Is South Campus Brownstones the best dorm at BU?

South Campus is truly the best place location wise to live. I lived in 29 Buswell from Sophomore to Senior year in a single and being so close to essentially all of campus was perfect. I was 10 minutes from classes, 15 minutes from the gym and had lots of great dining nearby. The area is quiet so if you're looking for a more chill part of campus for dorming, I highly recommend. My main gripes with South are the cleanliness and maintenance of the buildings. For starters, the bathroom on my floor had no light for the shower so you were always showering in the dark, and the window was above the back alley so people would smoke weed and suddenly the whole bathroom reeks. The bathroom was additionally very cramped and constantly damp which was gross and I truly do not miss it. My room had issues with the wooden flooring splintering, with splinters sharp enough to still penetrate my socks and stab me, along with a chunk of my ceiling falling out and lead paint raining on me while I slept. The ceiling chunk was fixed, no problem but over the summer I asked for my room to be repainted and it took multiple emails and calls to get it fixed. When I arrived, the paint job was....eh as the paint didn't seem to dry onto the wall completely and was easily peeled off by my posters, like I was hanging them on a layer of Elmer's. So, as much as I loved having a single and being in South, I would say my building was kinda shitty and that better options are out there.

47 Buswell, room 10. Where to begin? First things first, the room is not that much bigger compared to your average room in any of the three large dorms (in my case, Towers). In fact, it might actually be a bit smaller. There were several mysterious stains on the carpet when I moved in, and they were still there when i moved out. The heater; you cannot control it whatsoever. The polar express-esque steam whistle ensured that it was as loud as it was excessively boiling for the entire winter. I still have a picture on my phone of my thermometer, showing 81 degrees with 16% humidity. The windows remained open for the entire year (yes, even during snowstorms). There is a single bathroom (one shower, one toilet) on every floor, each shared by 5-6 people. I'd recommend meeting with all your floormates at least once to determine what times they usually use the bathroom, or else you might be waiting for a while. The building itself is showing its age, and might be structurally questionable in places. I'd never used the phrase "load bearing paint" ever before in my life, and I sincerely hope that I don't have to use it again. In the basement, there is a single washing machine and dryer. It uses the Greenwald Pay system, so it doesn't take convenience points. You have to go across the street to 44 Buswell to use those. The location is very nice. Other than Comm Ave, you can go to Brookline, Fenway, and beyond in short time. The vibe is overall quiet and chill, so there isn't a particularly strong social life. Also, I did not have any rat or bug problems during my time there. Somehow.

expect people smoking outside your windows. lots more space than traditional style dorms. not very clean

The biggest issue with South dorms is probably that there’s so much variation between the individual buildings. Definitely look at the floor plans before selecting your room; my roomie and I accidentally picked a room 2/3 the size of a Warren double! Close to campus but far enough away that you’ll want to branch out and walk around Boston/Brookline more, and generally a quiet atmosphere but easy to have friends over (no security guards). Also, you may have cool things in your building! We had a dance room, soundproof practice rooms, and a baby grand piano :)

The doubles In 48 buswell are tiny they’re basically the same size as warren doubles maybe slightly bigger. Very close to campus and lots of stores/ restaurants, but that’s kind of where the positives end. All beds are bunked when you arrive and unbunking low key makes the room a fire hazard and facilities apparently doesn’t loft beds in south.