UChicago Class of ’15 Housing Guide

The University of Chicago Admissions Office completed its selection of students for the Class of 2015 on March 18^th, marking the end of a year that saw yet another jump in application numbers. As accepted students breathe a sigh of relief, their attention has gradually turned to other aspects of their future college lifestyle. But despite the interest in RSOs and campus hot spots, housing remains the biggest concern among accepted students looking to enroll at UChicago. Striving to meet their needs, future students are torn between the 10 residence halls on campus, each with their own dorm cultures and traditions.
 
What exactly makes each dorm unique? HerCampus UChicago attempts to answer that question by giving you all a low-down of each residence hall, complete with all their quirky and special personalities.
 
Known affectionately as “Max” and “South” by the students, the Max Palevsky Residential Commons and South Campus Residence Hall are two of the most popular choices for on-campus living. With populations of 717 and 811 respectively, Max and South are also the two largest dorms on campus. So large, in fact, that both dorms are organized into East, Central, and West wings (although only in Max are the three wings separated into three different buildings). Both offer their own advantages, which make Max and South worthwhile options for first years.
 
Because of its proximity to the Quad, Bartlett, the Reg, and Ratner, an immense number of first years choose Max to take advantage of its location. For many, the 5-minute walk to the Quad and the underground basement route that connects all three wings makes Chicago’s harsh winters that much more bearable. Because of its proximity to everything and size, Max is one of the most social dorms on campus, and it also attracts a high number of UChicago’s athletes because of the dorm’s location near the Ratner and Henry Crown gymnasiums. And even though not everyone is an athlete, physical activity still plays a huge role in Max and that aspect of the dorm reflects in the popularity of IM sports among Max residents. Success in IM sports has resulted in rivalries being formed between the houses of other dorms and Max. A famous example is the Alper-Crown (Alper is a house in Max East, and Crown is a South Campus house) rivalry in the Chairmen’s Cup Broomball Match, an intense ordeal that involves a trophy. So far, both houses have won the Cup an equal number of times, making the Alper-Crown rivalry one of the most hard-fought on campus.
 
South, on the other hand, has its own distinct culture from Max. While both dorms are mostly made of first and second years, South tends to attract a greater number of international students. But like Max, South is an extremely social campus because of its population size. While some houses are more socially isolated than others, the majority of South Campus houses constantly interact with one another and create a vibrant social life that livens up the dorm as a whole. Like residents of Max, South residents are involved in virtually everything on campus despite being further away than Max from many of the campus’ attractions. But while the dorm is far from transportation routes to downtown and the many shops and restaurants of 57^th street, South is only 7 minutes from the Quad and its dining hall is within 20 feet from the entrance. Therefore, despite its perceived “long distance” to many campus facilities, getting to class and mealtimes is still simple. These benefits, added to the dorm’s gorgeous glass architecture, makes South an attractive option for incoming students and one of UChicago’s most famous residence halls.
 
But Max and South aside, Pierce Tower also draws in its fair share of students. Located just a block north of Max, Pierce boasts its own dining hall where a great deal of socializing takes place. Pierce’s residents are infamous for their displays of house loyalty, which they demonstrate by appearing at social events in large contingencies. As one student recently told HerCampus UChicago using Henderson house as an example, “When Henderson goes out to parties, they always go out as one big, giant house. They’re never apart, and they go everywhere together.” How did they get so close? First, Pierce residents are notorious for keeping the doors to their rooms open, inviting everyone to come in for a chat. Second, rooms in Pierce are centered around the tower’s two-storey house lounges, making it easy for people to congregate. Every year, houses in Pierce compete in Sportsfrolic, an inter-house sports competition that draws the Pierce community even closer together.
 
For those seeking the stereotypical quirky UChicago culture, Snell-Hitchcock is an ideal choice. The beautiful, neo-Gothic building calls itself home to the two houses that make up the dorm’s name: Snell and Hitchcock. Like many houses at UChicago, Snell-Hitchcock residents are a tight-knit community with a reputation for being “UChicago dorky.” In fact, Snell-Hitchcock’s passion for UChicago manifests itself every year in the annual Scav Hunt. While Scav is popular among the students in general, nowhere is it more sacred than at Snell-Hitchcock where even an ordinary resident can be transformed into the Hero of Time (in this case, you wouldn’t be Link from Zelda, but someone who keeps track of the time for each Scav criteria to be completed). Snell-Hitchcock’s love for Scav cements it as one of UChicago’s most traditional residence halls.
 
In addition to Snell-Hitchcock, another stereotypical UChicago dorm is Burton-Judson. Known as “BJ” among the students, the dorm has been likened to Hogwarts because of its architecture. Inside, BJ also possesses one of the most relaxed atmospheres on campus and an active house life. While BJ residents are quite social, most of their best friends are found within their own house as house life forms a huge part of BJ. Like every dorm, BJ has its own traditions like the BJlympics, an inter-house sports event that takes place every year at Henry Crown. As well, the dorm is also notorious for its participation in Kuvia, a university-wide morning exercise tradition that takes place first week of Winter Quarter. It has been said that during Kuvia, Dodd-Mead, one of BJ’s houses, designates students who run up and down the halls blasting music from a stereo to wake everyone up for Kuvia, thereby allowing Dodd-Mead to win Kuvia’s house participation award every year.
 
However, BJ’s house spirit can be matched by the likes of Breckinridge House, one of UChicago’s smallest, but most enthusiastic dorms. “Breck” residents are constantly coming up with curious ideas to shock campus. For instance, Breck residents recently organized a flash mob in Pierce’s dining hall to announce the commencement of a “Breck Flash Mob Service”, which involved a sign-up sheet asking students to schedule scaring a person of their choice with the Breck flash mob. Such comic initiatives motivate Breck residents to remain in the dorm as opposed to seeking out apartments, which results in the high number of third and fourth years living in Breck. In fact, the only complaint most Breck residents have about the dorm is its distance from the main Quad.
 
Among the farthest dorms from campus is Blackstone House. According to its own residents, Blackstone is one of UChicago’s quietest dorms. Residents get to enjoy the comforts of their home as the dorm is made up entirely of singles with a shared kitchen for each suite. Furthermore, despite its distance from campus, Blackstone is still relatively close to 57^th street, so many of its residents can be seen eating croissants at the Medici bakery or exploring the plethora of little shops. Built for those who enjoy living on their own in a quiet setting, Blackstone provides a productive and peaceful environment
 
In terms of distance, however, no other dorm can beat the likes of Broadview Hall and Stony Island House. Relative to other UChicago dorms, houses in Broadview do not possess the same level of house unity; however the small size of each house ensures that all Broadview residents get to know each other very well. The importance of communal life at Broadview is reflected in the building’s facilities, such as a ballroom (a remnant from the 1930s when Broadview was a hotel) where residents go to play pool, study, and chat. Additionally, Broadview residents get to enjoy the proximity of the lake, shops, and other little restaurants around Lake Shore Drive as well as easy transportation routes to downtown Chicago. Access to downtown is a trait that Broadview shares with Stony Island, a building situated right next to a CTA bus stop leading to the Loop. Because of its distance from campus, “Stony” residents are an extremely tight-knit group of people whose closeness is only compounded by the living space. Made up entirely of apartments, the amount of space found in each Stony room encourages residents to gather together and socialize in groups. Like Broadview, Stony is a community-driven dorm where it is not uncommon to find residents cooking breakfast together to bond even more. Every year, the dorm holds a Winter Quarter talent show so that residents can come together and celebrate each other’s talents.
 
Finally, Maclean House is the 10^th dorm on UChicago’s campus. Before its transformation into a college dorm, Maclean used to act as a retirement home-mental asylum hybrid, which explains why half of its rooms have metal doors. Composed almost entirely of singles, the dorm contains an eclectic mix of people, with some being more social and others preferring quiet instead. Therefore, Maclean provides a mix of noise and calm that caters to its residents’ social needs. The dorm’s distance away from campus also helps to build house spirit among the students, which is demonstrated by the large amount of house traditions such as weekly poker and movie nights in the lounge and movie theater, as well as an Oscar viewing party. Built to accommodate every student’s different preferences, Maclean is a dorm that reflects the diversity of personalities and characters on UChicago campus.
 
For an incoming student, choosing a residence hall is never among the easiest tasks. Each dorm possesses its own culture and traditions, which are all enticing in their own right. But somehow, UChicago’s students manage to meet their own wants and needs, making dorm life one of the most enjoyable aspects on campus.