The Ultimate Ranking Of Lafayette Freshman Dorms
Have you been wondering which Lafayette freshman dorms are the best? Let’s be honest, being a freshman has its perks and downsides and a downside is having the short end of the stick when it comes to housing (and practically everything else). Fortunately, I’ve put together a ranking of the best dorms at Lafayette for freshmen!
10. Gates Hall
I have my own personal bias considering that Gates is my home, but I know I lucked out getting a triple and therefore the second biggest room on the floor. Others have complained about the small rooms and the grossness of the bathrooms, so I have put it last on my list. The front doors are heavy as hell too, so you have to open them aggressively and then do this awkward shimmy into the dorm to avoid death-by-door.
Main Perk: It is super close to Campus Pizza, Wawa, and other popular “off-campus” locations
9. Watson Hall
They do have pretty cool facilities such as a small library and sit in a solid location, but every time I have been in there it seemed to lack a sort of livelihood that I expect such a big dorm to have. The bathrooms are also sort of creepy.
Main Perk: It is a wellness dorm (no alcohol), great if you want some peace and quiet on the weekends and are about that life.
8. Ruef Hall
With it’s confusing hallways (you would go up a flight of stairs and still ~technically~ be on the same floor), I don’t know how a poor drunk student hasn’t gotten stranded on the wrong floor! This is the freshman party dorm, so much so that they have a place called “The Pit” (the gap in the stairs that lets you see to the bottom floor) where drunk kids throw random shit and is a consistent weekend pre-gaming spot.
Main Perk: The rooms are a decent size, and they have walk in closets!
7. Easton Hall
This technically isn’t a freshman dorm, but it has a freshman girls floor so it deserved a mention.
Main Perk: Its clean and close to one of the main dining halls.
6. Marquis Hall
This all-girls’ dorm sits atop one of the main dining halls on campus. What isn’t there to like? Food close by, dope bathrooms, and spacious rooms. Oh, yeah, Public Safety is on the bottom floor. Don’t get caught on the weekends!
Main Perk: Everything except P-Safe.
5. Kamine Hall
Every time I step in here, it smells like fresh laundry. Isn’t that pleasant? It’s one of the newer dorms, so you get to live in a pristine-looking building that is close to THE BEST SPOT ON CAMPUS TO EAT: SIMON’S. GOD BLESS SIMONS. This is the reason I have gained my freshman-fifteen sooner than I expected. And then you get to lose all of that weight trying to walk to class because it is literally one of the farthest dorms on campus from the rest of civilization.
Main Perk: Simon’s. All day.
4. Conway House
I’ll be real with you, I have never stepped foot in here, BUT it is structured like the Greek houses in its vicinity, so it gets an A+. Supposedly they have AC and the living room is heavenly, so automatically they get bumped up. It is pretty far from everything else, though, so it isn’t number one quite yet.
Main Perk: They are also close to Simon’s, and anything that Simon’s touches turns to gold.
3. 49 South College Drive (The Former Zeta Psi Frat House)
Besides being in an awesome location, it comes with the perks of, well, being a former frat house. The first floor is a huge area with a pool table, a beautiful view of the city of Easton, couches, and tables galore. It is composed of suite-style singles that share a living room. Rumor has it, it was home to the craziest parties on campus and lots of other crazy shit (which is probably why the frat got kicked off campus). But, it’s all boys. So I couldn’t live here, so I’m salty.
Main Perk: Everything. Bless up.
2. McKeen Hall
This is Gates’ hotter older sister; they look alike, but McKeen is more glo’ed up. McKeen seems to have been recently renovated because their Common Rooms look brand new and the bathrooms do too (despite the fact that they are always trashed). The freshmen who live in McKeen are some of the littest freshmen on campus, too, so I thought it deserved its spot up here.
Main Perk: It is also in a great location and close to all of the “off-campus” hotspots like Wawa.
1. South College
This is one of the biggest dorms on campus, so you are guaranteed a social life. It is in a central location; it is close to one of the main dining halls, equidistant from the other three main eating spots (I like food I’m sorry), and super close to the library. It is essentially the mid-way point between the heart of campus and the deep end (where Kamine and Conway unfortunately are). It has a Common Room and kitchen on every floor, AC, and spacious rooms. It is another top pre-game spot on campus and is home to some of the best people on campus.
Main Perk: You are in one of the hubs of social life when it comes to dorms. There really aren’t any downsides to South.
