Is McMahon Hall the best dorm at UW?

Didn't actually live here, but visited plenty of times. The first thing you notice when you walk in the building is the weird dead fish sort of smell you usually catch a whiff of at the pier. To make matters worse the elevator routinely breaks down and when it actually works its slower than my friend trying to get out of silver 2 in csgo. The urinals on the first floor are those long ones filled to the brim with water. Highly highly do not recommend this dorm, even with its cheap price.

Great location: close to most of the main buildings on campus, and walking distance to UVillage. Very old legacy building with brutalist look and interior. You share a bathroom and a living room with 7 other people. Great view if you have a room facing mt. rainier if you're lucky.

The room itself is incredibly dusty behind the desk and would be very hard to clean. Rooms have pretty good windows and the balcony is a plus. East windows have views of the lake and Mt Rainier. It is nice to share stuff with a lot of roommates and the custodians clean the bathrooms for you. Good water pressure surprisingly in my bathroom. Close to a lot of things like Center Table, District market, and the 8 study/workspace is in the laundry level.

The showers sucked! Very small, dark, and narrow. It’s located super close to everything, the rooms are fairly sound proof, I never had problems with my roommates being too loud but that could have just been my friends. You can get a really good view and a balcony is always a plus for hanging out or storage.

The nastiness of mcmahon depends on the cleanliness of your clustermates. Luckily, you don't have to clean your own bathrooms. Someone comes in to clean 1-2 times a week. Talk to the other kids about not leaving food in the sink when they wash their dishes (there's a large hallway sink to wash dishes in as well) or not leaving hair in the shower. The worst thing about mcmahon would have to be the lack of temperature control and the lack of ventilation. It can get too cold in the winter if you leave the windows open or too hot and stuffy if you keep the windows closed. When the weather is warmer, rooms can heat up easily and bugs can fly in easily. Best if you can find a roommate that has the same temperature preference as you. The building also has a smell. The rooms have lots of drawers, a big desk, and shelf space for each person. The drawers are smelly though, so don't put your clothes in them. There is a nice study space in the basement of the building, as well as a fitness center with some cardio equipment. There are no kitchens. Only microwaves on every floor. Tips: get an odd numbered room on a higher floor if you want a nice view of lake Washington and the cascades. The downside is that you will be blasted awake by the morning sun. Lower floors are nice because it is easier to take the stairs and you won't have to wait for the elevator.