Cornell Freshman Dorms Ranked

Number 5

"Definitely would not make this a first choice, but if you end up here it's not the end of the world. The room was small, especially for three people, but we made it work. If you're willing to be understanding with other people living in close quarters, then it honestly won't be too bad, and I feel like I made some of my closest friends living there, especially since there weren't too many people living there and we all kind of recognized everyone else. It is also one of the farthest dorms on North Campus, so you will have the longest walk to go anywhere on the central campus." See all 9 reviews

Number 4

"A forced triple was my last choice, and after living there and seeing other dorm rooms/buildings it remains that way. That being said, most of my freshman year was spent on campus or in other rooms, so I never felt too trapped even when there wasn't enough space to be shared among 3 people. Having RPCC next door is awesome because you can leave the building wearing shorts and Birkenstocks in the dead of Ithaca winter and not be frozen by the time you reach the side door (~15-second walk). The lounges are also a decent place to hang out, but it is normally not a good idea to do work there in the evenings because they can get decently loud. Fortunately, the noise was never an issue in the room, but this is highly dependent on who you have on your floor." See all 9 reviews

Number 3

"I want to first say that there are far worse dorms that i could've been placed into, so i really can't complain too much. that said, i will point out just the major pros and cons i experienced

pro:
- the fact that i didn't have a roommate. don't get me wrong, i would definitely put myself on the will-go-to-level-b-on-a-tuesday personality, but after your first 2 weeks at corn, you're definitely gonna want some alone time and that will be impossible with a roommate
- nearly walk in closet; it's maybe about 3/4 the size of my closet back home but that's hella big when you start looking at other dorm's closets

cons:
- do yourself a favor and vacuum (or buy a vacuum) bc for the first half of the fall semester, i would always be emptying a vacuum bag full of yellow dust ????
- the bathrooms can be nasty, yet dave once complimented how our bathroom was the "cleanest" and i was simultaneously thankful and mortified. also i wouldve said said that having 7 shower stalls is a pro but 5 of them didnt have hot water" See all 16 reviews

Number 2

"Rooms are decent and amenities are okay. Not the best dorm on campus amenities wise. However, the social scene is very good and it is easy to make friends. This is because the doors are not fire doors so you can leave them open, which many students do, and the lounge is in the middle of the building, where people are funneled to due to the building shape (like a fidget spinner with the rooms on the three bars and the lounge in the middle circle). Dope dorm. Just don’t be a prick and learn to let loose (something I had to do)." See all 19 reviews

Number 1

"NO NO NO NO NO
Have you ever been horrified by giant mutant bugs? WELL LOOK NO FURTHER! Balch is SOOOO the dorm for you. The bugs were awful and I knew a girl who found a rat in her room. Also, the dingy lighting makes the building reminiscent of the shining. The furniture is ANCIENT, and I’m 90% sure people have definitely used some of the couches for uh some smashing times. So so so unclean. And then let’s talk about room sizes.
I lived in one of the worst doubles. So so so tiny. It was a forced double, right? With Balch, there is no size equity and in the summer, top floor folks SUFFER! You melt in your decrepit room where the carpets have NEVER been cleaned. I got so ill from the dust that I needed an inhaler and ended up DIY steaming the carpet. No joke- it turned a different color. The sink rooms are pretty hit or miss but no. Do not live here because these amenities are so unfair. If you want a single though, this is the place.
And if you like horror films, visit the elevator- it was horrifying. The laundry hall is a site of tension and fighting, if the machine doesn’t destroy your clothes of course, and the pretentious fancy air conditioned lounge, the only comfortable lounge (because it is actually cleaned) is constantly occupied to a point where people put their books on chairs and try to avoid interacting with one another. And because of the arch, you’ll always hear singing but to be honest, that was the best part about living there compared to the silence." See all 24 reviews