oberlin: i'm a high school senior and i'm going t

bean (

msgootch) wrote in

oberlin,
@ 2003-02-01 20:54:00

Entry tags:

dorms, for incoming first-years

i'm a high school senior and i'm going to oberlin in the fall. the time has come for me to fill out my housing application... i was wondering if you guys had any advice on dorms. any stories about dorms or co-ops to share? any advice about possibly living on a single-sex floor or anything like that?

oh, one more thing, what kind of meal plan would you recommend to a first year student? did you guys tend to use the meal plan or make your own food?

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jude
2003-02-01 08:09 pm UTC (link)

co-ops kinda depend on your temperament. there are both eating and dining -- some of them have very distinct and forceful personalities. there are probably people in most of them on this community who can tell you more about specific ones. but it is good to know what you're getting into before you sign up for one, and also whether there are any that you will ABSOLUTELY HATE so you can get out of them (or at least on a waiting list for another one) if you get stuck in one due to the virtues of the co-op lottery. i, for example, did not at all enjoy my semester in fairchild dining co-op, and wish i'd known more about it before getting there. however, to be fair, other, more vegan, politically-active people love it. it just wasn't right for me.

there aren't -that- many single-sex floors in the dorms. most dorms don't have them at all, 'cause they're not that big (i think they're only in East, North, and South, although i could be wrong). i have never lived on a single-sex floor, and don't really see the benefits of it, but that's just because i have lots of guy friends. there are single-sex bathrooms (although you can vote to have them co-ed, which can be an advantage depending on where the bathrooms are and how many there are) and generally people are considerate.

i don't think as a freshman you get that many different meal options, but i'd definitely go for the fewest you can get, especially if you can cook at all or have a vaguely irregular schedule ever (like, wanting a snack at 3pm, or dinner at 9, or whatever). dining-hall food can definitely get old, and although there are four meal options a day, it can be nice to make yourself some pasta sometimes, or have enough flex dollars to have a sandwich from the decaf between dining hall hours occasionally.

thus is the extent of my advice. :)

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	dalassa 2003-02-01 08:53 pm UTC (link)
	I would advise going with the college meal plan your first semester. The co-ops are something you need to expirience before going permently with one. The dining halls are better then most colleges so while it will get old after a while there is always decent fruit. (Reply to this) (Parent)

xlerb
2003-02-02 04:10 am UTC (link)

i don't think as a freshman you get that many different meal options

As far as CDS goes, first-years are allowed only the 19-meal and 14-meal plans; they have <rummage/> 40 and 150 flex/semester, respectively, and this year the dining charge for both is $1630/semester.

Oh, and

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i don't think as a freshman you get that many different meal options As far as CDS goes, first-years are allowed only the 19-meal and 14-meal plans; they have <rummage/> 40 and 150 flex/semester, respectively, and this year the dining charge for both is $1630/semester. Oh, and <A HREF="http://www.oberlin.edu/cds/information.html"</A>CDS's page</A> also exists, and even seems more or less up-to-date at the moment.

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eengah
2003-02-01 08:53 pm UTC (link)

Every dorm -- excuse me; residence hall -- has its own personality. I could name them all for you, but I'd probably be stoned for being all stereotypical. However, if you know what you're looking for, I bet I could tell you which halls might suit you best.

I've lived in East (on the quiet floor) and hated it because there's very little opportunity for meeting people, and I've been an RA in Barrows (all freshmen; specifically, I've worked on the all-female floor) and in Fairchild. I loved Barrows last year, hated Fairkid (but that's just because it's not a good match for me) and am not a huge fan of Barrows this year.

As far as meals... I always go with as few as possible. I make a lot of my own food, and I live out of the DeCafe (small grocery/snack bar in the student union that runs on flex dollars) when possible.

Um, I'm getting rambly and making little sense, so feel free to email me or IM me (contact info on my userpage) if you want to talk specifics or whatever.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	:-/ infidel 2003-02-19 11:58 am UTC (link)
	When you say that you loved Barrows last year, but this year it's not so great, what changed? Is it the atmosphere? I'm considering living there next year, but now I've been convinced that divided doubles are the way to go. :) Also, do you know much about Langston and South? Thanks. :) (Reply to this) (Parent)

	msgootch 2003-02-19 03:04 pm UTC (link)
	i think right now my top choices are east, langston, and south. hmmm. when you lived in east, was it hard to meet people because you lived on the quiet floor or is that just the atmosphere of east? (Reply to this) (Parent)

lilyofthewest
2003-02-01 09:23 pm UTC (link)

I'll throw in a plug for the coops, both living and eating in. Dining hall food is better than most colleges, but that's still saying "almost as good as in some prisons". And while Oberlin's dorm rules are more lax than many places, after having lived without them thanks to OSCA I can't imagine having to deal with them. The rooms in all of the coops are on par with or better than the rooms in the regular dorms (possible exception of Talcott or Baldwin). No coops have divided doubles though - its open double or a single, and your chances of getting a single are small anywhere but Tank and Harkenss *only* has doubles. Despite the small number available, your chance of getting a single in a coop is better as a first or second year than it is anywhere else since they're generally alotted by petition or random lottery. Harkness is a pretty standard dorm design but the others are converted houses and they have a lot more quirk and character than the dorms. Some of the dorms are nice and houselike, but most have the "my own little cubicle in a big cement shoebox" quality.

Keep - living & dining - (where I live now) Medium sized house, sometimes has a lot of parties. Middle of campus. Primarily vegetarian, occasional meat has been permitted this year. Not very vegan friendly.

Tank - living & dining - smaller house, some very large rooms, some abysmally small ones. Primarily vegetarian, most years some meat has been allowed. Generally not very vegan friendly. A bit further off campus than most places.

Harkness - living & dining - This is one place I'd actually *really* recommend getting to know before committing yourself too. It's been said that Harkness is to Oberlin as Oberlin is to the rest of the world. It's not a *bad* place, and I'd certainly consider living there, but it has a much more intense character than most other places. Dining is vegetarian and vegan.

Old B is wonderful and offers great housing and food but its far enough off campus that they don't let freshmen live there.

Fairkid is dining only. Primarily vegan, strictest food policies.

Asia House/Pyle Inn is dining only. It is probably the meatiest coop this year. Generally that title has gone to it, Keep or Tank. Some years its had really bad membership shortages but it seems healthy and happy this year.

Third World & Kosher I'm actually very uninformed about, so if you've any interest in them you'll need to find better sources.

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lo_spettro
2003-02-02 10:28 am UTC (link)

I'm a first-year in Dascomb, on the college's 19-meal plan. Let me tell you, it's hard to eat 19 meals a week, so I suggest going with 14 if you don't want to go coop. I think eating from dining halls is a good idea at least for your first semester, you don't have as much to worry about.
Dascomb is a *great* 1st-year dorm and I like it a lot. I also can't wait to get out next year, because you really can't smoke in here (mostly because my RAs are a lithtle hard-assed, but that can't be helped). Next year I'm hoping for Keep or Harkness, or maybe a quad somewhere north with a few friends.
Congrats on deciding to come here! This was my eighth choice but I'm really glad I came here. See you next fall.
--xander

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haleth_the_elf
2003-02-02 12:16 pm UTC (link)

I'm a first year in North, and I'd like to throw in a strong plug for all the dorms with divided doubles. Basically, you live with a roommate, but you have your own room. So if my roommate wants to go to bed early, and I'm up late working on a paper, she can sleep. If she's having loud sex with her boyfriend... well, I can still hear it, but I will never have to be sexiled from my room. The downside is that you see a lot less of your roommate unless you make the effort, but it hasn't been a problem for me. I know roommates in divided doubles who spend lots of time together, and if you and your roommate really don't get along well (which can definitely happen), it's the best thing ever to not have to be in the same room as them.

I like North because of the multiplicity of lounges, and it's very open and bright and friendly-looking. It can be loud, though, and on a party night there are lots of drunk people who can be obnoxious. That may not be the case next year. It's also kind of far away from everything, though nothing on campus is *really* far away...

As for meal plans, co-ops are fun, but I'd wait before diving into that. I would recommend the 19 meal plan only if you a) will *ever* eat breakfast, or b) like going to 4th meal. However, you can always change your meal plan a few weeks in if it's not working for you. I know lots of people who did

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Divided Doubles and the 19 meal plan

loquaxcaesar
2003-02-02 04:54 pm UTC (link)

As Jo said earlier, Divided Doubles are fantastic - all the companionship that comes with having a roommate, but little of the hassle. If you don't like your roommate, you can shut the door and deal with them minimally. If you happen to get along famously, you can develop a great relationship and spend all of your time together. Fortunately, if your living habits aren't exactly the same, the wall between you certainly helps. If you don't have class until 11 but your roommate has Calculus at 8 (which is hell), you will get to experience the joy of early morning preparations as your roomie prepares to venture forth into academia, should you have an open double. With a divided double, the alarm will be muffled, and no lights will turn on. The draw-back, of course, is that your half of the room is... well, it's half of a normal room. You'll get more drawer space with the divided double, though, and you don't have to worry about your roommate making a mess on your half, as the boundry line is quite visible. Another thing to consider is, should you already have, or find, a boyfriend/girlfriend, you may occassionally want your privacy. Your roommate might want her privacy, too, and it's no fun to get sexiled from your room. Much easier just to have a divided double and not worry about it. Thus, I'm a big fan of North, though South and... maybe a few other dorms have some divided doubles, too.

As for the meal plan, I love fourth meal. It's a good time to unwind, take a study break, and have some pretty bad food. Reliably bad food, though. It's no surprise, so the consistency makes it tolerable. Should you have the 14 meal plan, you'll have much fewer opportunities to go to fourth meal, or breakfast (though I can count on one hand the times I've eaten breakfast this semester). You'll get more flex points, but that's a pretty small consolation, in my mind. Then again, other people love the DeCafe'. It's a personal decision. Well, there you have it!

We look foreward to seeing you in the fall! Be happy! Do well on your AP tests, if you're taking them. Dance like no-one is watching. Stay away from Pepto-Bismol.

Become a Classics major.

Good luck.

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mmm, Dascomb

greenstripes
2003-02-04 09:33 pm UTC (link)

I am a first-year in Dascomb too... it's generally regarded as the worst dorm on camups (and mocked in Obertones skits,) but hey. It may look like a big ugly box, and the bathrooms can be iffy, and the smoke alarms are a bitch, but it has a really great sense of DASCOMB! community sort of thing this year. There's a dining hall right downstairs so you don't have to go outside when it's cold, and it's madly convenient to get a job in the dining hall, if a bit gross. It's really close to the library and the Con and the main academic building. There's a kitchen on both of the upper floors. Yeah, Dascomb. There is also a life size standup of Humphrey Bogart smoking a joint in the lounge.

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dinei
2003-02-05 10:33 pm UTC (link)

I definitely say that co-op living made my year freshman year (I've since graduated) but every co-op, whether living or dining, is going to depend heavily on the membership constituting it that year and thus is totally freaking unpredictable, even if you're sitting at the Spring Lottery watching people sign on. Tradition helps (for instance, Harkness may change in personality over the years, but will likely always be Harkness) but in the particulars it's only a rough guide. Over 4 years in OSCA, I finally just decided that the quality of co-ops in any given year must depend on solar flares or something equally intangible, because I couldn't discern any other pattern.

As a freshman, I'd say the best plan is to put yourself in for a co-op dining (be sure to ask around or visit first though, since the description in the guide isn't always the best) and live in a dorm or program house. If you don't like the co-op, you've still got the option of unofficially switching in with someone in a different co-op and can easily ditch the whole thing for the CDS plan of your choice if it's really not for you. Since I spent 4 years in OSCA serving one function or another, I don't know much about dorms but I can answer *any* questions you may have about the co-op system without much difficulty. You can also email osca@oberlin.edu and Doug or someone else is sure to be able to answer your questions.

jodie

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