Princess Aurora ([info]giggleychick) wrote in [info]oberlin,
@ 2003-06-06 01:47:00
Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:dorms, for incoming first-years

OBERLIN Class of 2007
Hey all.. I'm an upcoming freshman to Oberlin. I saw the post about the dorms, and it was really helpful. I'm thinking about choosing Dascomb, but I'm not sure. I feel like this is such a big decision! haha.. can anyone offer any more advice? Thanks so much!
Mwaaaaaaaaah, Melissa


(Post a new comment)

Dascomb non malus est.
[info]loquaxcaesar
2003-06-05 10:58 pm UTC (link)
It's not so bad, really. A bit dark, a bit rank, a bit smelly, but the sense of community was groovy. It was a nice place to be. And it is extremely centrally located.

(Reply to this) (Thread)
Re: Dascomb non malus est.
[info]giggleychick
2003-06-05 11:18 pm UTC (link)
Hahah.. I remember going into Dascomb when I visited and the first thing I said was "what is that smell?" That's so funny that Dascomb is known for having a mysterious odor. But it seemed that everyone that lived in Dascomb had so much pride and love for it.. kinda makes me wonder.. maybe its like a secret in the Dascomb community, and they all know what the smell is, and it's something really cool.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)
well...
[info]lo_spettro
2003-06-06 07:38 am UTC (link)
Dascomb is a crappy, crappy dorm, and the freshman year that was just in it (which included myself) certainly did not help. We have pride and love for Dascomb because it's so crappy and we didn't help it a bit (pretty much everything in the first floor lounge has been urinated on, the vending machine got smashed and looted, and the pool table definitely felt our wrath, and let's not mention the urine-filled watergun war...). Mostly I got the impression that though Dascomb was renovated a year ago and got new paint and furniture, it's still falling apart—our showers sucked, my window fell apart, our closet doors (as well as those of everyone else I knew there) had already fallen apart, one bathroom didn't have a stall door and the other one had a toilet that never stopped flushing, one of the microwaves never got turned on without then setting off a fire alarm, and the food in the dining hall is really gross after a month or two.

But everyone in my little group of friends definitely has a place in their hearts for Dascomb. It's like coming from a shitty little town; you have a lot of pride for it. But I'm pretty sure what made it the most fun was the volatile mix of people that never should have been in such close quarters—we fed off of each others' insanity.

Oh, and the smell is not something cool, it's the second floor. All of it.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]pontiuspilates
2003-06-06 06:05 am UTC (link)
If things being conveniently close to you is a major factor, Dascomb is good if you take most of your classes in King, Peters, and/or Warner. However, if you take a lot of science classes and you want to be living close to them, I would live in one of the dorms in North Quad (Barrows, Burton, East, Barnard, etc.) because it really, really sucks to have to walk from Harkness (which is right next to Dascomb) to the science center at 7:45 AM in December to get to, say, your bio class.

(Reply to this)


[info]researcher
2003-06-06 06:18 am UTC (link)
I've never lived in Dascomb, but I've heard LOTS of complaints about it flooding, how it's falling apart, how the fire alarms are always going off, etc.

Just wanted to warn you.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]lo_spettro
2003-06-06 07:40 am UTC (link)
It didn't flood this past year, but I'm pretty sure we had the most fire alarms that year. And everything is definitely falling apart.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

[info]danibannani
2003-06-06 07:55 am UTC (link)
I promise you, Barrows had more fire alarms. In fact, Barrows is like the Dascomb of N.Quad. Only, I took all my classes in King. Also, there seems to be a lot of drug use in Dascomb, at least on the second floor last year. Whenever I went to hang out, someone was smoking something. It's great if you're into that thing, maybe not so great if you're not.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)
Re:
[info]lo_spettro
2003-06-06 01:07 pm UTC (link)
Barrows is like Dascomb's evil twin sister in crime. Or something.

There definitely was a lot of drug use in Dascomb, but I think that's totally dependent on who's living there (which of course those who are placed there have no control over). Pot, 'shrooms, DXM and E were the most common this year. Also, a ritual of burning things (old fliers, mostly, but also boxes and bottles and fast food trash and whatnot) developed halfway through the second semester. That's why the picnic tables out back are so fucked up.

(Reply to this) (Parent)
Don't do it!! :)
[info]braincloud
2003-06-06 08:45 am UTC (link)
Dascomb... yeah... my boyfriend lived there this year (or last year now I suppose), and personally I really hate that dorm. The rooms are small, the bathrooms are gross, it is loud as all hell... but next year Dascomb is going to be a bit different. Instead of having co-ed halls, there are going to be single sex sections. So if you want a co-ed hall, this is not the way to go, but if you want to live in a single sex hall but not be completely isolated from members of the opposite sex, Dascomb might be a good choice. Also, the first floor is going to be all upperclass supersingles. The first floor last year was almost entirely freshman, and they were loud and crazy as all hell. This was true for most of the dorm, because there were a lot of groups of friends that formed within Dascomb, since it was predominantly freshmen. Also, as other people have said, there was a lot of drug usage and general partying in that dorm. Not that I am complaining, but if that isn't your thing you might want to steer clear of Dascomb.

I have to plug Burton, the dorm I lived in, because I really loved it. The rooms are huge and it looks and feels less like a dorm than a lot of the other buildings. However, it is on North campus, and the walk to King in the winter is a bitch. It can also be loud on weekends, but during the week it is pretty quiet. (This may all change next year, though, since a lot of Dascomb kids are moving to Burton, ha ha.)

But really all of the dorms have their good and bad points, so as long as you avoid North and Barrows you should be okay.

(Reply to this) (Thread)
Re: Don't do it!! :)
[info]giggleychick
2003-06-06 10:56 am UTC (link)
Thank you guys for all your help! I LOVE Obies, you guys are ridiculously nice and helpful.

(Reply to this) (Parent)
:oP
[info]lo_spettro
2003-06-06 01:10 pm UTC (link)
You know you love Dascomb!! Admit it!!

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)
Re: :oP
[info]braincloud
2003-06-06 05:25 pm UTC (link)
i DO love dascomb, but i am glad i didn't have to live there.

(Reply to this) (Parent)
To Da Scumb, or Not To Dascomb
(Anonymous)
2003-06-06 11:38 am UTC (link)
I lived in dascomb this past year, *ON* the second floor, and I think I missed out on a lot of said craziness by living on the far west end. My room was (apparently) bigger than the others since it was amply roomy, and I had a great view of a squirrel nest in the walnut tree outside my window. Also, as said in another post, I work in the Library and Dascomb is all of twenty feet from it. Which is *NICE* in the middle of winter.
We had some good people, for a while we cooked dinner every weekend as a group (Pasta for 30 people is FUN) but the potheads got a little thick second semester. Goodnews is they're all moving to North campus I think.
I personally wouldn't recommend Burton next year, based on the fact that my roommate's moving there. Really, I liked the girl, she did a couple of things for me that made up for ALL teh clothes on the floor and the early AM Alarm clock. Just trust me, you dont' want to room in the same building as that alarm clock. ::shudder::

If you're looking for community on south campus, I have the suspicion that South is going to be fairly happy next year. I also can garuntee that if you're into program houses, the RA's of German and Russian House(s) are absolutely Fabu. Both are friends of mine, and are great, enthusiastic people. For that matter, I can also vouch for an RA in Fairkid and in Talcott.

All in all, I enjoyed living in Dascomb. There's something to be said for rolling out of bed and going down to breakfast. And being within spitting distance of most of your classes. I know people who never left wilder bowl for all thier classes. (yay humanities people..)

Meg

(Reply to this) (Thread)
Sorry about tacking this on to this subject, but I need to ask about this
[info]researcher
2003-06-06 01:12 pm UTC (link)
Is this Meg from fencing class? Because this is David.

(And to tie it to Dascomb, we often ate breakfast together there. So, if you like to eat breakfast but don't like to walk, it's a plus, I guess.)

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]infidel
2003-06-06 02:32 pm UTC (link)
I'm confused-- you're just now deciding on where you want to live? I was told that I should have all my info in by March, but I guess that's maybe because I'm early decision?
... and today I got my housing assignment, but they also included all the forms that I already filled out! weird.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]effusion16
2003-06-06 02:38 pm UTC (link)
This must be because you are early decision as most of us regular decision kids didn't even receive our letters of admission until April--one month after your forms were due. I haven't even received a form to fill out my housing preference yet (Is anyone else in this position, or should I begin worrying?).

(Reply to this) (Parent)
please consider barrows
(Anonymous)
2003-06-11 03:30 pm UTC (link)
I know there are a lot of people out there knocking barrows, so I need to put in a good word. I didn't select it, they just put me there, which they do to a lot of people. However, I had the time of my life. Everyone there is a freshman, and they're all really eager to make friends. In fact, I became friends with my whole dorm. A lot of people say that it's just like high school, only 24 hours a day. If it were anything like my high school, I would have definitely moved out. If I had known all the people there in high school, I would have been friends with them. Yes, the building looks like a factory, and it can be a little loud,even obnoxious at times, but if you want a dorm that functions like a family, definitely look into it.

(Reply to this)

Create an Account
Forgot your login or password?
Login w/ OpenID
English • Español • Deutsch • Русский…