Figuring out housing when you’re a freshman is a pain. How are you supposed to figure out whether to pref self-ops or co-ops if you’ve never lived in either? And don’t get me started on Stanford’s housing website — it makes every housing option sound like rainbows and sunshine. But, trust me on this one —not everyone belongs in a co-op, or can handle living in an apartment. This article will give you the scoop on housing — the good, the bad and the ugly.
Dorms
Two-room doubles, one-room doubles, triples and quads. Dorms are the most convenient option for people who want to actually use their time for extracurriculars, having fun and …ok yeah we’ll throw homework on this list. If you think you’re going to be busy, and don’t have 3+ hours to commit every week to cooking/cleaning, then dorms are your gold standard. Also, if you like your living space being moderately clean, there’s no place better. All of Stanford’s dorms have an amazing janitorial staff and are kept ridiculously clean — you can actually count on your bathrooms being sanitary, your lounges tidy and your hallways clear. But, not everything about dorms is guaranteed to be amazing – depending on the other people who end up drawing in, your dorm can be the social hot spot or have tumbleweeds blowing down the hallways on a Friday night (no Rebecca Black jokes please, I’m so sick of that crap). Make sure you have a draw group you love hanging out with or you’ll be miserable when the winter quarter blues hit.
Self-Ops
Let’s be honest, who doesn’t want to live in a self-op? With their central location on the row, open kitchen, DELICIOUS food and comfy setting, they’re the ideal place to live. However, getting in can be pretty tough if you’re not drawing tier 1, and even pre-assignments are competitive. If you want to try and live on the row for more than one year, your best bet is to draw in with tier one and then try to pre-assign or staff the following year — your chances for getting in are much higher once you actually know the people who are currently working there. However, if you’re more inclined to crawl into a study hole on weekends when you’ve got a lot of work or midterms, then think twice about living on the row. It can be distracting to be constantly surrounded by parties — save your tier 1 for a year when you’ll be taking a lighter load, and can actually enjoy your surroundings (senior spring, anyone?).
Co-ops
Each co-op has a personality all its own, and their reputations remain pretty consistent each year, since people typically draw (or pre-assign) into a co-ops specifically for its reputation (which I would list here if it wasn’t completely un-PC). But, BEWARE – although co-ops cultivate some of the best dorm communities, they also take a lot of your time. Living in a co-op is serious responsibility, so don’t think you can just flake on your assigned job and get away with it. Since students are the ones who run the house, everybody has to contribute — which Is hard to do if someone doesn’t clean up after themselves, flakes on cooking or is screwing around when they’re supposed to be hashing. But, don’t let that scare you, living in a co-op can be super fun — most of the people who choose to draw into a co-op are super chill, making for a really relaxed house atmosphere and fun special dinners.
Suites
Despite it’s horrible location (edge of the world, i.e. west campus), suites is an amazing place to live. Instead of the dining hall, each suite has its own eating club with some of the most delicious food on campus (and don’t get me started on how amazing their special d’s are)! Plus, suites’ living arrangements are very cozy, with each suite being apartment-style with its own bathroom and common area. However, if you’re ranking suites, make sure you’re doing it with a good draw group — chances are they’re going to be the only people you’ll see each weekend, since it’s a pain to walk from suites to, well, anywhere else on campus. For a lot of people, living on far west campus is enough to ensure they never rank any west campus residences on their housing forms ever again. But, if you have a huge draw group and only a tier 3, feel lucky if you land it!
Apartment
If you’re big on playing house, Mirrielees is the place to be. It’s a typical apartment-style complex, with generously sized common areas outfitted with couches and big-screen TV’s, and a private bathroom and kitchen for you and your roommate. If you like cooking for yourself, but don’t have extra hours to spend cooking for other people, an apartment is a much better option than a co-op; just make sure you come outfitted with your own dining ware, and be prepared to carve some time out of your week to go grocery shopping (or you can always purchase a dining plan). The double-edged sword to apartment life is the amount of privacy. Mirrielees is definitely the least social housing option on campus, with most of its residents’ doors being tightly shut (just like in a normal apartment complex), but this can also be great if you want to maintain the work/sleep schedule that is best for you, and not the people who live next to you. As always, if you’re drawing into Mirrielees, make sure you have a roommate that you adore; you’ll be in cozy quarters all year.
To sum things up, certain personality types are best fitted with certain housing options. For example, if you’re lazy, give higher preference to dorms — you’ll end up wanting to shoot yourself the night you have an essay dueand you have to clean the kitchen for 3 hours. If you’re thinking about going for a certain type of housing option, solicit opinions from people who you know are living there — but don’t just believe anyone. Pay attention to the opinions of people with similar personalities or living habits as you. If you like being the life of the party, you’re not going to enjoy living in Mirrielees as much as the girl who studies on Friday nights and vice versa. Also, don’t forget to pray you get a good draw number. Good luck!
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Stanford chapter.