Written by Jess Unger
At Sarah Lawrence, single rooms are in high demand and roommates are commonly perceived as burdens. When the housing lottery rolls around, some students often join forces and petition for group living on campus, which offers singles, a kitchen, shared bathrooms, and a common room. Many others choose to take their chances solo. Typical upperclassman housing ranges from converted single-family homes along Mead Way to apartments in Rothschild or Hill to seven- or eight-person townhouses in Andrews Court and Slonim Woods. If you’re scouting out singles, check out MacCracken, Gilbert, and Titsworth. First-years are required to have a roommate and mostly wind up in mixed apartments in Hill or the more traditional college-dormy Taylor and Garrison. Smaller numbers of first-years wind up in spacious doubles or triples in the wooden-floored Westlands, Slonim House, Lynd, Tweed, or Andrews House. In general, dorm furniture is adequate, bathrooms are manageable, and the College is quick to respond to problems and repairs.
A place of concurrent scorn and affection is Hill House, a towering apartment structure on the outermost fringe of campus. The College owns the whole building, but some original tenants still remain and aren’t tolerant of noisy students. Students in Hill House enjoy the amenities of a modern apartment complex: kitchens, living rooms, elevators, large laundry facilities, two ground floor lounges, and a small convenience store. Yet, Hill House is a soul-crushing 10-minute walk from class, the murky corridors look like something out of a horror movie, and there’s a major highway right across the street—students either love it or hate it.