The Story
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TRIBE VIBE: Breaking Down Freshman Housing: Part 1
Barrett - Barrett Hall, the most aesthetically pleasing of all freshman housing, is a mid-sized dorm located in the center of Old Campus. The building was renovated in 2001, but still maintains the feel of an early 20th century hotel. Residents always have to be ready for tours to come parading through the building, especially during the spring time.
Barrett residents can always be found hanging out in the rocking chairs on the back porch or relaxing in the lobby when the weather gets colder. The halls are just the right size: small enough to know everyone and big enough to avoid the people you don’t like.
Situated halfway between the Marketplace and Sadler Center, Barrett residents have some options in regards to dining. The Caf is a bit of a walk, and it will only seem longer as the winter months approach. Barrett, like many other freshman dorms, lacks air conditioning, so get a doctor’s note or befriend a student with one. All classes are relatively close, with the longest walks being to the buildings on New Campus such as Morton or Jones Halls.
Botetourt - Botetourt (pronounced Bot-eh-tot) Complex is infamous as being the worst of all freshman housing. It is comprised of Dinwiddie, Fauquier, Gooch, Nicholson and Spotswood Halls (don’t expect anyone besides Botetourt residents to know the different names…I had to look them up myself), all of which lack air conditioning. Botetourt is sequestered in the Matoaka Woods, behind Dupont Hall and the Caf. While the location means that the Rec Center, William & Mary Hall, and the Units are close-by, Botetourt is as far away from Old Campus and the Sunken Garden as possible.
However, Botetourt does have its saving graces. Since the individual dorms are so small, residents enjoy a great sense of unity. Even the wretched living conditions have an added bonus, as residents bond around the deplorable accommodations and come to love their wooded retreat.
Despite the bad reputation many residents grow quite attached to the place. Botetourtians have a great deal of pride in their dorms and have nowhere to go but up in the sophomore housing lottery. Most Botetourt residents eventually come to realize that your dorm doesn’t have to define your freshman year.
Dupont - The largest of all freshman dorms, Dupont is arguably the nicest freshman housing on campus. Opened in 1964, Dupont contains luxuries unbeknownst to most freshmen. While some other dorms have air conditioning, Dupont stands alone among freshman housing in regards to suite bathrooms. The main lobby of Dupont, or â€"The Pitâ€, is a great place to relax and meet new people.
Dupont is close to New Campus and the Caf, but residents are a little far from the Sunken Garden and Old Campus. Dupont residents never have a reason to be out of shape, as running and mountain biking trails are located immediately behind the dorm and the Rec Center is a short walk away.
While Dupontonians may not enjoy the same dorm camaraderie as residents of Taliaferro or Botetourt, they will never be without new people to meet and hang out with. Dupont is a great freshman hall to live in, especially when residents look across the way and compare their palace to the squalor of the Botetourt Complex.
Hunt - Many students have never heard of Hunt Hall, and most will be unable to locate it on a map. The building itself is not too bad, but the location leaves much to be desired. Hunt residents are the furthest from the Rec Center, the Units, the Caf and a lot of other places. On the bright side, Colonial Williamsburg is right across the street, and Old Campus is not far away.
Only the lounges are air-conditioned in Hunt, so they’re a perfect place to meet people from different floors during the first few weeks of oppressive Williamsburg humidity. There’s an elevator in the building, but it’s pretty old, unreliable, dirty…just use the stairs.
Hunt residents cannot afford to be introverted or shy. While residents will quickly get to know each other, they must venture far into the bowels of the College’s campus in order to meet new people. Be outgoing as a Huntsman or Huntswoman and trek to the Units or other freshman dorms; don’t let the long walk deter you…or just get a bike.
Visit us next week for Part 2 of Freshman dorms with inside coverage on Jefferson, Monroe, Taliafero and Yates.