Is Waters Residence Hall the best dorm at UW Madison?

Pretty quiet dorm and nice location! The only downside are that it's somewhat old compared to the southeast dorms.

Waters is extremely close to most classes, especially typical freshman courses (depending on your major). It’s right by the lake and about 5 minutes away from Memorial Union/the terrace. In terms of living, the rooms are average or bigger than average sized depending on the floor you live on. The air conditioning isn’t great, and I’d recommend propping open a window when it’s not winter. All the rooms are carpeted. Liz’s Market, a dining hall, is located in Waters, making it very convenient for meals. Bathrooms are communal by floor and it really depends on how clean the people on your floor are for how clean the bathrooms will be. They do clean them daily, but I have friends who had problems with their bathroom being dirty. The building is very big compared to other dorms as it is spread out in 5 wings. There is elevator access to some floors and the dining hall, but not all floors so if that’s important to you make sure to check the floor plan or contact housing. The atmosphere of Waters is quiet. I often went to other dorms when hanging out with friends on weekends etc, but it’s really nice to have a quiet place to study. From the people I met, Waters is a mix of party people and not-party people. You’ll definitely be able to find people to hang out with no matter what you like to do. Also, Waters houses the WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) learning community, which you can apply to when you fill out your housing preference.

A fantastic freshman dorm! The location is great, especially for STEM prospects. The patio and dining hall are very nice amenities, though the dining hall can be pretty busy at lunch. The rooms are large for two people and I rarely had issues. Bathrooms are large but communal. Most floors are no co-ed, but I made a lot of friends because many people were happy to hang out. Know that the elevator does not reach most floors, the building has 5 wings with the elevator only in one. There is also lots of dens and community space. If you are a party person, its easy to find others who want to have fun. If you are not, the building is generally pretty quiet even if some rooms are having fun. Strongly recommend.

Pros: Really like the view in the sunroom that's next to the Liz Water's Dining hall - especially winter! Pretty quiet Have common area, IT room Cons: Shared bathroom hall (sometimes you might find someone forgot to flush in some cubical) No A/C - might be a good thing tho! You get breeze air from the lake Climbing up to the hill is fun sometimes ;)

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