(Photo an Original image)
Hey there, incoming freshmen. I’m sure you have thought a lot about where to live this coming year, as does everyone. If you have turned the beautiful tower, Griesedieck Residence Hall, a blind eye, please hear what I have to say about the wonderful pros of living in the only dorm with community bathrooms on campus.
1. It’s smack in the center of campus
It’s literally the best. With three-minute walks to the BSC, no more than 15-minute walks to any class building, and its location right on Grand, Griesedieck (Gries) is the center-point of campus. It’s so fun to see all the activities going on outside at all times of day.
Not only that, but it’s also a central social hub to SLU. From midnight breakfasts during finals week to tables and booths outside of it for various events, there is always a fun crowd at Gries.
2. It has its own dining hall
Walking from your dorm to another location to eat may not seem like much work, but when you’re swamped in assignments and exhausted, you’ll be thankful for being only a few floors up from the dining hall, especially for breakfasts on the weekends. Gries breakfast >>>>>
3. It’s eight feet from the Simon Rec
If you’re planning on getting into the workout grind your freshman year, what better way to motivate you to do so than by living in the dorm only feet from the rec? It’s so easy to just hop on over, work out, and be done with it, before you even have to go to class!
4. You don’t have to worry about trashing the place
Also called the freshmen experience, Griesedieck is the only community-style residence hall on campus. It’s one of the oldest dorms, and is beautifully dirty. A loveable, smelly tower, Gries takes pressure away from “oh god- have I put too many pins in the wall?” It literally doesn’t matter.
You also don’t have to worry about cleaning a bathroom or shower (trust me, it’s nice).
I’m sure you’ve heard people talking about the “freshmen experience” as you’ve considered where to live your first year, and the wondrous tower will provide this experience like none other.
5. You get to know your floor better
With no lounge or common room, every single floor on Gries, Walsh, and Clemens (besides 4G) uses the tiled hallway as their communal space. This means you are steps away from your whole floor community at all times. Not only that, but sharing a bathroom and shower room with all of your floor-mates gives you more time to spend (or not to spend) with your floor.
6. You could land on Floor 16
One big perk of Gries is its illustrious height, and, if you’re lucky, you could be randomly placed on one of the top floors of the entire tower. The views facing either the beautiful quad or South Campus are both stunning, and it’s so nice to have such a luxury at all times of the day. Plus, the windows in Gries are huge, and allow for maximum viewing of sweet and charming St. Louis.
7. You’ll never forget it
I have no regrets about living in Gries my first year at SLU. From the constant community support, to being surrounded by most of my class all the time, to always being near campus events, Gries provides what no other dorm cannot.
There are countless hours in the elevator, nights hanging in various dorm rooms with my floor-mates, an unforgettable view, and a prime location. Griesedieck Residence Hall is soon to be renovated, and the true and historic “Grease-y Gries” experience is dwindling.