Science Alexandre has been to Antarctica! Contributing Author Internship
College Prowler is actively seeking talented students to be "Contributing Authors," and assist with updating
the College Prowler guide to their school. This is a great opportunity for a student to gain internship experience, be a part of a nationally
recognized company, gain tremendous exposure, utilize new media techniques, and share advice with high school students about what life is
really like at your college. Read more about the internship.
|
|
