Roomdraw 2012: Consider the Hill

Well, folks, we’re nearing the end of the spring semester – which means it’s time once again for all of the chaos, excitement, and anxiety that is Room Draw.  The best way to beat the stress of room draw is to go in well-informed about all of your options, so this week I’m going to tell you what it’s like in the little corner of Amherst College where I currently live – the Hill.
 
 
Pros:
 

• Location – The first thing most people say when I mention I live in Tyler is, “but that’s so far!”  First, I think a lot of people have a skewed perception of how far the hill dorms are from campus.  I can walk at a normal pace from Tyler to Val in about 6 minutes – probably about the same time it takes from the socials, King, or Weiland.  Sure, you can’t wake up 2 minutes before class like you can if you live on the freshman quad, but having a little distance from campus can be a great thing.  Living on the hill provides a small escape from the Amherst bubble, and the walk to and from campus can serve as a wonderful built-in study break.  Plus, Marsh parties and coffee houses are right in your backyard, and Antonio’s isn’t far off either.
• Atmosphere – Tyler, Plimpton, and Marsh are all former frat houses, and they’re all fairly small dorms.  Each room is unique; some have old fireplaces, private bathrooms, or walk-in closets.  Plus, each dorm has a full kitchen in the basement.  For me, living in Tyler feels cozier and more home-like than the larger, more uniform dorms on campus.
• Singles! – Some of Plimpton’s larger singles are being converted back into doubles for the 2012-2013 school year, but the vast majority of rooms on the hill are singles.  For rising sophomores, I’d say Tyler and Plimpton are probably the nicest available singles on campus (unless you’re in theme housing or lucky enough to be someone’s RC buddy).  Living in a single has lots of benefits:
• You can decorate the room however you want
• You can stay awake until 4 am (or go to bed at 9 pm) without bothering anyone
• You never have to worry about sexiling your roommate
• You can do homework naked whenever you want
• Etc.

 
 
Cons:
 

• Location – Yes, this is both a pro and a con.  I like the location of the hill dorms, but for science-y people who spend all of their class time in Merrill, or athletes who have to trek to the gym every day, the walk might get a little aggravating.  Also, it can get frustrating to forget your umbrella/phone/laptop charger and not be able to run back to your dorm and grab it.
• Parties seem to get busted early – Depending on your weekend scene, I guess this can be a pro or a con.  Some of the houses on Tyler Place are occupied by real people not affiliated with Amherst College or UMass, and noise complaints often lead the police to break up parties that get too big or loud. 
• There’s always the slight possibility that your dorm will lose power for a week due to heavy snowfall in the middle of October and you’ll have to sleep on your friends’ floors for several nights.  But hopefully that was just a one-time occurren