There's a lot your RA won't tell you about your dorm in that first hall meeting. That's at least partially because she probably wants to keep her job. But at the Daily, we aren't subject to these concerns, and since every residence hall comes with its own stigma — some earned, some a bit overblown — we thought you might like some help reading between the lines for an alternative look at where you're living.
Tilton: If you weren't already a chill, hookah-smoking kid in high school, after a semester in Tilton, you will be.
Dorm room essential: lighter
Houston: The epitome of the all-freshman dorm, Houston's halls are always replete with costumed party-goers, late night jam sessions and frustrated RAs. Good luck getting your work done.
Dorm room essential: earplugs
Hill: The entire dorm is healthy living, and they couldn't have picked a better location. You might not be able to get stress relief from binge drinking, but its proximity to the gym means that you'll be able to take out your frustrations on some free weights and a treadmill.
Dorm room essential: letter opener
Haskell: From the outside, Haskell looks a lot like Tilton. From the inside, a lot like Wren. In reality, it measures up to neither.
Dorm room essential: mounting tape for the brick walls
Bush: The oft-forgotten dorm, Bush Hall hides right around the corner from Dewick-MacPhie Dining Hall and is mostly ... unremarkable in every way. Single bathrooms are a plus, but their appearance borders on prison-like.
Dorm room essential: Tupperware for stealing dining hall fruit
Lewis: Often the last pick for the dodgeball team, so to speak, Lewis looks a bit foreboding. Escaping its concrete walls is probably the best way to cope. Luckily, it has a beautiful sequestered lawn all to itself.
Dorm room essential: good social skills
Carmichael: From the outside, Carmichael is the most picturesque and historic looking dorm on campus. The bathrooms tell a different story. At least you won't have to face the freezing wind tunnel to get to the dining hall — just walk downstairs.
Dorm room essential: scale
Hodgdon: Hodgdon dwellers are a mischievous bunch. Be careful — once you start trick-turning bottled water and granola bars, it's a slippery slope to full-on kleptomania.
Dorm room essential: roach traps
Miller: Don't be confused by the jealous stares from other classmates — they just wish they had those nice new couches. Being sexiled doesn't seem that bad when you can go relax in the lounges.
Dorm room essential: foosballs
Metcalf: You're like the Goldilocks on campus. Uphill? Downhill? No, Metcalf is just right. But the Bridge program's late-night intellectual discussions might not live up to their PR.
Dorm room essential: philosophy books
Richardson: Blessed with some of the nicest rooms on campus, you'll also miss out on the notorious "freshman boy room smell" that often permeates dorm hallways.
Dorm room essential: vibrator
South: One of Tufts' newest dorms is clean and comfy. The only thing about South is the trek north. It takes its toll.
Dorm room essential: window fan
