Penn State University Freshman Dorms Ranked

Number 5

"I loved my single in Hamilton. Super close to all my classes that semester and to the library which was great. I loved my huge window overlooking the courtyard next to Fiji and the heat was pretty good. I loved being so close to the dining commons and barely having to go outside to get there in the winter. It was pretty quiet and never had an issue. Only used the private bathrooms and there is rarely a wait, but some people left hair everywhere which was annoying. There’s a kitchen and hang out area in the basement and oilfield other study rooms throughout the building. Overall great place and I’ll miss it!!" - 4 years ago

3 student reviewers said they lived in West Halls during their freshman year

Number 4

"I spent all 4 years at south halls. I stayed in the renovated and non-renovated ones. The renovated ones are obviously better. They are cleaner, the rooms have air conditioning, hall itself feels kind of a hotel. They also have private bathrooms which are cleaner than most of the other halls. No more awkwardness of doing maintenance in the morning and night. No more awkwardness of going to the shower. In fact, the showers are better quality.

The traditional south halls are somewhat of a downgrade. They don't have AC, but they have heaters. However, Atherton hall has private bathrooms. Simmons and McElwain have a renovated area at the basement floor, which includes private bathrooms and renovated kitchen.

Depending on your classes, South is kind of far from classes, but maybe not as bad as East halls. However, I prefer better rooms than better commute. Walking from South to the IST building is like 15-20 minutes.

Overall, if you want a safe pick in dorms, I would choose South. I visited traditional East and Pollock before, and trust me, they're both horrible." - 4 years ago

5 student reviewers said they lived in South Halls during their freshman year

Number 3

"I lived in a suite and it was really nice, only thing is that some of the furniture was a little beat up. It still worked but sometimes a drawer would get stuck which would be annoying. The food at North is kind of underrated and even though it’s small, the food was is better than people make it out to be. The location on campus was great, it’s centrally located and doesn’t take long to walk anywhere. Only thing is that since North is pretty small and most of my friends were in other housing areas so get used to walking to them. North is known to be pretty quiet, and although this is true most of the time there are still a few times that it has gotten crazy. Also, the quiet was actually pretty nice during the weekdays when I needed to study and get work done." - 4 years ago

6 student reviewers said they lived in North Halls during their freshman year

Number 2

"Living in Pollock my freshman year was horrible. The building was old and the rooms were extremely cramped. There was a self that took up half my bed and made my twin bed even smaller. I'd also hit the bed at night occasionally and I would wake up with a massive headache. The bathrooms were disgusting and lived in on an all girls floor. It was absolutely horrific and I'd always avoid using the bathrooms when I could. The floor had no bonding activities and I didn't learn a single other person's name expect for my roommate. My RA didn't care about anything and was almost impossible to reach. My roommate's boyfriend moved into the room and was intimate with my roommate when I was in the room. The boyfriend was also creepy and I was afraid he might touch my during inappropriately during the night. My roommate also refused to clean up after herself and would throw trash on my side of the room. She also used horrible language to me. I bought this up with my RA and the pollock residence office and was dismissed. I was forced to live with this girl who was a monster and could not switch until the semester ended." - 4 years ago

10 student reviewers said they lived in Pollock Halls during their freshman year

Number 1

"Stone Hall - East Unrenovated / Traditional Halls

I was fortunate enough to live here my year, 2022-2023, and Stone is one of the last three buildings in East that are unrenovated.

Living in this hall was very loud. Lots of people constantly yelling at night, especially since the outside is a hot spot in East. The first floor, which I lived on, was extremely hot, getting up to around 82 Degrees F at night, and with no air conditioning, it was extremely stuffy at times. Regardless, Stone is a nice place to be, as it gives you a sense of nostalgia, living in the older dorms.

Pros:
Location: Right next to Findlay Commons, the food there is really good, they have a Deli, quick orders, and the largest market on campus. You are also right next to the tennis courts, the IM building, and to the stadium, for when you want to watch football games.
Ease of access: Lots of opportunities to make friends, especially on your floor. You'll def meet someone new in the bathroom or when waiting for the elevator.

Cons:
Location: A little far from the hub and the library. Would take an average person about 15 minutes to get to either one. This could also apply for classes. Classes in West could take you up to 25-30 minutes if you plan on walking. You are also right next to the football field. So hearing everything is something you will experience.
Water: DON'T DRINK IT. It's unrenovated, not filtered, and looks merky.
Bathrooms: Old, but you'll get use to it fast. Water is sometimes hot, cold, or in between, it's all random.
Laundry: It always smells like garbage in there, as people quite often forget to pick up their laundry, maybe it might just be my building.

Overall, this review may as well be irrelevant, as the last three traditional halls in East are going to get demolished and renovated, but I wanted to provide my insight for this hall regardless, as I support Jed and what he's done so far. :)
" - 1 year ago

15 student reviewers said they lived in East Halls during their freshman year