Hi, my name is Haley and I just enrolled in JH as a BME student!  I've been reading through the forums but can't seem to find an answer to this question--which dorm is the cleanest?  The idea of cleaning bathrooms myself doesn't particularly thrill me (so communal is actually OK as long as they are cleaned... daily?), so I was wondering if the suites were ever cleaned by the staff or if Buildings A/B, Wolman, and McCoy have to always be cleaned by the students?

Also, is there a particular dorm that may be closer to where freshman students take their classes?  (I'm not sure if being in BME makes a difference.)  I don't mind walking a bit further to eat or to go to the gym, but when I accidentally sleep in for too long (which is BOUND to happen), would one of the dorm locations gives me a better chance of actually making it to class?

One last thing!  I definitely want a roommate, but I also don't need a dorm that's partying all the time or is generally loud and super social.  However, as long as I can get away from the noise when necessary (studying!) I think ruckus would be fine.  On the other hand, I still want to be able to make tons of new friends and don't want to be particularly isolated from people.

With these things in mind, any suggestions on which dorm would be the best fit for me?  Thanks so much for your time!

-Haley

If I were you, I'd choose the AMRs for a couple of reasons:

1. It seems that your main concern is cleanliness and the AMRs are cleaned daily by staff as Nick said. It's actually reeeally nice to have that. I'm from Wolman (cleaning responsibility is left up to you and your suitemates), but I basically live in the AMRs and I actually now prefer to take a shower in the AMRs. It's way cleaner. However, it depends on you and your suitemates - if you guys like to keep your space clean, then it shouldn't be a problem. But if you don't clean much, then it will get dirty pretty quick.
2. The AMRs are right next to the FFC (cafeteria), which is really nice if you prefer to get your food from the cafeteria (I would say that the food is pretty decent) but you can always get food from the mini grocery store Charles Market which is right next to McCoy and Wolman. So it depends on what you prefer.
3. The AMRs are the nearest to the gym (often known as rec center) - don't know if this makes a difference to you or not. Additionally, Wolman has a small workout room, but I like the atmosphere of the rec center better.
4. Depending on your floormates, the common rooms on your floor in Wolman can get rowdy or be busy all the time. If you have a roommate who's often in your room and may be a distraction, then that may be a problem. Either you can go to the library, which is right across the street from Wolman and McCoy, or, if you're in the AMRs (they do not have common rooms), you can work in the study rooms or the Blue Jay Cafe in the basement of AMR II or the big common room in AMR I - they're often quiet.

Hope that helps!

To my knowledge, none of the dorms have had problems like roach infestations or anything like that!! In terms of newness, Wolman is the newest. The AMRs are older.

I would definitely recommend checking out the Hopkins Cribs - they'll give you an idea of what the dorms and rooms look like!!

Dominique is SO right- no matter where you live you will always upgrade sophomore year! I lived in AMR 1 Royce House last year and really liked it! I live in McCoy this year, which I was a little skeptical about because I wanted to live in Charles Commons, but I actually love my room!