The Ultimate Ranking Of Virginia Tech Dorms
The majority of Virginia Tech dorms are traditional style, but there are a few exceptions that have suite style. The upperclassmen usually get first priority over the dorm they get, and then the freshmen are assigned to dorms, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t get the perfect dorm. You have to make the best of your experience, even if you don’t get the dorm you were hoping for. Try to keep your door open as much as possible and make new friends from your hall, because that’s what really makes your experience the best it can be.
Most of the room sizes are pretty similar, and the only difference is the way they’re shaped or the way you can arrange them. They are either traditional hall style with community bathrooms, or suite style with a common area and three bedrooms sharing a bathroom. They should all have a sink, laundry room, and a study lounge of some sort, even if it’s small. Some dorms have living learning communities, which can be academic major, enhanced learning, or residential college communities – which are great ways to meet new people!
1. New Hall West
New Hall West is the best of all Virginia Tech dorms in my opinion, but I might be a little biased because I just found out this is where I will be living. You get your own bathroom, air conditioning, and it’s carpeted. It’s pretty big compared to the other dorms. It has an elevator, and multiple study lounges. It’s near the gym and Duck Pond lot, as well as Lane. I lived on the other side of campus last year, so it will be nice to see what it’s like living on the New Hall side of campus this year,
2. New Residence Hall East
New Hall East has air conditioning (savior!) and is beside Payne and PY.
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3. West/East AJ (Ambler Johnson)
This is also a very nice dorm, but it’s kind of narrow, so lofting one of the beds is common. It has air conditioning, is in the middle of campus across from DX, has elevators, and is hall style with community bathrooms. For my orientation last year, we spent the night in this dorm.
4. Harper
These Virginia Tech dorms are set up suite style, and consist of mostly athletes and upperclassmen.
5. Peddrew-Yates
PY is set up suite style with air conditioning. It also has the Residential Leadership Community (RLC). They are all about building a community together and focused on leadership and the study of leadership. It is beside Payne and New Residence Hall East, and it’s close to DX and Owens.
6. Payne
The first through third floors are suite style, and the fourth floor is hall style with half guys and half girls. It has an elevator, air conditioning, and it’s really close to Owens. There are small study lounges on the end of the second, third, and fourth floors. There are big study lounges on the second and third floor, and there are kitchens in them too.
The dorms after this point aren’t in any specific order of ranking, because they are all very similar and don’t have air conditioning, so you definitely need to bring fans! I don’t think they have carpet either, so you will want to bring a rug.
7. Cochrane
A lot of athletes live here, it’s suite style, and it has an elevator. It’s connected to West End, and is right beside West AJ. My friend who lived there said he did not like it as much, because his suite mates weren’t very close and didn’t do anything together. I have heard other people who love their suite mates and became great friends with them, so it really just depends on who you are with.
8. Pritchard
Pritchard is hall style, and is close to DX and East AJ. The fourth floor just had the kitchen re done, which is a huge plus for those that like to cook! Some people who live in Pritchard are in the living learning community called Serve, where they go on community service projects and take a leadership class. It has a quad with Lee and Oshag, where people like to hangout in hammocks and play basketball or volleyball.
9. Main/East Campbell
These Virginia Tech dorms are on the Drillfield beside War Memorial Gym – a great location for those gym fanatics out there.
10. Main/West Eggleston
This is where the cadets used to live. It is more narrow/long than square shaped. It is hall style. The closets are built into the wall and can’t be moved. There may not be a door for it either, so you might want to bring a curtain or something to drape over it if you aren’t comfortable with your clothes showing all the time.
11. Johnson
Johnson is right beside Oshag and close to Owens, and houses strictly females. So if you’re more comfortable living with all girls, take advantage of this dorm!
12. Lee
Most of the people who live here are engineers, and there are four living learning communities there: Hypatia, Da Vinci, Curie, and Galileo. It is hall style and has an elevator. It’s located right beside Pritchard.
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13. O’Shaughnessy
Oshag is hall style, and the floors are split up by gender. It has an elevator and is in the same quad as Lee and Pritchard. One of the perks of bigger dorms like Oshag is that you can get really close to your hall mates.
14. Slusher Tower/Wing
Slusher Wing is the one that goes across on the ground, and Slusher Tower is the tallest building that’s super easy to point out. Lots of people will tell you that it is the worst dorm, but my friend told me that she actually liked it. The odd floors are only guys, and the even floors are just girls. Again, it is all your perspective on the situation!
15. Miles
Miles is an all male building, and is located beside Barringer and Johnson.
16. Barringer
Barringer is right beside Vawter and is all guys. It’s hall style and has pretty nice bathrooms.
17. Newman
Newman is hall style, and is in between Johnson and Vawter. It is right across from Owens too. It’s very similar to Vawter, and the RAs of Newman and Vawter work together and have cookouts, or get together in their quad with free food.
18. Vawter
This is where I lived my freshman year. It has three floors and doesn’t have an elevator. It’s hall style, beside Barringer, and across from Newman. It’s close to Owens, GLC, the bookstore, and Squires. It’s the best location if you want to go downtown to Chipotle or Benny’s. It used to be an all male dorm, so be prepared for urinals in the girl’s bathrooms. The study lounge was not very big, but it is very close to the library, so you can always walk there and have more room. Most of the rooms were arranged the same way, with a bed on each side of the wall facing the closets, and the desks in the middle beside each other facing the back wall. The closets are built into the wall, and you can’t move them. There isn’t a lot of space for storing clothes or other things, so try to bring something with drawers for extra space. My roommate and I did not loft our beds, but it definitely gives you more room if you do. Even though it was not the nicest dorm on campus, it was where we would always hang out with our friends.
Which of these Virginia Tech dorms did you live in? Share your dorm experience in the comments below!
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