Whether you’re just starting college or a returning student figuring out which hall you’ll live in next year, sorting through FSU’s dorms and all of their quirks can be incredibly daunting. As someone who lived the dorm life experience for my first two years, I’ve come to find that there are a million things to love — and, admittedly, sometimes a lot of things to hate — about your dorm.
While living in a dorm isn’t always the most ideal living situation, I think it’s a rite of passage, especially at FSU. I’m a firm believer that dorm life is an essential part of the college experience. No dorm is perfect, and there’s a definite give and take to every building, but it’s important to know what you’re getting into before you make your selections. There’s definitely a dorm on campus that will be the perfect fit for you!
Suite-Style Dorms
The suite-style residence halls are where you’re most likely to end up during your first year at FSU. Most often, the suite-style dorm room has two beds with an adjoining bathroom shared by all four suitemates. In some halls, the number of people in each room can vary, with some dorms offering single bedrooms and a shared bathroom, or triple bedrooms with a shared bathroom.
While living in a triple definitely isn’t ideal, it’s certainly doable. I had the misfortune of living in a triple my first year, and while that’s a lot of people for one space, we did get a slightly bigger room and an extra mini fridge. There are definitely perks and downsides to every living situation.
There are also a few dorms that offer a couple of rooms with private bathrooms, meaning you wouldn’t have any suitemates on the other side to share with. If you’re worried about getting locked out of the bathroom by your suitemates (which is sure to happen at some point) or if you don’t want to coordinate a bathroom schedule with a ton of people, it might be beneficial to look into a private bathroom.
If you’re trying to decide which suite-style dorm is right for you, location is important to consider. Many of the older residence halls — Bryan, Broward, Landis, Cawthon, Jennie Murphree, Reynolds, and Gilchrist — are in more central areas of campus. Most of these halls are near Landis Green and Strozier Library, which is definitely helpful in your first year, even if the rooms are a bit outdated.
If living in a newer hall is important to you, Magnolia, Azalea, Dorman, and Diviney are closer to 1851 and the Askew Student Life Center. Wildwood is also newer than some of the other dorms, but it’s near the stadium, making your walks to class a bit longer in most cases.
Two of the dorms that people often try to avoid are Salley and DeGraff Halls. If you end up placed in one of these dorms, don’t freak out. The biggest issues people have with these dorms are their age and their location. DeGraff is on the other side of West Tennessee Street from the main campus, and Salley is all the way over by the Department of Psychology. While this may seem scary, you’ll definitely be able to get your steps in and see more of our beautiful campus on your walks to class.
I’ve also heard from many of my friends who’ve lived in both of these halls that they’re not nearly as bad as the online horror stories may lead you to believe. While there may be a few maintenance issues, weird room layouts, or some location-related late-night noises, those things tend to happen at some point in all of the dorms, and they’re a formative part of the experience.
Another important thing to consider is whether you’ll have a meal plan or if you’ll be using the communal kitchens in your first year. While all of the suite-style dorms have kitchens, some have more than others. When you’re sharing that space with everyone else in the building, living in a dorm with a kitchen on every floor is definitely a plus. If you’re planning to cook for yourself, it’s probably best to avoid Salley and Broward, as they have fewer kitchens than the others.
Living-Learning Communities
FSU also offers Living-Learning Communities (LLCs), which allow you to live in a dorm with students who share similar interests to you. Usually, these groups are based on your major, but you can also join several of them if you have an interest in a certain field.
I lived in an LLC during my freshman year, and it was one of the best decisions I made. It allowed me to meet so many new people and create a ton of long-lasting friendships. Joining an LLC is also a good way to make sure you get a spot in a specific dorm, and it often satisfies the Engage 100 requirement for first-year students.
Be sure to check out which LLCs are available and see if there’s an option that fits with your major or interests. LLC applications are due by April 6, and students who apply should hear back by April 17.
Apartment-Style Dorms
While the apartment-style dorms at FSU are mostly for upperclassmen, and the spots tend to fill really fast when the annual housing war begins, I’ve found that some younger students can get into these halls, especially when they have a lot of college credit from high school.
Traditions and Ragans Halls are probably the most sought-after dorms on campus, as each has private rooms, a living space, and a full kitchen. In Ragans Hall, there are three to four private rooms and two bathrooms, while in Traditions Hall, there are two private bedrooms and one shared bathroom.
Rogers Hall also has a kitchen and living space, but you do have to share the bedroom and single bathroom with one other person. McCollum Hall similarly doesn’t offer private rooms, but the townhouses in this building have a large living space, with a kitchen and dining area on the bottom floor, and two rooms with two beds in each, along with a single bathroom on the second floor.
Rogers and McCollum are slightly less popular because they are located near Salley, but it’s usually much easier to get parking near your dorm if you live in this area, which may be worth it if you need to drive off campus often.
Searching for a place to live can be stressful, regardless of whether it’s your first year or your last. Hopefully, this makes it a little easier to figure out what your options are for on-campus housing at FSU, so you can pick the dorm that works best for you!
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