Finding a New Home

by Sarah Wu

Photography by Callie Ahlgrim

Now that the $600 housing deposit has been paid, it’s time to decide where to live next year. If you chose to not go through the same room pull-in process or internal housing, you’ll have to find a new place to live. Here’s a quick overview of all of the dorms on campus, just in case you and your roommate(s) are having trouble settling on a place to live. Most floor plans are available on the Boston University Housing website.

East and Central Campus

Danielsen: Infamously known as the farthest dorm from main campus, Danielsen has an off-campus feel, which can be good or bad, depending on your preferences. For those who want to still have a dining plan but want the feeling of living off-campus, this dorm is for you. Some rooms come with private bathrooms and others require you to share with a few other people on your floor. In addition, if you feel like cooking, there is a communal kitchen. Another perk—the BU Bus stops directly in front of your dorm so you don’t have to wait for a bus in the freezing cold—you can just wait in the homey lounge by the front door.

Myles Standish Hall & Myles Annex: Myles Standish Hall contains all suite-style dorms with private bathrooms, while Myles Annex has two communal bathrooms per floor. Due to construction in both Myles and Myles Annex, housing in these dorms are discounted, making this a popular place for sophomores, juniors and seniors to live. Those who lived in Myles and Myles Annex during the 2016-17 both received a 50 percent discount; for the 2017-18 academic year, Myles Standish residents will receive a lesser discount, but those in Myles Annex will continue to receive the 50 percent discount.

Kilachand: If you’re looking for AC in East Campus so you don’t melt in September, look no further than Kilachand. Formerly known as Shelton (and still called that by an insistent few), Kilachand consists of suite-style living, with two connected doubles or a connected double and triple sharing a bathroom. If living in Danielsen or Myles is just a smidge too far from East or Central Campus for you, Kilachand is the way to go. Plus, it has a communal kitchen, just like Danielsen, as well as a pretty sweet lounge on the first floor.

Hojo (575 Commonwealth Avenue): Affectionately called Hojo, 575 Commonwealth Avenue is a former Howard Johnson hotel. This dorm features rooms with all private baths. All the doubles and some singles can be found on the second floor, while the other floors contain a mix of triples and limited singles. This is a popular spot for sophomores, plus it has air conditioning so you don’t suffer from lack of air coming from the tiny windows. Note, the beds are all lofted here, so unlofting all beds in a triple will leave you with little walking space.

Towers: Towers is usually evenly split between freshmen and sophomores; it is nowhere near as popular as the West cluster or Warren for freshmen, as it does not have a dining hall attached. However, the setting is smaller and more intimate, and offers only single-gender floors. It’s perfect for those who hate the crowded and noisy large freshmen dorms and want to opt for a quieter experience, but still want to mix and mingle with other students at their leisure.

Bay State Brownstones & Commonwealth Ave/Kenmore Brownstones: Brownstones can be found all around campus, including Bay State Road, Commonwealth Avenue and in Kenmore Square. These vary; there are single, double, triple and quad dorm-style rooms that usually share one to two bathrooms per floor (about six people, sometimes less), while the apartment-style brownstones have their own kitchen and bathroom, and sometimes-small living area. You can find mostly juniors and seniors who haven’t moved off campus yet in these dorms, with the occasional freshman or sophomore in the specialty housing brownstones such as La Casa Hispánica and the Music House. Be wary and check the floorplans, as not all brownstones have laundry, which means you might be dragging your clothes all the way to Towers. Certain dorm-style brownstones feature apartments in the basements, and some also have full (granted, small) communal kitchens and common rooms.

Warren: A huge freshman hub, where you can walk downstairs in your flip-flops and sweats and no one will judge you—the upperclassmen will be secretly envious of you during the winter months while they unzip their giant puffy coats and take off their seven layers. While trying to use the elevators in each tower can be a struggle when you’re running late to class, the freshman community in Warren is vibrant. You’ll even find the occasional sophomore staying in Warren another year simply because of the convenience. Specialty floors, such as the Engineering Floor and College of Communication floor, cater to those in specific programs.

Whitestones: Whitestones are a great option for those who want apartment-style housing right in Central Campus. Laundry is located in the basement, so you don’t have to trek outside dragging the laundry in a basket behind you that you should’ve done three weeks ago.

South Campus Brownstones: South Campus is a mix of apartment-style and dorm-style housing. Most South Campus apartments are doubles, with limited amounts of apartments with multiple single bedrooms. These have a small kitchen and a common area. Dorm-style rooms in South Campus brownstones are either singles, doubles or triples, with the occasional suite-style room mixed in. If you hear anyone say they live on Buswell, Park, Beacon, Mountfort or Carlton (on rare occasion), you’ll know they’re talking about South Campus. These brownstones are popular amongst upper classmen who want to live a little off campus yet still want the convenience of walking over the St. Mary’s Bridge to get to class or to the George Sherman Union for meals. At 44 Buswell and 518 Park Drive, you can find laundry rooms and lounges. Carlton St. in particular only houses two residences, one of which is the Core Curriculum House.

West Campus

Student Village 1 (StuVi 1): StuVi 1, which opened in 2000, is located in West Campus. StuVi 1 requires residents to be juniors or seniors, and offers all single bedrooms, either with a four-bedroom/two bathroom or two-bedroom/one bathroom setup. This residence boasts great views of the Charles River and rest of the BU campus. One other big perk of this building is that the Buick Street Market and Dunkin Donuts are located adjacent, so you can grab a few essentials if you’re too lazy to walk to Star Market to buy groceries.

Student Village 2 (StuVi 2): The newer big sister of Student Village 1 houses sophomores, juniors and seniors. North Tower is apartment-style, while South Tower are suites and dorm-style. The study lounge on the 26th floor beats out Student Village 1 for best views on campus, and has meeting and study rooms for students to use.

West Dorms: Claflin, Sleeper and Rich are the West Campus trio, typically inhabited by freshmen and sophomores. If you are looking for a lively place to live, West is the best option. The dining hall is easily accessible and if you live in Claflin or Sleeper, you don’t even have to step outside the dorm. However, the mail room is located in Rich, and City Convenience is right next to Rich, so take your pick.

1019: Perhaps the most forgotten-about dorm. It used to be the dorm farthest west until 2016 with the addition of 1047. This dorm has exclusively three double suites (six residents total), with a common room and bathroom. If you have five close friends you want to live with, this is the option for you.

1047: The newest of the dorms. These apartments have brand-new stainless steel appliances and IN-UNIT FREE LAUNDRY. No quarters, no convenience points. No dragging your laundry into the elevator, to the basement or across the street. All rooms are studio-style, which means you and your roommate(s) will be all sleeping in the same room, potentially right next to the kitchen sink. While the wooden beds don’t exactly match the rest of the dorm, it’s a comfy space that feels like you’ve moved off campus.

A few things to consider

Dormitory-style housing requires a meal plan; apartment-style housing has an optional apartment meal plan. Gender-neutral housing is limited and is available in some residences, not including freshman dorms such as the West cluster and Warren. For a list of eligible gender-neutral residences, click here.