I know once I was admitted to Lewis & Clark, I was dying to sign up for housing and find out what res hall I would be in, and I was always looking for more info on housing. So today I wanted to share a little bit about what each dorm is like from the student perspective.
Here you can find a good overview of the technical info from each dorm, and a nice map to show you where they are located on campus. Some good general info on the housing process:
- As a first year, the housing process is that you will fill out a personality survey, and list your top 3 building choices, and what type of room you want to be in, and then based off of that, you will be assigned to a room with a roommate/s.
- Once you're a sophomore and above, you can easily choose your rommate/s and then you get to choose your room based on a lottery system
- Almost all of our dorms are gender neutral in terms of floor and building assignments, many of our bathrooms are gender neutral though it depends on the building and floor, though you can request to live on a single gender floor. Rooms are generally single gender but you can request to live in gender non conforming housing. Once your past first year, many students choose to live with people of different genders, because they're friends and make good roommates.
- All of our dorms are equipped with multiple kitchens and kitchenettes, so you never have to worry about choosing a building for the kitchen
- All of our dorms have free laundry machines in the basements
- None of our dorms are year specific, so most of our dorms are mixed between first years and sophomores, and then juniors and seniors
- Known for being a quiet, well being minded dorm. Many first years and sophomores live here. The walk in closets are very popular, and it's right across the street from the dining hall
- A very typical dorm with long hallways of double rooms, with lots of common rooms to hang out in. it features one of the bigger kitchens on campus and is known for a nice community, but still pretty quiet
- A nice small dorm that has a reputation for being cozy and friendly. All of the doors have flags of different countries painted on them, and the lounge has a grand piano. It's the closest dorm to academics and the dining hall, so it's very convenient
- Known for being one of the most predominantly first year dorms, though many sophomores live here as well. This dorm is popular with athletes and has a very active feel. It's the biggest dorm and can be a maze inside, but those that love copland are very devoted
- This building has great views over the ravine and the bride, and of other buildings on campus. One section of the building has chalkboard doors which gives it a lively feel. The building houses an open art space called the platteau, and it has a very friendly vib
- This res hall is actually 6 buildings-- 5 dorms and 1 common room in the center. (I'm biased because i lived here for 2 years but I think this is the best place to live) These buildings are a little further from academics but are close to the community garden, and each floor is fairly small so it's easy to get to know those on your floor. Forrest houses a lot of quads with 4 roomates each. These buildings each have a different feel, but in general it's a laid back and fun place
Hartzfeld, Holmes and the Appartments
- Those options are all open to sophomores and up or juniors and up
- Hartzfeld houses mostly sophomores in motel style suites with a shared bathroom between 2 sets of roomates, these rooms are known for being a nice step up from some first year dorms
- Holmes is the newest building and has great ammenities like fantastic kitchens and common spaces, it's a popular dorm and lots of people love to hang out in the common rooms with friends, but it has a quiet more studios feel overall
- The apartments are the perfect balance between independence and staying on campus, and are a very popular (sometimes) competitive option for upper division student. They have nice kitchens and on suite bathrooms, and there are 2 or 4 person options
Overall, most students spend more than the required 2 years living on campus, and it's a beautiful place to live so I understand why. I really enjoyed my dorm living experiences, and I hope this little guide helps you find the building that's right for you.
if you have any questions feel free to email me at quentingaul@lclark.edu