Princeton University Freshman Dorms Ranked

Number 5

"Communal bathrooms were kept mostly clean, and most of the time had hot water, but most importantly, they were very private, with the ability to lock shower and bathroom doors, and basically have a private bathroom to yourself. The actual building is brand new and very modern, and it's usually very clean, but since it's new, there were a few things not fully resolved. The fire alarm goes off randomly once every two weeks or so (occasionally at like 3 a.m. too), the hot water would just stop some nights, and the stairs next to the main entrance of Fu have been unusable since Day 1, which is both incredibly annoying and incredibly stupid. How do stairs not work??? The thermometers were also weird, especially for the first few weeks, and having a room be too hot or cold with no ability to change it was common, although this has gotten much better. There were times where our room his 80 degrees/61 degrees though, even when it was set at 69 with all the windows and doors closed. I'd like to emphasize that this was rare and hasn't happened recently. It often didn't move more than 5 degrees from where it was set though, so it was overall fine. The windows and doors are problematic sometimes, as you need to shut some doors very hard for them to lock, and some windows are somewhat broken, and you need to close them a specific way to get them to fully close in my experience. The elevator for Fu goes right to the dining hall if you hit the ground floor button, and it's not as far away from everything as mannion, so overall it was pretty solid. The laundry room is also in Fu, so it's only an elevator ride to the second floor to get to it. Yeh is a bit of a walk from most buildings in general, but it's not bad, especially if you are an engineer (many first year engineering classes are on or close to the south side of campus, where Yeh is) or have a bike/scooter. Even the furthest walk (Equad) is only 15 minutes, which at most other college campuses is pretty reasonable, and can be made in 11 or 12 minutes if you speedwalk and don't have to deal with foot traffic. The Yeh/NCW dining hall is also probably the best dining hall, and it's only an elevator ride away from Fu, so this is fantastic. I had a quad, which was enough space for 4 people, and it wasn't really crowded, but it's not massive. It is modern though, and everything works for the most part. Location is probably the worst thing about Yeh, but it's certainly not bad. The common rooms, lounge rooms, and kitchens in Yeh are pretty good too, with comfortable seating and a great place to sit and talk with friends and hang out. Everything is nicely colored too, typically red, orange, or something along those lines, so it looks warm and friendly. Since the college was just built, it's overall pretty good, and probably the best place to live, but this is subjective of course. Not a perfect 5 star experience, but it's probably as close as you'll get to one, especially if you don't mind a walk." - 2 years ago

2 student reviewers said they lived in Fu Hall during their freshman year

Number 4

"Campbell hall was certainly an interesting place to live. Although I didn't think the dorms themselves were horrible, seeing how other dorms in other res colleges such as Forbes were much larger and more comfortable, Campbell seemed like the worst of the worst. The one thing that I wish people told me before moving into Campbell hall was the story of the Campbell crapper (a guy who basically took a dump on the water fountain - please never use this fountain, it's not filtered - and he supposedly did it in the showers and on the hallway floor). Another unfortunate circumstance with Campbell is that it has no AC (the first weeks in August/September SUCK, we used 4 box fans, one for each quad mate). Oh, and it gets worse, you share the bathroom/shower with the ENTIRE building. Other than that, the bathrooms are "supposedly" cleaned daily, but I've tested it before with a sheet of toilet paper... they are not cleaned daily. Other than that, the quads are really nice and have spacious common rooms. In some of the quad rooms, it's best to bunk your bed, but you don't necessarily have to. Although it sucks, you'll get used to Campbell if you get placed here, and just remember that you can only go up." - 2 years ago

2 student reviewers said they lived in Campbell Hall during their freshman year

Number 3

"This room (Baker E316) has a pretty unique shape for a double because it’s like an L instead of a rectangle. So even though one section of the room is a lot smaller than the other, you both get a lot more privacy than a usual double and the small section (I had that one) is honestly a decent amount of room nonetheless. The lighting is also good as well! " - 2 years ago

2 student reviewers said they lived in Baker Hall E during their freshman year

Number 2

"The greatest thing about Holder is its location. You're right next to Nassau and the dining hall, so getting food is never a problem. The buildings are obviously beautiful, but that can also be a problem because its bring a lot of unwarranted tourists, tour groups, and photoshoots. Expect to have to walk around a wedding shoot at least 3-4 times a week. The rooms inside can be nice, especially if you get a top floor single or a nice double, but if you get a quad, expect to be packed into a tiny bedroom where you may or may not be sleeping in a bunk bed. The common rooms are generally nice, but if you are looking for a big bedroom with lots of privacy, this may not be the place. " - 2 years ago

3 student reviewers said they lived in Holder Hall during their freshman year

Number 1

"Room 216: double + private bathroom. At first, we bunked the beds but later unbunked and arranged them in an L-shape along the back and left walls. I'd recommend stacking bookcases on top of the drawers to optimize floor space, but there’s enough room if you choose not to. For reference, we could comfortably fit a queen-size air mattress on the floor with our two desks on the right and left wall, beds in an L-shape at the back, drawers on the left and front wall, and a minifridge near the door. Lots of wall space and never had a problem with duct tape, putty, or command hooks on the paint. Note that the flooring is tile, but we didn't really need a carpet. Had a problem with ladybugs in the Spring, but they leave after a few weeks. Great view of the sunset over Forbes backyard with a lovely breeze if you open the window, and the room is air-conditioned. Super close to the kitchen, stairs, and elevator. Highly recommend" - 2 years ago

3 student reviewers said they lived in Forbes College Main during their freshman year