University of Wisconsin–Madison Freshman Dorms Ranked

Number 5

"Pros:
-Just about the best location on campus. Seriously cannot stress this enough. I could just roll right out of bed and get to a lot of classes in less than five minutes.
-The dining hall, Liz's market is in the building and is very inclusive to all allergies/dietary restrictions
-The rooms are huge. Some of the biggest on campus. My roommate and I lofted our beds and fit a huge futon in there plus a tv.
-Generally a great mix of introverts and extroverts. If you want to go out and party you can find others that do too and if you want to stay in, the building is generally pretty quiet.
-A lot of rooms have great views of either the lake or the lakeshore path/nature.
-Has tech center with computers and B/W printer

Cons:
-Only one fairly small kitchen for the whole building. Get prepared to eat at Liz's a lot.
-No air conditioning, but honestly this doesn't matter. Bring a fan for the first few weeks then the weather will cool off for pretty much the rest of the year.
-Communal bathrooms. You will share a bathroom with the others on your floor (floors are separated by gender). Mine was 5 stalls and 4 showers. It's not great but you get used to it quickly; it's part of the college experience.
-Not really any good common spaces. Not a big problem though, the rooms are big and work pretty well as a hangout space.
-Liz's (dining hall) closes a bit early compared to other halls.
-confusing layout (you get used to it) and the elevator doesn't reach most of the building" - 4 years ago

5 student reviewers said they lived in Waters Residence Hall during their freshman year

Number 4

"From my experience, Smith Residence Hall is a great place to live. The rooms are clean, new, and spacious. In addition to having a bed frame and mattress upon moving in, everyone is also provided a desk and a shared mini fridge. In addition, each cluster of 3 rooms shares a bathroom, which is convenient since some dorms only have one bathroom per floor. The dorm as a whole is quite social but relatively quiet compared to some other dorms located in the Southeast neighborhood such as Witte and Sellery. In terms of location, Smith is located a little further from the center of campus compared to some of the other Southeast dorms mentioned above but even then, it is still fairly close to classrooms, dining halls, and recreational centers. Over the course of the school year, I personally did not find the extra distance (an extra 3-5 minutes walking) to be a problem. Overall, I would highly recommend Smith Residence Hall as a place to live on campus!" - 2 years ago

7 student reviewers said they lived in Smith Residence Hall during their freshman year

Number 3

"Kronshage was overall a nice dorm. It is made up of 8 buildings and amenities in each building vary, but you have access to all buildings. Kronshage is located on the Lakeshore side of campus, which is known for being more scenic and quiet (take this with a grain of salt, this all depends upon the social scene YOU make for yourself with your friends). The location is great for engineering students. There are two dining halls near you, one in Dejope and Carson's Market. Noise wasn't really a problem ever. Bathrooms and other common areas were always kept clean. The buildings are old, but were redone in 2017, so all the furniture is new(er) and in good condition." - 4 years ago

8 student reviewers said they lived in Kronshage Residence Hall during their freshman year

Number 2

"My freshman year living in Sellery was not the best nor was it the worst since I live in the unrenovated floors. My bad experiences so far was the numerous amount of fire alarms going off with the most notable ones being the ones at midnight and the ones that happen during construction. Bathrooms are fairly clean, but don’t expect it to be clean after a Friday night. There is no way to control the heater so either you keep it blasting in your room or you open up a window that will cool down your room really fast.
Otherwise, Sellery is a good form to start out in. The first week of moving in was really amazing since everyone was very welcoming and friendly to one another especially the neighbors on my floor. Sellery is right next to the Amazon hub locker so it’s very convenient if you often order things from Amazon. Sellery is also right in front of a dining hall called Gordons and a gym called the Nicholas Recreation Center. Lastly, Sellery is a great location to wake up for classes since most classes are located near Sellery. " - 1 year ago

12 student reviewers said they lived in Sellery Residence Hall during their freshman year

Number 1

"Chad is the best of many worlds in my opinion. It has its own dining hall attached to the building so you don't have to go outside for food in the winter if you don't want to (especially when it's really cold), the location is unbeatable especially if you are a business student, and it's not too crazy that you can't sleep at night on weekends (but it's still typically lit enough that you won't miss out on parties if that's your style). Also, the inside of the dorm is quite nice with a den that almost forces you to interact with others (which makes it a bit easier to make friends & meet people on your floor). The only downside is that the rooms are hella small, but I think everything else makes up for it." - 4 years ago

13 student reviewers said they lived in Chadbourne Residence Hall during their freshman year