Dorm life is one of the most talked-about aspects of college culture. Residence halls have reputations – the party dorm, the honors hall, the artsy house and so on. Since students are fascinated with living arrangements and how their place stacks up against others’, The Hatchet has compiled a comparison of dorm life at GW and other area schools by interviewing officials at five colleges in the metro area. This is the second in a two-part series about residential life at GW.
George Washington University
– There are about 9,700 undergraduate students at GW, according to the undergraduate admissions Web site. And about 7,000 students live on campus in 32 residence halls and 15 townhouses.
– GW buildings house between about 100 and 1,000 people. Most of the residence halls are between eight- and 10-stories high and are a combination of traditional residence halls and apartment-style buildings.
– The University built New Hall in 1997, The Dakota in 1999, 1959 E Street in 2002, Ivory Tower in 2004 and Potomac House this fall.
– Some apartment-style buildings include multiple bedrooms and bathrooms, a full kitchen, and a washer and dryer.
lA greater sense of community developed on the GW campus as the on-campus population increased over the last 10 or 20 years.
-Seth Weinshel, Director of GW Housing Programs
University of Maryland
– There are about 24,500 undergraduate students at Maryland, 22,000 of whom are full-time. About 8,300 students live in 48 residence halls.
– About 11,700 students live on campus when fraternities, sororities, and privately developed and managed apartment-style housing options are included.
– 73 percent of residence halls are traditional dormitory style, mostly in four- to eight-story buildings. 14 percent of residence halls have kitchens and 13 percent of residence halls have suites without kitchens.
lThe nicest housing on campus that is centrally located with kitchens and air conditioning is limited. Many of the residence halls are old, and one even dates back to 1914.
– UMD has not built a new residence hall since 1982. Most residences have been extensively renovated in the past 25 years. The newest apartment-style housing has private bedrooms, double beds, no more than two students per bath and a washer and dryer in each unit.
– Jan Davidson, Associate Director of Resident Life
Howard University
– There are about 7,000 undergraduate students at Howard, and about 4,200 of them live on campus in 13 residence halls.
– High-rise dorms, apartment-style living, single sex and coed dorms, and high-speed Internet, cable and wireless features are available. Some residences have cooking facilities.
– More students want to live on campus now than 10 years ago.
-Charles Gibbs, Director of Campus Housing
American University
– There are about 5,800 students at American University. 3,500 undergraduates live on campus in three on-campus residence halls.
– Amenities in the residence halls include computer labs, game centers, high-speed and wireless Internet access, Napster music downloading services and laundry services available on every floor.
– Although there are less housing options at AU, the dorms are very nice. Their suite-style hall is the most popular.
-Julie Weber, Executive Director of Housing and Dining Programs
Catholic University
– There are about 3,000 undergraduate students at Catholic and about 2,200 of them live on campus in 18 residential buildings and 25 modular housing units.
– Catholic students occupy about 60 beds in The Towers at University Town Center, a privately owned student apartment dorm in Hyattsville, Md.
– Most residential buildings are three to five stories tall with shared bathrooms. There are some junior suites with two two-person rooms that share a bath, and other suites with single bedrooms that share a bath and living room.
-Heidi Zeich, Director of Housing Services
