For a little less than a year, HC Framingham writer Serena has been living in the school dorm we all know as Horace Mann Hall. From her personal experience, she can tell you that for anyone looking for some peace, it is the place to be. Though it does not have an elevator, it makes up for in plenty of singles and doubles for everyone, including about four different suites. There is a fully functional kitchen on the first floor with the tools to use it to its full potential, as well as the use of unisex bathrooms for all and any student. Being next to the dining hall is a huge perk too!
Peirce Hall is the most similar residence hall to Horace Mann being its neighbor. Peirce is home to all female students, as well as the Cener for Academic Success and Advising (CASA). Peirce is composed of 3 floors and an annex which is connected through the lounge.
Opened in 1973 and named after a former educator at the college, Corinne Hall Towers, more commonly referred to as Towers, holds ten floors worth of resident students. This is the tallest building on campus (at 11 floors), which has its pros and cons. Towers may be the most colorful dorm on campus, which isn’t for everyone. There are plenty of events brought to student by the RAs, as well as useful, necessary, and fun amenities. This includes a comfortable and big TV room on the second floor and games on the third. Although the ten floors allow a lot of life and activity in the building, it’s not the most fun when one of the two elevators is down and you live on the top floor or if you’re planning a quiet night on your floor (but of course it depends who lives around you). Noise can come along with an open door policy, which Towers offers, but it’s not every night. The building offers mostly doubles but also holds some single dorms. Towers also has a floor specifically for freshman honors program students. Overall, Towers is a fair dorm to live in. It really depends on your preference of if you like to live around a whole lot of people or would prefer small and quiet places to live.
Larned Hall is a six-story co-ed residence hall that sits atop Bare Hill, which is also known as Larned Hill to the student body. The first floor features a kitchen and spacious TV lounge complete with pool tables, and is home to the laundry room and a second smaller TV lounge near the mailboxes. Floors two through six are comprised of doubles, triples, and quads. Each floor has its own washroom with large sinks, a small TV lounge, and two study rooms with large tables for writing that last minute paper. Larned is home to the First-Year Experience floor, which is only available to first-year students. There is one all-girls floor and one quiet floor as well. Some pros of living in Larned include the two elevators, multiple TV lounges, and proximity to library and Hemenway Hall. On the other hand, some cons include the trek up Larned Hill in the snow, the trek down Larned Hill in the snow, and the fact that it is the furthest residence hall from the dining hall and Ram Tram stop.
North Hall opened its doors in the fall of 2011 and is home to upperclassmen. This seven-story residence hall has a few different options when it comes to room selection. Residents can choose between a four-person suite or a connected double and single. All of these rooms include a semi-private bathroom facility, so you never have to leave your room again (as long as you have food). On the ground floor of North Hall is the laundry room. Right next to the laundry room are vending machines, a pool table, and the hall’s mailboxes. Every floor in North has at least one lounge area, and these lounges are equipped with flat-screen TVs and comfortable furniture. Every floor also contains a study room, equipped with desks, chairs, and white boards; everything a hardworking student needs. The pros to living in North Hall are the multiple elevators, the study rooms and lounges on every floor, your own personal bathroom, and the ability to take two steps out the front door to visit Sandella’s Flatbread Café. The only cons to living in North are the lack of AC and the price tag, seeing as North Hall is currently the most expensive dorm to live in.
Linsley Hall, located in the far reaches of campus behind North Hall, offers a place of maturity and tranquility. Being the farthest dorm, the trek to the library is no joke with Larned Hill in the way, and you will find yourself using Linsley Halls own conference rooms to study. The actual dorm room its self is heated and air conditioned, so no matter the weather you can have a toasty room, or a cool oasis waiting for you when you come back. Linsley is filled with mostly upperclassmen who believe that the whole dorm community is something of the past, so do not expect opened doors, and a friendly smile. With less frequent bag checks, suite checks two days a week, and the expectation to clean the bathroom yourself (in the case of living in a suite) Linsley really gives the chance of the student to see what life is going to be like after college. The room itself is larger than most, and completely tiled. There are shelfs against the back wall and they can be used for anything such as decorating, or for storing your 24 pack of Ramen as my suitemates have decided to do. In most of the rooms there are two doorways, one leading to the hall, another to your next door neighbor. Before you ask “wait what?” the door to your neighbor does not open as it is sealed shut, but sadly that does not stop the sound from coming through. Linsley as a whole is a spectacular dorm building, and if you are looking for a place where you can get your work done, and have a good time, this might be the place for you.
West Hall, which will be located behind the McCarthy Center, opens for the Fall 2016 semester. Students will have the option to live in suite-styled rooms similar to North Hall. We are excited to see what students will have to say about the brand new residence hall that will joining our campus.
O’Connor Hall we will wish to Rest In Peace from dorm life. The hall will be turning into an adivising center featuring many faculty offices. The faculty who are currently placed in Crocker Hall will be transferring over to O’Connor.