UConn Sophomore Dorms Ranked

Number 5

"I lived in Ellsworth and to be completely honest with you I loved my room, I even tried to live in there this coming semester but my old room was taken :(

I personally lived in a CSD Single on the 9th floor, my only complaints about the 9th floor this past semester were:
1. The bathrooms were rarely clean and when my parents came to visit they would have to go to the bathrooms on the first floor bc the bathrooms were so gross.
2. One girl pooped in our sink... I don't think that needs more explaining...
3. The cleaning people vacuumed at the most inconveniencing hours even though our RA said that they clean early in the morning... Which never happened, they cleaned around noon but vacuumed at like 6/7 am.
4. The building itself is pretty run down, the ceiling kept giving out, the water fountain would overflow a lot.
5. Putnam Refectory is really nice and is the closet dining hall to Ellsworth and Hale.
6. The mail room is in Putnam... blessing and a curse the people would close the mailroom earlier than the time on the window.
7. The building is far from almost everything, but there is a short cut to the Union.
8. The hill on either side of Hilltop (Coming from Gampel Pavilion and Coming from North Garage) is brutal especially when they barely plow the sidewalks in the winter.
9. Ellsworth doesn't smell like urine, I heard Hale does
10. There is no real game room in Ellsworth, they said go to Hale to use there game room but everyone just went to Werth.

As for the room itself here are the pros and cons:
1. Location of the building gives you great views unless your on the side that directly stares at Hale.
2. There is No A/C... the rooms get hot so bring a fan! I brought 2...
3. The rooms are cozy if you know how to decorate well, I was in love with my room once I was settled.
- Tip: They have windows you can sit in so by a cushion and make the window another seating option!!!

Reasons to live at Hilltop:
- Great dining hall
- Volleyball Courts next door
- Close to Gampel
- Redline meets you right outside the door of Hale
- The circle is nice to sit out with a blanket in the fall/spring
- Mailroom is close
- Pretty winter views when it snows
- The rooms are cozy
- Huge common rooms
- Vending Machines
- Tons of washing machines so laundry isn't a struggle
- 1 RA per floor " See all 8 reviews

Number 4

"Busby so far has been my favorite dorm to live in/visit for the typical on campus student. It’s a suite of 3 attached to another suite of 3 with a bathroom acting as the hallway in between the two. You get a shower and toilet with a privacy door, and a LONG wall of mirrors above the counter (it spans about 8-10 feet long) If you can manage to get in with all friends, it will be the time of your life.

The building is located at the very northern edge of what is considered “on campus,” where the Charter Oak apartments behind the dorm are “off campus.” This makes for quite a long walk depending on where your classes are located! For any school of Engineering student or Pre pharm, most of your major buildings are on the northern side, so it isn’t such a huge deal. HOWEVER, be aware of the dreaded busby hill, as it will most definitely kill your ankles after going up and down several times per day (think around a 30% incline). There is the blue line which does pick you up outside the building pretty often (IIRC there’s 2 busses on a ~10 minute rotation)

The rooms are fully air conditioned, but sometimes it does feel like the air conditioning is either too cold or too hot, Just try to keep it on auto.

The Laundry Room: As of this past year, several washing machines and dryers were broken, But there were still more usable than any other dorm as far as I know (maybe aside from Nextgen)" See all 7 reviews

Number 3

"For what it is, West works for sophomore-year housing. It's location is unmatched and the bathrooms were just renovated a couple years ago. If you've only lived in dorms, West will be a more than suitable spot. The biggest issues are the buildings were built around WWII and haven't been upgraded much since then. The rooms can have issues (falling ceiling tiles, door issues) but maintenance is attentive and quick to respond if you put in a work order. The lounges are big and a good place to work if your room is too loud. While having two dining halls nearby, the downside is both requires a decent walk outside, which isn't fun in the middle of winter. On top of that, both dining halls are terrible, too. But having multiple options means there's a half-decent chance you'll find something to eat. It's not going to win any awards, but West is a good place to live early in your college career." See all 5 reviews

Number 2

"I lived in a 4 person suite in Snow Hall, which is Honors Housing. The suite is very spacious, and it is awesome to have your own bathroom. The bathrooms have the toilet portioned off with a stall divider, so someone can shower while another person uses the toilet or sink which is convenient. The rooms do have AC and you can adjust the heating temperature at any time by calling a phone number listed on the back of the door. There are 2 large lounges 2 smaller study alcoves on each floor. There are 2 kitchens on the main floor. Although the dining hall is in Rome Hall, you only have to walk outside for 10 seconds to get to the door of South dining hall, which is one of the only dining halls open for breakfast on weekends and grab and go. Additionally, Snow Hall is a 5 minute walk from McMahon, which has Late Night. Snow Hall is a perfect location, as it is only a 5 minute walk from the center of campus including the gym, library, and student union. I will be living here again next year." See all 7 reviews

Number 1

"My opinion might be colored from where I came from freshman year. if you lived in North, Alumni probably seems pretty good. but coming from Buckley, it seemed like a downgrade in almost every way.

The room are not small, but they are designed poorly. The physical wooden closets push into the room and limit floorpspace, the room isn't symmetrical in design. The internet was horrendous, although I think this was just in my part of the building. My roommate and I would get like 200 kbps sometimes, which is unacceptable in an academic living space.

The bathrooms were by far the worst part. They were cramped, old, and honestly disgusting at times. Certain people would piss and puke on the floor almost every day. The problem is the floor is this speckled light brown/gray color with bumps that makes it really hard to see what you're stepping in. It pretty much just hides how gross the floor is. The showers are also terrible. There's no changing/drying areas or place to put things, but more improtant the two tiny stalls are connected for some reason. There's an open space underneathing the barrier, so expect splash damage from the other person. Just horrible.

The only real plus is the location. The rooms are very close to the center of campus, especially now that the gym construction is gone. You also get fairly close access to both South and McMahon. The basketball court is also really nice when it finally gets warm out." See all 11 reviews