Wellesley College - Campus Housing - Campus Housing

B+

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Quick Stats

On-Campus Housing Available?		Yes
Campus Housing Capacity		2,232
Average Housing Costs		$6,234
Undergrads Living On Campus		92%
Freshmen Living On Campus		100%
Number of Dormitories		16
Best Freshman Dorms		Tower Court
Best Upperclassman Dorms		Claflin Hall Lake House Severance Hall
Best Dorms		Severance Stone-Davis Tower Court
Worst Dorms		Dower Munger The New Dorms (Bates, Freeman, McAfee)
Worst Freshman Dorms		Bates Hall Dower Hall Freeman HAll McAfee Hall
Worst Upperclassman Dorms		Bates Hall Dower Hall Freeman Hall McAfee Hall

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

Housing at Wellesley really is a matter of taste—the dorms all have different personalities, and just as many students would prefer a dank room in Munger over a lake view in Stone-Davis, and vice versa. Unfortunately, there are a limited number of suites, mostly because Wellesley was designed to promote studiousness, not sociability. Some students also chafe at the strict supervision of residential staff. Every once in a while, students in the East Side dorms will attempt to rejuvenate East Side Pride, but the truth is that many students count themselves blessed to escape McAfee perdition after their first year. Tower is Wellesley's showpiece, with the beautiful Tower Great Hall and some fantastic rooms replete with wooden floors and window seats.

First-year students have no choice where they live, but after that, it's largely up to personal preference and luck in the housing lottery. But even if you strike out, you can try for a room swap. A lake view lifts the spirits, as does being in a social dorm where people are likely to prop open their doors from time to time. If you're going to be sticking to an early-to-bed, early-to-rise schedule after your first year, consider one of the more studious dorms. If you're looking for a more relaxed attitude—as in, no one knocking on your door to say you're playing your music too loud—consider Lake House. Overall, while Wellesley has beautiful, diverse housing, independent living is largely out, as is the more social setup that suites would provide.

Wellesley Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Campus Housing at Wellesley College

msurka

International Relations and National Security Studies '14

B+

Nice Dorms, but Often Small

The majority of Wellesley dorms are beautiful old buildings that make you feel like Hogwarts students. However, many of them are small and have shoddy temperature control. They are always clean, though, and sharing bathrooms is never a problem. Avoid living in the new dorms if possible, unless are willing to trade space for an essentially dead social scene.

Apr 16, 2012

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Campus Housing at Wellesley College

skittlesXDrainbw

Economics '14

A

Campus Housing

Whether you like your dorm or not is really based on personal preference (and your major).

Jan 15, 2012

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Campus Housing at Wellesley College

caylaaa32

Pre-Medicine Studies '15

A

Builds a Community

I love housing at Wellesley! My favorite thing about housing is that in all but one dorm, freshmen through seniors live side by side. It's a great community builder and gives you a lot of resources that you wouldn't get if you only loved with freshmen. Another great aspect is that everyone lives on campus all 4 years, so a big sense of community is created.

Dec 28, 2011

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First

User rating for Wellesley College - Campus Housing is 3.5 out of 5 based on 26 user reviews.

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

Rate campus housing on the following subjects

Facts

Types of Housing Offered		Apartments for single students Coed dorms Cooperative housing Theme housing Wellness housing Women's dorms
Room Types		2- to 4-person suites with single bedrooms and shared bathroom Doubles Quads Singles Triples
Bed Types		Bunkable beds Lofts Twin extra-long
What You Get		Bed Bookcase Closet or wardrobe Desk and chair Dresser Ethernet access Lamp Window coverings
Also Available		Small-scale, special-interest housing is available by application to everyone except first-years. These include: Casa Cervantes, near the Tower complex; French House, located slightly off campus; and Instead Feminist Vegetarian Cooperative, on the east side of campus. Certain dorms also have language corridors for those who wish to speak Russian, German, Chinese, or Japanese. There are also on-campus housing options for Davis Scholars in Cedar Lodge and Homestead, located on the east side of campus. There are several apartments located in dorms, offering kitchens, living rooms, and more independent living. Orchard Apartments in Dower and Hemlock Apartments in McAfee tend to go to upperclasswomen.

Cleaning Service

Public spaces are cleaned daily by staff.

Did You Know?

Only dorms' TV rooms—of which there are only a few per building—get cable (and reception is difficult to get in many places), which can be both good and bad. It's fun to make friends over popcorn and a favorite show, but there can be showdowns over who's watching what.
Almost all upperclassmen live in singles if they desire, though occasional housing crunches put juniors with bad lottery numbers in doubles for a semester.
Feel the burn—all dorms in Wellesley were purposely built on hills in the 1870s to keep young ladies fit.
Men attending Wellesley are cross-registered students who actually attend other schools (such as MIT or Brandeis), so these students usually do not live on campus. Instead, they tend to be commuters. However, every so often, a stray dude finds his way into the campus and makes his home in one of the dormitories. But don’t get too excited—campus housing does not have a specific dorm in which they house Wellesley guys; a male student is randomly assigned a room, so girls looking for coed housing at Wellesley will just have to get lucky. Also, this occurrence is highly uncommon.
When Mona Lisa Smile was shot on campus, the scene in which Katherine Watson (Julia Roberts) is defending herself to the Board of Trustees was shot in the living room of Claflin Hall; other scenes from the movie were shot in Tower Great Hall.

DormitoriesWhat's This?

Bates Hall
Floors: 5
Number of Occupants: 100–249
Bathrooms: Communal
Coed: No, women only
Residents: Freshmen and upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles
Special Features: Community kitchens, laundry facilities, student lounges; East Side area

Beebe Hall
Floors: 5
Number of Occupants: 100–249
Bathrooms: Communal
Coed: No, women only
Residents: Freshmen, upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles
Special Features: Community kitchens, laundry facilities, student lounges; part of Hazard Quad/Quint

Cazenove Hall
Floors: 5
Number of Occupants: 100–249
Bathrooms: Communal
Coed: No, women only
Residents: Freshmen, upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles, triples
Special Features: Community kitchens, laundry facilities, student lounges; part of Hazard Quad/Quint

Claflin Hall
Floors: 6
Number of Occupants: 100–249
Bathrooms: Communal
Coed: No, women only
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles, triples, quads, suites
Special Features: Community kitchens, laundry facilities, student lounges; part of Tower Complex

Davis Hall
Floors: 5
Number of Occupants: 100–249
Bathrooms: Communal
Coed: No, women only
Residents: Freshmen, upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles, triples
Special Features: Community kitchens, laundry facilities, pool table, small exercise room, student lounges; connected to Stone Hall, near center of campus

Dower Hall (including Orchard Apartments)
Floors: 2
Number of Occupants: 50–99
Bathrooms: Communal
Coed: No, women only
Residents: Freshmen, upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles, triples, Orchard Apartments
Special Features: Laundry facilities; East Side area

Freeman Hall
Floors: 5
Number of Occupants: 100–249
Bathrooms: Communal
Coed: No, women only
Residents: Freshmen, upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles
Special Features: Community kitchens, laundry facilities, student lounges; East Side area

Lake House
Floors: 3
Number of Occupants: 100–249
Bathrooms: Communal
Coed: No, women only
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles
Special Features: Community kitchens, laundry facilities, student lounges; independent co-op style living with no RAs, part of Tower Complex

McAfee Hall (including Hemlock Apartments)
Floors: 5
Number of Occupants: 100–249
Bathrooms: Communal
Coed: No, women only
Residents: Freshmen, upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles, suites (singles), Hemlock Apartments
Special Features: Community kitchens, laundry facilities, student lounges; East Side area

Munger Hall
Floors: 4
Number of Occupants: 100–249
Bathrooms: Communal
Coed: No, women only
Residents: Freshmen, upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles
Special Features: Community kitchens, laundry facilities, student lounges; part of Hazard Quad/Quint

Pomeroy Hall
Floors: 5
Number of Occupants: 100–249
Bathrooms: Communal
Coed: No, women only
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles, triples
Special Features: Community kitchens, laundry facilities, student lounges; part of Hazard Quad/Quint

Severance Hall
Floors: 4
Number of Occupants: 100–249
Bathrooms: Communal
Coed: No, women only
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles, triples, small suites
Special Features: Community kitchens, laundry facilities, student lounges; part of Tower Complex

Shafer Hall
Floors: 5
Number of Occupants: 100–249
Bathrooms: Communal
Coed: No, women only
Residents: Freshmen, upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles
Special Features: Community kitchens, laundry facilities, student lounges; part of Hazard Quad/Quint, traditionally the gay pride dorm but by no means solely homosexual

Stone Hall
Floors: 5
Number of Occupants: 100–249
Bathrooms: Communal
Coed: No, women only
Residents: Freshmen and upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles, triples
Special Features: Community kitchens, laundry facilities, pool table, small exercise room, student lounges; connected to Davis Hall, near center of campus

Tower Court East
Floors: 5
Number of Occupants: 100–249
Bathrooms: Communal
Coed: No, women only
Residents: Freshmen, upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles, triples, quads, small suites
Special Features: Community kitchen, laundry facilities, student lounges; part of Tower Complex

Tower Court West
Floors: 6
Number of Occupants: 100–249
Bathrooms: Communal
Coed: No, women only
Residents: Freshmen, upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles, triples, quads, small suites
Special Features: Community kitchen, laundry facilities, student lounges; part of Tower Complex

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Name: Lauren Foster
Hometown: Safety Harbor, FL
Major: English & Cinema and Media Studies
Grad Year: 2014

College Prowler is seeking talented student authors to assist with writing and updating the College Prowler guides to their schools. This is a great opportunity for a student to gain experience and tremendous exposure, utilize new media techniques, and share advice with high school students about what life is really like at your college.

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