Suite Dorm vs. Single Room Dorm

At the University of Alabama, all freshmen are required to live in dormitories. These dormitories can range from suite style dormitories, to small rooms shared by two people with a community bathroom shared by the entire residence hall floor. Being a freshman, this can be a very difficult decision to start off your college career. This decision can determine the range of how close you are to your classes to how much you pay per semester.

Having the privilege of living in the suite style dorms such as Riverside, Lakeside, or Ridgecrest, gives you many more amenities, whereas living in Burke or Paty Hall. Students living in the suite style dormitories have a slight advantage over those living regular dormitories. They’re able to still get the apartment experience while being on campus surrounded by all the festivities and events. The suite style layout consists of four bedrooms one for each of the four students. The bedroom entails a bed frame, a ten square foot closet, a desk, desk chair, and a three-drawer chest. Each suite has a spacious living room with a couch, chairs and a dining table. It also comes equipped with a kitchen, including a regular size refrigerator and microwave. There are also two bathrooms, which only two people share, thus meaning that you get to shower in private.

The down side to living in Riverside is that you are not in the best location on campus and you do not get a real first year at college “dorm experience.” The suite style dorms seclude you from everyone, so it is not likely that you will interact with as many people as you would if you were in a regular dorm. After interviewing several students that either currently live in Riverside or that previously did, every student loved the apartment experience, but they believed that the location could be better.

Aside of Riverside, you also have single room dorms like Burke. Burke is the more classic style dorm with a single room, and not as many amenities. It may sound very dull, but Burke is not as bad as they make it out to be. Sure, you are stuck in a small room with another person, a mini fridge, freezer and microwave, but there are many things that make it a great place for freshmen housing.

Living in Burke, you get the real “dorm experience.” Burke has a central location on campus, close to classes and dining halls. When interviewing Kate Coulter, a senior who lived in Burke her freshman year, she stated, “The location is great; it was very easy to wake up for class and walk to class.” Not only does Burke have a great location, it also possesses a dining hall within the dormitory. Kate Coulter also stated, “the dining hall was a great advantage especially since all freshmen are required to purchase a meal plan; that came in handy, and the food is really good.” The dining hall is not the only source of food in Burke. Located right next to the dining hall is a little convenience store that sells snacks, drinks, and it also has a Buffalo Phil’s restaurant in it, where they specialize in fried chicken, hot wings, and sandwiches.

Overall, dorm life can range from sharing a tiny room, to having your own suite style apartment on campus. Living in the dorms is a great chance to get to meet people and start off your college career. The hard part is picking the right dorm that you feel will satisfy your most desirable needs. Hopefully each student will make the right decision and enjoy their first big step into college life.