Homes away from home: Pros and cons of freshman dorms

There’s a stereotype for a college dorm — it’s tiny, sloppy and the walls are so thin that Mother Teresa would surely blush if she heard what was happening on the other side.

But at Pitt, the dorms might just exceed your expectations.

Every freshman, with the exception of commuters, has the privilege of living in some sort of dormitory building their first year. Each dorm has its pros and cons, and some are worse than others. However, it is your unavoidable home for an entire year. Below, I’ve compiled a list of everything you need to know about each respective building before you haul in your belongings.

Holland Hall

Pros: Sometimes, living with all girls can be fun. You can walk around your floor — or any floor — with a face mask on or your hair in a towel and not worry about running into any guys. There is a plethora of fun activities that Resident Student Association hosts in the 11th floor lounge for everyone, such as makeovers, mixers with all-male floors from different dorms and Valentine making. In addition, a majority of the rooms are larger than other dorms, and many of them come with large closets and full-size mirrors. Each room has a different layout depending on its location on the floor. The building is right in the middle of campus in the quad between Forbes Avenue and Fifth Avenue, so the walk to class, wherever it may be, is never too painful. There is a laundry room in the lounge, so you never have to leave the building to do your wash. 

Cons: There is a chance you’ll get placed in a triple room or even a quad room in Holland — and three or four girls in one room is just not a great idea. I saw way too many fights about space my freshman year. Although I listed no boys as a pro, it can also be a con. All girls — all the time — can be a bit overwhelming. Meeting guys can be difficult when there aren’t any around. The bathrooms become surprisingly gross as time passes: hair on the walls of the shower and in the drains, tampon wrappers on the ground and unflushed toilets. There are no eating locations in the building, but Oakland Bakery is in the quad right next to Holland Hall and Market is a short walk away. There is also no gym in the building, but residents of Holland are permitted to use the gym in Brackenridge Hall, also located in the quad. Probably one of the hardest parts about living in Holland is the lack of air conditioning — bring lots of fans if you’re living here!

Litchfield Towers A, B and C

Pros: Although the floors are single-sex, there are still people of the opposite gender in the same building, so it adds more variety to your living space than Holland. Market Central is in the basement of all three towers, so you don’t even have to go outside to get food — no lack of coat, flip flops or pajamas will inhibit you from getting to your food. You also have access to the mailroom, a gym, printers, a coffee shop and Quick Zone all in the same building — talk about convenience. There are several lounges in each tower, rather than one communal lounge like in Holland. You’re guaranteed to only have one roommate in Towers A and B, or a single in Tower C. Having no roommate may sound like a negative thing at first, but trust me, it definitely has its perks. Having your own space is important with or without a roommate, but when you live on your own, you don’t have to set boundaries, which is convenient. In addition, you’re very close to all of the academic buildings and Forbes and Fifth — right in the center of most on-campus action.

Cons: The rooms are pretty small in all three towers and each one is shaped like a massive pie slice due to the cylindrical shape of the buildings. The average elevator wait time is around 10 minutes, depending on the time and what floor you’re on. Tower A has 19 floors, Tower B has 22 floors, and Tower C has 16 floors. Leaving 10 minutes before class from the 21st floor in Tower B? Good luck, you’ll be late. Towers’ elevators are slow and they tend to need maintenance fairly often. The line to swipe your ID to get into Tower A and Tower B can be 20 people long during peak times, such as after 8 a.m. classes or around 5 p.m. dinner time, and especially on a Friday or Saturday night around 9 or 10 p.m. when everyone is signing their friends into their dorm. 

Sutherland 

Pros: The dorms are a lot nicer than in Towers and Holland. They’re larger and a little bit newer. There are doubles, triples and five, six and eight-person suites which all have either their own or shared bathrooms, which, for a freshman dorm, is pretty convenient. Being able to keep your toiletries in your own bathroom and not feeling as though you have to wear flip flops in the shower are things you take for granted when you’ve always done them. Having your own bathroom, or only sharing it with a few people as opposed to an entire floor, is a luxury as a freshman. The Perch and Quick Zone — a dining hall and a convenience store, respectively — are in the same building. The Petersen Events Center, which has the biggest and nicest gym on campus, is just a short distance away. If you like frat parties, this dorm has the perfect location in relation to most of the frats. 

Cons: You’re on “upper campus,” which is probably not the best location to live, especially if all of your other friends are in Towers, Holland or Nordenberg. Living here requires a lot of traveling — to classes, to parties, to friends and to meetings. As long as you give yourself an extra few minutes to get down to campus, though, it won’t be an issue as there are shuttles that leave from upper campus to lower campus all day. The 10A will be your new best friend.

Nordenberg 

Pros: The building is in a central location on campus, right across the street from the quad. There’s a TV, microwave and refrigerator already in your room, so you don’t have to worry about bringing any of that. The floors are coed, which makes for an easier time meeting people of the opposite sex than in the other dorms. It’s a brand new building, so everything is clean and updated. There is a fitness center in the building as well as laundry on every floor. The Wellness Center and University Pharmacy are also located in the same building.

Cons: There is nowhere to purchase food in the building, but the Oakland Bakery is directly across the street and Market Central is not far. In terms of cost, this dorm is the most expensive to live in. The quad is a nice place to live when you’re a freshman, and Nordenberg is not in the quad, but it is just right across the street. 

No matter which dorm you end up in for your freshman year, you won’t spend as much time as you think in your room. You’ll end up making friends regardless of how nice your room is, whether you share a bathroom or have your own. Still, freshman dorms are a huge part of the college experience, so enjoy them — pros and cons alike.

Write to Patricia at pes39@pitt.edu.