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Top 10 Dorms on Campus
Sarah Parish '23 Staff Writer
November 2, 2021

With 16 dorms around campus, some dorms tend to find themselves higher on student’s sign-up lists than others. Between location, room size, and many other factors, there seems to be a consensus on where  people want to live each year. Here are the best and worst dorms on campus, ranked: 

Female dorms –

Rosenwald-Shumway: Rosho continues to be a favorite among the girls on campus. The dorm rooms are large and leave lots of room for decorating (and they come with two mirrors, a perk you probably didn’t know you needed). The hall residents are friendly and you’ll frequently encounter their dogs alongside them at check in. Feeds are quite consistent for an upperclassmen dorm, and, being one of the larger dorms on campus, there will always be someone to hang out with on the hall. 

Harold Smith

Grab a close knit group of girls and sign up to live in HS together. While this dorm might not be suitable for everyone due to the small-sized halls, if you want to live in close proximity to your best friends, it is always a good choice! HS is easily the best-located underclassmen girls dorm on campus, just one of the many reasons it ranks so highly on the list. Reviews from underclassmen girls residing in HS this year praised the friendly hall residents and their feeds. 

John Louis

An alternative to Harold Smith is John Louis. JL frequently houses many new sophomores as well as returning students, so there is always room for more friends! JL hall residents and proctors never let down with their feeds, which can vary from pizza to ice cream to Chinese food! John Louis is a great choice for underclassmen who are looking for a bigger dorm. Additionally, girls in  JL will definitely be hitting their step count goal everyday, as it is the most secluded girls’ dorm on campus. 

McAlister

A short walk to the athletic center, lower fields, and Greer, Mac is a well-liked dorm among the student body. It has decent-sized rooms and high ceilings, as well as three different floors. Additionally, Mac is centrally located among other dorms with a nice quad to hang out in. While Mac does not have many complaints, frequently mentioned are the unexpected roommates —mice. However, if you can get past these furry friends, Mac is a great dorm with great people. 

Johnson

One dorm for an entire grade— needless to say, there will never be a dull moment in Johnson. Johnson makes getting acquainted with your new grade, and soon-to-be best friends, very easy. However, with three floors meant to house around 60 kids, students live in a double or even a triple, so alone time can be a thing of the past. 

Pocumtuck

If you like ghosts, Poc is the place for you! While no ghosts have been spotted recently, that isn’t to say that they have never been spotted in this dorm. Poc is one of the more secluded upperclassmen dorms on campus, which is the main reason girls in Poc are spotted about campus at night hanging out anywhere except for their dorm. On a brighter note, Poc does have pretty consistent feeds.

Mather

Last, but not least, is Mather. Mather is known for its  hall residents’ very yummy feeds and cute pets. Located on a busy path, is also a short walk from the MSB and just across the path from Scaife, so make sure to shut your windows. However, while Mather has its pros, it is usually not seen as the best dorm on campus. 

Credit: Sam Olander

Male dorms –

Barton

As the biggest boys’ dorm on campus, Barton is a must-live-in dorm for upperclassmen guys on campus. The hall residents are well-liked, the halls are big, and it is in close proximity to the lower fields, Koch, baseball field, and athletic center.

Field

A highly desired dorm among the upperclassmen boys. Field is the closest dorm to the athletic center, so it takes out the long walks to practice everyday. The quad out front is an added perk of living in this dorm, but the cemetery in the back is a different story (which we will leave up for interpretation). 

Scaife

The boys in Scaife seem to have fun like no other dorm on campus. Reliving memories in this sophomore boys’ dorm for years to come, you are bound to have a good time living in Scaife. Located on the path to the village, Scaife is never short of passing people.

DeNunzio

DeNunzio is a great dorm overall. It is only a few seconds away from the dining hall, close to shipping, the dorm rooms are a nice size, and there are lots of people in this dorm. In a normal year, Denunz would typically rank higher on this list, but it has fallen down a few spots due to the construction. The boys in Denunz are in for some early mornings! 

O’Byrne Curtis

More commonly known as New Dorm, O’Byrne Curtis is just that—the newest dorm on campus. New dorm is well-liked because of its updated features, but with the added perks of this New Dorm comes early mornings: New Dorm is far, so make sure to leave a bit earlier for classes in the morning. 

Louis Marx

LM is a large underclassmen dorm. Nice rooms and a nice common room in the middle of the halls on both floors makes LM a good dorm to hang out with friends in. Although it is  a nice dorm, LM doesn’t seem to make the top of underclassmen boys’ sign up lists, thus putting it at number 5 on the list.

Doubleday

Doubleday is a good dorm for the same reasons as Johnson. All of the freshmen boys are spread out amongst three floors, so Doubleday is not known to be the most relaxing or quiet dorm on campus. But, as stated for Johnson, it is a good way for the whole grade to meet each other. 

John Williams

John Williams is not the most popular choice among sophomore boys. This is the oldest dorm on campus as well as one of the smallest. But hey, JW has the infamous Deerfield door!

Mods

While this might not come as a surprise, Mods falls at the bottom of the ranks. This temporary housing option might not  be the best room-wise, but the boys in Mods seem to have lots of fun. Frequently blasting music at 9am outside of Mods and waking up many girls on the north side of John Louis, these guys seem to make the most out of the temporary dorm.