What it’s actually like to live on campus.

Dorms are often featured in the media and advertised as a big communal environment where everyone interacts and parties. It’s idealized as the pinnacle of the university experience and something every single student experiences while they are at university.

Advertisements for dorms show people smiling and laughing together on a grassy lawn in the middle of summer. Bright and happy imagery is used to advertise dorm living as being perfect and a place where you’ll find a community. 

However, the reality of living in campus dorms is actually quite different from this idyllic vision. Each residence has its pros and cons, as most living situations do. 

Voyageur Place

While living in dorms right on or near campus can help with getting to classes quickly, it is quite expensive. In a single room, you would get the room to yourself, and in a double you would have a roommate. And there would be a shared bathroom and showers, typically for an entire hallway. Along with this, there is a meal plan which allows you to eat at Marquis, a buffet-style cafeteria. While this doesn’t sound horrible for what the students pay, the quality of many of these things does subtract from how great of a deal it might be otherwise. These buildings are extremely old, having been built in 1912 along with the rest of the campus, and renovated as needed since then. 

While the age of the building provides a lot of character and historical value, it also means that some of the rooms are extremely worn down. Like wallpaper peeling off the walls or carpet fraying as it has not been replaced at least since around the 80s. While the dorms are still most definitely livable, they are in need of renovations and more care. 

Sometimes, the people living in these dorms can be extremely loud. While the Residence Assistants have rules in place to lessen the number of parties and there are quiet hours in place, it does not stop people from occasionally talking extremely loudly in the hallways or dorms. Occasionally, students living in the dorms will pull the fire alarms at random times of the night or smoke in their dorms, causing the smoke alarms to go off as well, which causes overall disturbances to everyone in the dorms, not to mention that it is a huge safety hazard. 

These dorms aren’t bad, though. While yes, they are old and need some TLC, they are still quite nice to live in, especially if you are a first-year student or an international student, as it puts you directly in the middle of campus life. The dorms are right in the middle of campus, which makes it really easy to make it to your classes or other locations around campus in a matter of minutes. It has a direct attachment to the tunnels, which means that in the winter, you can typically get to your classes without even having to go outside. 

Along with this, Residence Assistants plan plenty of activities for the students living in the dorms to attend and meet each other. It’s quite easy to make friends at these events and they can foster a community of friends in the dorms. And, as most students already know, the University campus is extremely beautiful, so most of the views from the dorm room windows provide a spectacular view of the historic buildings and extravagant architecture. 

College Quarter

Then, there is College Quarter, which accounts for the Spruce, Pine, Birch and Aspen Halls. These dorms come with a kitchen, a living room, a more private bathroom and a meal plan. The meal plan provides them with funds to eat at some of the places around campus occasionally, while also making most of their meals at home. 

These dorms are much newer, having been built in phases between 2011 and 2013. So, while there is still occasional maintenance needed in these dorms, it is much less than in Voyageur Place. 

They are further away from campus, which means students staying in these dorms have about a 10-minute walk every day. This can be a pain when it is storming outside in the middle of winter, but it isn’t too bad when it’s nice and warm in the fall.

The dorms in College Quarter as well are more private, which has its advantages and disadvantages. Because you don’t need to leave your dorm to eat and, there is less contact with other residents and therefore you’re just in a bit of a bubble with those you are sharing your unit with.

It can also be harder to receive mail in College Quarter, as the mailboxes are inside the building and are quite small, so many of the big packages will be left at the post office for pickup. In Voyageur Place this is not an issue as larger packages are usually left with residence services where they can be picked up by the student during their open hours. 

McEown Park & Seager Wheeler Hall

McEown Park is a group of four buildings near College Quarter. These four buildings include Assiniboine Hall and Wollaston Hall (1 and 2 bedroom units for upper year students; max of 2 people per unit), Souris Hall (2 bedroom units for students with children) and Seager Wheeler Hall (6 bedroom units). 

The pricing for these dorms varies but is typically less than that of College Quarter and Voyageur Place. Most students living in these dorms report that they are generally in fairly poor repair, having not been updated very much since around the 70s or 80s and having elevators that break down frequently. Supposedly, there have been a few cases of rodents and insects in Seager Wheeler before as well. The building maintenance has reportedly dealt with these issues in the past, and the overall experience is that it’s not an issue, but it is still something to watch out for. These dorms also mean that you have about 10-minute walk, as well as they are in the same general area as College Quarter. 

However, in these dorms there is reportedly a strong sense of community. Especially in the Seager Wheeler dorms, where there are 6 bedroom units. This means that you’re in close proximity to many other people which can really provide a feeling of connection to those around you. 

Graduate House

The Graduate House is one of the newest of the dorms around campus, having been built in 2013. This building provides housing to students who are graduate students (in post-graduate diploma, masters or Ph.D. programs), students enrolled in Medicine, Dentistry or Veterinary Medicine and undergrad students enrolled in their 2nd, 3rd or 4th year of studies on campus. However, priority is given to those who are Grad students. 

The costs for the units are: Studio Unit is $1,375/month, one Bedroom Loft Unit is $1,687/month, two Bedroom Unit (shared) is $1,110/bed/month, two Bedroom Loft Unit (shared) is $1,375/bed/month and two Bedroom Deluxe Unit (not shared) is $1,731/month. 

These units are quite nice, and similar to the College Quarter dorms. They are also right beside the College Quarter buildings so again, while there is a bit of a walk to get to campus, it doesn’t take too long to get there.

While living in dorms has its advantages and disadvantages, the experience is something that sticks in students’ minds for their entire lives. It’s not a very glamorous lifestyle, as many movies or advertisements might have you believe, but it fosters a community of students who are all striving to be the best that they can be and gaining new experiences together. Living in dorms is a great way of transitioning from living at home to living on your own, as you are not alone in these new experiences and have a community around you that is willing to lend you a hand. This sense of community with other students is truly what dorm living is all about and has given me, and countless others, memories that we will cherish forever.