Is HILC the best dorm at Cornell?

Problems with the heater, old carpet, smells weird, unit one is underground. Only good thing is location: close to spcc and central campus + bus stops

Very far away from almost everything but food. It's right next to RPCC though, which is a plus. Appel is also a few minutes walk downhill. Other than that, expect early-onset Cornell Calves. As for inside the building...triples suck. The suites were fine, as was the bathrooms, but the kitchen was a damn mess. My room had a problem with the heater. We couldn't control how much was blasting, meaning we had to keep the window open basically the entire year because it was so hot. My roommate's side of the window was jammed, the blinds broke after first use, and the lounge often got messy. Suffice it to say, your HILC experience depends on who you're living with.

Similar layout to other low rises, you only really see the people in your unit which makes it easy to get acquainted with everyone there but only if you stay around the lounge. The top floor has a high ceiling which makes a triple feel less cramped. You only get a wardrobe in a triple whereas you would usually get a wardrobe plus dresser combo. You do end up basically living on top of each other though. The bathroom is shared with only the people in your suite (usually 7) so you can store your stuff there which is better than dorms with communal bathrooms like Dickson. The community here consists of freshman as well as upperclassmen (some who got stuck with a bad time slot, some who choose it), and international students who don’t go home over winter break and need a place to stay. Some people are really into the language thing and meeting people who speak different languages, some don’t really care. You can definitely find a community here if you’re looking for it, but it’s also easy to stay out and not meet many people here.

Lived here in a triple as a freshman and a double as a sophomore. Building itself isn't the worst ever, and the upper units have high ceilings, which makes a huge difference if you're in a top bunk/lofted bed. Smaller dorm (I think) so there's more a sense of community if you like to hang out in the lounge. If the program house description online appeals to you, would recommend. If it doesn't interest you, HILC will probably be an okay living experience but nothing particularly special or enjoyable.

First thing to note is that I actually lived in a triple by myself, not a standard single. Overall I really loved my stay at HILC. There’s a community dynamic that made it really enjoyable, including game and karaoke nights, free snacks, and a dorm council that brought gifts for holidays. It’s right next to RPCC which was super convenient (especially in bad weather)! But the layout was kind of hard to get used to at first and low rises in general are a bit of a walk to other parts of campus. Definitely take advantage of the RPCC bus stop so you don’t have to hike to Balch/Risley.