Dorms become your second home for almost an entire year. You sleep, study, and socialize with your friends within this confined place. Marquette has its fair share of spacious and worthy living dorms, but there are also some that you should steer clear of.
As an incoming freshman (and even a sophomore), you may think you know what you’re getting yourself into while choosing your dorm for the following year, but here’s the list you should really take into consideration before making your decision.
Do's-
Cobeen Hall is the best option for all you incoming Marquette freshman girls. Do not hesitate to mark this dorm as one of your four options. You may think, "All girls? No, thank you," but the truth of the matter is that it takes the number one prize for cleanliness, a quiet place to study and do homework, good size room with nice furniture, and a cafeteria with a variety of food options. I had the pleasure of living here my freshman year and can only think of one con: some days you would wake up anticipating a warm, long shower and end up taking a freezing, ice cold shower. Nonetheless, the shower jolted you awake and prepared you for the long day of classes, homework, and studying.
Abbottsford Hall is probably the closest "apartment" looking dorm on campus and was my first choice freshman year. You and your roommate get your own room along with a living area, bathroom, and kitchen area. This is a co-ed hall, which allows for interaction with the opposite sex instead of an all girl or boy living space. The only reason I wanted to live here was because of the "apartment" and "grown-up" feel it had and I'm not entirely sure those characteristics are worth the walk you'd have to make to get food. If this dorm had a dining hall, then it would be the perfect place to live for any incoming freshman.
Straz Tower has every accommodation you may need and that is why this dorm should be every sophomores number one choice. You share a living space with your roommate/s and get your own private bathroom that you share with your roommates, which in my opinion is better than sharing with 20+ girls. If you start to feel a little famished, you're in luck because the Straz dining hall has the best salads on campus, and the stir-fry is delicious. By living in Straz Tower, working out has been made so much easier for all you fit college students. Ride the elevator to the first floor and swipe in at the Rec Center, which is located inside of Straz, yep you read that right...INSIDE of Straz. That means you no longer have to make that walk to the Rec Plex. The only con for living at Straz Tower is its location. However, walking to and from Straz Tower is better than walking to and from Mashuda Hall on any given day.
Don'ts-
Mashuda Hall may have those "apartment" style dorm rooms and a dining hall with seemingly good food, but the walk just isn't worth what that dorm offers. Just close your eyes and imagine the most horrible snow/rain storm. Now, imagine you are on the other side of campus and you have to walk all the way back to Mashuda as this horrible storm plays out. At this point, you are probably wishing you would have dormed somewhere closer to civilization such as Cobeen, Straz, or really any other option is better than Mashuda.
McCormick Hall will have you thinking you live in a jail cell. Actually, I think a jail cell may be a little more spacious. If you are convinced college is about having fun 24/7, then this is the perfect place for you because the sound coming from this dorm has the potential to break a decibel meter. If you choose to live here and want to get good grades, be ready to call Raynor Library your home because you'll be spending a majority of your time there. Throughout my three years of attending Marquette University, I have only eaten at the McCormick dining hall once, and once was enough to know that I would never eat there again. If you decide to live here, be sure to stock up on Pepto-Bismol.
Schroeder Hall is not that bad, and if you do end up living here it isn't the worst thing that could happen to you. The rooms aren't all that big, but offer enough space for you to live comfortably. There is only one communal bathroom on each floor with about ten showers and ten bathroom stalls. Be sure to wake up early enough to catch a warm shower, if not you'll end up with nothing but freezing cold water. You may think, "Hey, Schroeder has a dining hall, awesome." No. Not awesome. Try to eat here at only once a week because if not you will put on some serious weight. The con to living here are the elevators. They break down at least two to three times a week. Imagine living on the tenth floor with a broken elevator on move-out day. NOT FUN. With that being said, be sure to leave ten minutes early to your class; if not you'll be waiting a while.
