600 W. 113th
Floors: 11
Number of Occupants: 123
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles and doubles
Special Features: 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.
Broadway
Floors: 10
Number of Occupants: 371
Bathrooms: Four single-sex bathrooms per floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles and doubles
Special Features: 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.
Carman
Floors: 13
Number of Occupants: 572
Bathrooms: One for every four people
Coed: Yes
Residents: Freshmen
Room Types: Doubles
Special Features: 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.
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
Special Features: 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.
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
Special Features: 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.
Harmony Hall
Floors: 8
Number of Occupants: 88
Bathrooms: Shared by floors
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles
Special Features: 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.
Hartley
Floors: 10
Number of Occupants: 231
Bathrooms: One in each suite
Coed: Yes
Residents: Mostly freshmen
Room Types: Singles and doubles
Special Features: 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.
Hogan
Floors: 7
Number of Occupants: 114
Bathrooms: One in each suite
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles
Special Features: 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.
John Jay
Floors: 15
Number of Occupants: 459
Bathrooms: Two single-sex bathrooms on each floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Freshmen
Room Types: Singles
Special Features: 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.
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
Special Features: 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.
River
Floors: 6
Number of Occupants: 127
Bathrooms: One in each suite, for five or six people
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles
Special Features: 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.
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
Special Features: 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.
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
Special Features: 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.
Wallach
Floors: 10
Number of Occupants: 237
Bathrooms: One in each suite
Coed: Yes
Residents: Mostly freshmen
Room Types: Singles and doubles
Special Features: 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.
Wien
Floors: 8
Number of Occupants: 369
Coed: Yes
Residents: Mostly upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles and doubles
Special Features: 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.
Woodbridge
Floors: 6
Number of Occupants: 162
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Doubles
Special Features: 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.