DORM LIFE

Living the dorm life

On-campus student housing like Hart Hall provides a place for students to live in close proximity to their classes, dining and study spaces.

Cameron Johnson — THE BATTALION

A&M offers 7 on-campus residence options which meet student needs

By Caroline Wilburn

@Carolinewilb

Despite the many residential opportunities around Aggieland, living on campus is a staple for incoming freshmen looking to gain a more authentic college experience.

The university currently offers seven housing options for students who choose to live on campus: balcony, corridor, common, modular and ramp styles, as well as Hullabaloo Hall and White Creek Apartments.

Public health freshman Trevor Burk currently lives in Aston Hall, a part of the Commons on the Southside of campus, which offers students access to dining, a Community Learning Center, or CLC, TV lounges, recreation area, mailboxes and a 24-hour help desk.

“I knew I wanted the dorm experience,” Burk said. “I had to live on campus and make friends and everything. I did try to get into Northside, but Southside is what was available, but I’m really happy I chose to live in the Commons.”

Living on campus, Burk said he enjoys constantly being able to see his friends, such as those made through his Freshman Leadership Organization, Freshman Leaders Establishing eXcellence, or FLEX.

“When I got into FLEX, and did other things, the friends I made in the first few weeks of school, everybody just lived in the Commons,” Burk said. “I would see them in the dining hall or around my dorm. It was really fun constantly getting to see them, saying hi and keeping up to date with them.”

In addition to the convenience of being close to classes, Burk said he enjoys the accessible dining options.

“You’re within less than half a mile of every single dining option you can think of,” Burk said. “Whether it be sandwiches, Chick-fil-A, Chinese, burritos, anything you want. Especially living in the Commons, there’s a dining hall just 20 feet below us.”

Biomedical sciences freshman Victoria Whitington currently resides in McFadden Hall, a modular dorm, and said she feels Northside dorms are an equal distance from most places on campus. Modular dorms, located on both Northside and Southside, offer students double rooms with private bathrooms for one to two residents.

The convenience of living among academic and dining spaces is what Whitington said she especially enjoys from dorm life.

“Waking up and walking to class, being really close to everything [is great],” Whitington said. “I could just walk across the street to go get food.”

Whitington said despite the high cost of living on campus, it’s a successful way to become familiar with A&M.

“I feel like living on campus kind of helps with that because you’re walking everywhere,” Whitington said. “Honestly, you can just go and walk whenever you want. You don’t have to take a bus to get on campus or drive to campus. I feel like living in the dorms kind of helped me find my way around campus better. I feel it’d be different if I lived off campus.”

As an honors student, Whitington said she is able to constantly get together with fellow students and friends.

“We get together and work and do study groups,” Whitington said. “Another thing is the [Community Learning Center] is technically only open to on-campus residents, and I really enjoyed going there to study. It’s not super loud, and it’s a little more home-y than Evans [Library]. I feel like that’s helped me kind of get more used to being in college.”

Business freshman Cole Braaten said he chose to live in White Creek Apartments for its proximity to Mays Business School and the comfort of his own room.

“I can walk to class and I’m never running late,” Braaten said. “It’s just really convenient getting there without having to take a bus or walking for 30 minutes.”

Burk said despite the struggles of living in a small dorm in the Commons, the social aspect of living so close to other freshmen has its benefits.

“As awful as the dorms are sometimes, I think there’s a certain charm of being able to walk outside of your door and see people having fun,” Burk said. “The convenience of the dorm is incredible.”

Students who are interested in living on campus can apply at https://reslife.tamu.edu/ apply/.