It is quite possibly the number one question asked by all incoming freshmen to Fairfield University or any other college: what is the best dorm to live in? Well consider yourself lucky… Fairfield has plenty of good ones to choose from.
Just so you know, my opinion is not biased. I have either lived in or spent nights in, ahem, all of the seven residence halls on campus. Each one has its own special flavor.
According to the majority of the people on campus, Gonzaga seems to be the place to live as soon as you get your choice. Every year the rooms in Gonzaga are filled before any other dorm. Students stress that Gonzaga has the biggest rooms and is closest to classes in Donnarumma and Canisius.
Your next safest bet is living in Regis or Loyola. Regis is the largest residence hall on campus and Loyola is home to the Ignatian Residential College. Regis and Loyola are at an equal distance from the Canisius and Donnarumma classrooms, again appealing to lazy 8:00 a.m. class-takers. Freshmen and sophomores in Regis have different experiences, because many freshmen are in triples, making their experience less pleasing.
The next two halls, Campion and Jogues, are my personal favorites. There is just something about them that make them ultra-livable. Jogues is definitely the most social hall. In Jogues, you feel as though you are secluded enough on your own wing to do your own thing, but are close enough to the rest of the world to keep your finger on the pulse of what is going on.
Campion’s allure includes the long, straight hallways and the infamous high ceilings of the first floor. Another plus is that Campion was completely renovated last summer and is in the process of being rewired for even faster Internet services.
Coming in next are Kostka and Claver. These suite-style living halls are for the older kids with two rooms sharing a common bathroom. Students like living here as sophomores, hate it as juniors, but always rave about sharing a bathroom with three people instead of 43.
Now comes Dolan. The legend, the myth, the mystery. To be honest, Dolan does not deserve as bad as a rap as it gets. Yes, it is basically off-campus. Yes, there are numerous ghost stories. And yes, the double rooms are about the size of the bathrooms in Kostka and Claver. But the Dolanites seem to have something that a lot of other halls lack: a sense of unmatched community.
Whatever hall you choose here at F.U. does not determine the experience you get. Just as in everything else in life, you get out of it what you put into it. Yes, you may get the middle triple in Jogues that is about three times as large as any room on campus, but if you don’t get involved, don’t go to class and don’t experience all the other aspects of Fairfield, your time here will suffer.
On that happy note, enjoy your stay in Fairfield’s residence halls. And just remember, its about eight bucks a night to stay here… so don’t expect mints on your pillow.
Leave a Reply