ATTENTION TO ALL INCOMING U OF I FRESHMEN:

Looking for a dorm to live in next year? If you are, then continue reading.

Before deciding to come to the University of Illinois, I was terrified of living in a dorm. I had heard many horror stories about roommates as well as dorm food. I knew that I wanted to live in a dorm that was clean, safe, friendly and had great food. I thought all these qualities for a dorm would be impossible to find, so I had low expectations.

I had visited many different campuses and was not impressed with many of the dorms. I thought “Oh God, I can’t live here.” However, when I came to the University of Illinois, my experience was different. I had visited the six pack, the set of dorms here at the University of Illinois, and some dorms were newly renovated and others hadn’t been renovated from the 1950s. One of the things that I didn’t particularly like about public housing was that you couldn’t choose the dorm that you want on a first come first serve basis. You have to go through a lottery system. Each incoming or current student is assigned a different date and time. Some people are fortunate enough that they are able to choose the first day that public housing is available. Some have to wait until the last day. This didn’t interest me and the process sounded complicated.

One of my friends that was an upperclassman had suggested that I look at Newman Hall, a dorm that is privately certified. I was skeptical at first because I had gone to a Catholic High school so I wasn’t sure if I wanted to live in a Catholic Dorm my first year in college. But once I took a tour at Newman, my whole perspective changed. The facility was so friendly and my tour guide was so awesome. She honestly did such a great job selling it to me. It is located right across the quad so the location is perfect and I have never had to walk more than 5 minutes for one of my classes. Newman Hall is known for having the best food on campus and it does, trust me. The dorms are so clean and the amenities are great. They have a big laundry room and a fitness center in the basement which is really convenient because the ARC is a good walk away. They also have lounges on the second, third and fourth floor where you can watch movies and play games. Newman Hall also has a library as well as study rooms and two computer labs. One of my favorite amenities is that housekeeping comes and cleans your room once a week. Yes, I’m serious. You will never need to clean your own room. And if you wish, housekeeping can also do your laundry for you. This sounds more like a hotel than it does a dorm.

I truly love Newman because of the great amenities that they have. But my favorite part about Newman is the community feel and the amazing people that live in this dorm. I can honestly say that I don’t think my freshmen experience would be as great as it is if I didn’t choose to stay at Newman Hall. So if you currently looking for housing for next year, look no further and call Newman Hall your home.