Is Cole Residence Hall the best dorm at UW Madison?

All cons. If I could rate this a zero I would. During the first 2 months, it was miserable because there was no A/C. My roommate and I were hardly able to fall asleep because it was so hot, even with 4 fans going. If you are more of a social person, this location sucks because it is so far away from everything. Even the walk to your classes is far, and during the winter months, it is so cold. If you like to go to sporting events, you almost have to take the bus unless you want to walk 30 minutes one way in the cold. Not to mention, the rooms are so small, we don't even have a place to put our microwave. The bathrooms are rarely clean, and when showering you hardly get any privacy to dry off. There is no paper towel in the bathrooms as well, and the hand dryer doesn't even dry your hands unless you sit there for 2 minutes. If people don't catch the door, they slam so hard, which makes it very difficult to fall asleep at night. If you are outgoing on the weekends it is very hard to find a group of people to go out with in lakeshore. You might think lakeshore, oh you see a lake, no, false, all we see and hear and people playing tennis/basketball, or the other dorms. Nobody even knows what Cole is, we have had someone ask if our dorm was a prison.

Cole isn’t terrible but I don’t see it as a dorm that should be in anybody’s top three when they do their preference form. Rooms are pretty small (bigger than Chadbourne rooms but that’s about it) and there’s nothing that makes it stand out among lakeshore dorms. When I lived there my floor was pretty social and I made a good amount of friends on my floor and other floors in Cole. If you want to go out on weekends you’ll find your group. If you don’t like the party scene you’ll meet like-minded people as well. Tip: get a medical exemption so you can get A/C, it’s usually pretty hot for the first couple weeks in Cole without A/C. Visit your physician and request a recommendation for air conditioning, the easiest medical excuse that works is seasonal allergies

Very average dorm. Hot in the warmer months because theres no a/c. Your experience will depend on the people around you and how friendly and social your floor or wing is. Not the best if you want a social dorm but it is in lakeshore and on the quieter side. Right by Four Lakes Market which is convenient for dining.