It is safe to say that housing week of freshman year was probably the worst week of my life. I gained around 5 pounds from stress eating, lost a friendship, and was placed on the dreaded patch of dorms known as CoRo. More specifically, I got a quad on the furthest dorm away, Williams. I thought that my life was officially over when I didn’t get an 8 man… or a 4 man… or a 6 man. However, I have learned to make the best of my year here and want to give all my other sophomores and the freshmen soon-to-be CoRo residents some tips and reminders on why this isn’t the worst place on Earth.
1. Take advantage of having friends on Lower
Remember when you had to tell all of your friends last March that you are living in a quad on Williams? I do, and I remember the response I got from nearly all of them: “I’m sorry, but you can stay in my room in (insert Lower dorm here) anytime you want!” Don’t be afraid to take people up on this offer. If it is too cold to make the trek back with all the freshmen one Saturday, your friend won’t mind you crashing on her couch, she might actually be excited that you want to stay.
2. Remember that you dealt with the walk last year
If you don’t want to constantly be asking your friends to stay on Lower during the weekends, remind yourself as you ascend the Iggy steps that if you could do it as a freshman, you can do it as a sophomore. And if you were a Newtonite, at least now you get to stay out past 2!
3. You are burning calories
Personally, my calorie count on weekends gets a little out of hand. With going into the city for food, a questionable amount of alcohol consumption, and my desperate need to eat mozzarella sticks at Late Night, I need to hit the treadmill extra hard the next day. By walking home to CoRo, however, you have burned many more calories than your friends who have made the quick walk from the Mods to Walsh.
4. Faculty Dining Lounge
My roommates and I found out about this little gem early last semester. Every Thursday night, the Faculty Dining Lounge (in the back of the third floor of Mac) has a special dinner that students can RSVP to attend. This semester it is alternating between recipes from Food Network stars’ cookbooks and favorites of our own BC chefs. The food is buffet style and so delicious! It costs $25, but it is on the normal meal plan, so you won’t lose out on trips to Hillside. You can RSVP online under the FDR webpage.
5. You will have good grades
Now I can’t speak for everyone on this, because doing well in school is entirely up to an individual, but there is a rumor that CoRo sophomores have better grades than sophomores on Lower. This theory holds true for me, I got my best GPA ever last semester and I think much of that has to do with the sad fact that I can’t be distracted by all of my friends living so close to me and someone always wanting to do something instead of work.
6. Go to Newton and Chestnut Hill
By living on Co-Ro, you are less than a mile away from Newton Centre, the Chestnut Hill Mall, and other shopping centers. With the weather the way it is now, you probably don’t want to walk this far, but come spring, go check out these places if you haven’t. There is a movie theater right down Hammond Street, at the Boylston intersection. Go to Johnny’s or The Union Station Diner in Newton Centre for brunch with friends, or indulge in some retail therapy at the Chestnut Hill Mall and then get a nice dinner at Papa Razzi.
Living on CoRo is not the end of the world; in fact I’ve begun to like it a little bit. I can go back to my room and nap between classes, I never have to clean my bathroom, and there is little chance that I will be written up. So next time when you are at a party and someone makes a stank face and tells you how much it sucks that you are on CoRo, remind yourself that there are some upsides to being turned away by ResLife.