By: Samantha Thompson, Marketing Intern Summer 2022
Figuring out which residence hall to choose for your first year at Carolina can be difficult. Each building and community hosts its own culture and offers different perks to suit every type of Carolina student. But which one will suit you?
NORTH CAMPUS
Cobb, Everett, Graham, McClinton, Lewis, & Stacy
The North campus residence halls offer corridor-style living, meaning community bathrooms. The detached bathrooms may not be suitable for everyone, but these rooms have more space than suite-style residence halls. Housekeeping staff cleans the bathrooms Monday through Friday, so you can leave the plunger home. However, you are still responsible for bringing and taking your belongings. Shower caddies are a college essential, but in a North campus residence hall, they are the perfect tool to keep up with your belongings in the communal bathrooms.
A major bonus for the North campus residence halls is their proximity to the heart of campus. The Pit, Lenoir Dining Hall, the Quad, and many of your classes will be short walks for you. It is important to note, however, that Lenoir Dining Hall closes at 6 PM, so North campus residents may have to become more accustomed to an earlier supper or walk to South campus to enjoy dinner at Chase Dining Hall, which remains open until midnight.
While Cobb was renovated in 2005, the other buildings are older than South campus residence halls. Stacy, Lewis, and Everett do not have elevators (each only has three floors), and some buildings share amenities with others (for example, McClinton shares laundry with Stacy). But this makes the Olde Lower Quad Community its own unique Carolina family, and each year, they celebrate this at The Olde Dirty Bash!
Single, double, and triple options are available in the North campus residence halls, which means you'll only have one to two other roommates. But making friends may be easier in corridor-style living spaces because of the communal environment. However, these residence halls are known for being a bit more quiet than South campus residence halls. This may mean adjusting to less lively environments.
For students who prefer a shorter commute to classes and believe the communal environment will be best for their sociable personalities, or even those that may want to come out of their shells, North campus is recommended. These residence halls are quieter and smaller, which should be considered while determining which building suits you best. They are all indoor buildings, so you won't have balconies like the high-rise South campus dorms, but there are plenty of outdoor seating areas to enjoy the sun!
SOUTH CAMPUS
Craige, Eringhaus, Hinton-James, Koury, Horton, Craige North
The South campus residence halls offer suite-style living spaces. While the South campus residence halls are all suite-style, the slight variations in their orientation create completely distinct living experiences.
THE HIGH-RISES
Craige, E-Haus, and HoJo are the high-rise residence halls. From 630 students in Craige to over 900 in HoJo, the high-rise halls have a much larger capacity than other first-year residence halls. Because of their size, these buildings are known to be a bit more lively. Up to 8 students will share a suite, and bathrooms in these buildings are cleaned each week-day by housekeeping services.
Craige may host watch parties for basketball games, HoJo is known for a food truck night, and E-Haus has a beach-themed party in the spring. Spending time with friends after class over a volleyball game is a tradition in the high-rises. But, if sports aren't your thing, sitting outside on the balcony while the sun sets is another perfect way to end a long day of classes.
THE MANNINGS
Horton and Koury are smaller than the other South campus residence halls, hosting less than 300 students each. These halls have single and double room options, similar to the high-rises; however, unlike the other South campus residence halls, the low-rises have a maximum of four students per suite. These are large two bedroom suites with a Jack-and-Jill style bathroom, Horton and Koury offer one of the most private first-year living styles. Because bathrooms can only be accessed directly through the room, students are responsible for maintaining them, and housekeeping services will not be available.
Horton and Koury are the most similar to North campus. They’re indoor, quiet, and experience significantly less traffic than the high-rise residence halls. They have the appeal of Cobb and the Old Lower Quad Community Residence Halls in terms of culture but, offer the suite-style living experience, which is more comfortable for some students.
South campus is your go for students who don't mind a longer walk or even a bus commute to class! In these residence halls, you'll find the more private suite-style arrangements do not hinder finding new friends! These dorms are known to be a little more lively with all the traffic that comes with up to 900 students per hall. However, each hall has ample study space and peaceful outdoor seating areas to spare you a fifteen-minute walk to the library when it's time to study. The walk to Kenan Stadium is shorter, and during basketball season, South campus students will be the first to their seats at Dean Dome. All of these things and more make South campus the perfect place for students who may enjoy a more active environment, more private living styles, and do not mind a longer commute class.
So...North or South?
No matter where you'll be living on campus, you'll have friendly communities to thrive in, amenities to suit your every need, and unique and fun experiences to share with your newfound friends! So don't be nervous! Whether you’re soaking up some sun in the McClinton Breezeway or on a hammock outside of Ehaus, each residence hall will provide everything you need to make your adjustment smooth and make your year special!