Digital Diaries Episode 2: Campus Housing

Erica Schmitt, Assistant Audio Editor
October 2, 2022

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ERICA SCHMITT: From The Daily Northwestern, I’m Erica Schmitt and this is episode two of Digital Diaries, a weekly podcast following what students are doing and asking two students one question about life at Northwestern.

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ERICA SCHMITT: This week’s question is: What is it like living at Northwestern?

ERICA SCHMITT: Weinberg senior Sinem Atalay tells all as a transfer student who lived in two South Campus dorms.

SINEM ATALAY: Sophomore year, I lived in Willard and it was kind of isolating, but I think that was because of COVID. I think Willard is like a little hub since it’s south-est.

SINEM ATALAY: I liked living on campus, and then I stayed my junior year as well, and I lived in Rogers — so again in south — and I liked it.

SINEM ATALAY: It was really a downgrade because Rogers is like a small dorm, with like 45 people and one RA for the whole building. But yeah, I did do communal showers. I hated it so much. That’s like the one thing I hate about living in dorms.

ERICA SCHMITT: Despite Willard Residential College’s amenities, Atalay said she prefers Rogers House.

SINEM ATALAY: There was less stuff going on. We had maybe one event. The RA was really chill, and I don’t know if that’s normally how Rogers is, but I would assume so because it’s a small building. It felt less like I was living on campus.

ERICA SCHMITT: Atalay now lives off campus this year.

SINEM ATALAY: I like being on campus. I didn’t participate much in school-organized things. And now, I’m living off campus with a bunch of random people that I don’t know.

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ERICA SCHMITT: But you won’t only find student housing in the sorority quad. Let’s head to North Campus to hear from Weinberg junior Jacob Kosmicki, who lived in Sargent Hall his first year.

JACOB KOSMICKI: Sarge was fine. My main complaint was the temperature control. Like, I felt like it was extremely hot in the winter. And then like, Sarge doesn’t have A/C so it was also hot like May, June. I just generally like cold rooms. I liked the Sarge lounge, and then sophomore year, I was in Elder. I liked that better because we had A/C, so my room was always chilly, nice and cold. I’d say my floor was probably a little more social — probably partially also attributable to mandates being lifted, which was nice.

JACOB KOSMICKI: I liked having the dining halls in the dorms, so it was always nice, especially in the winter.

ERICA SCHMITT: Kosmicki said the two-year on campus housing requirement is a “rip-off.”

JACOB KOSMICKI: They’re overcharging you for housing, and they’re doing it because they can — the same reason they overcharge for tuition and books, and we just pay that. We get the stamp of approval.

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ERICA SCHMITT: Do you have any advice for students on campus?

SINEM ATALAY: Some residential colleges I think are good for making friends and stuff. Like I know a freshman who lived in Shepard, and he was like, super happy. But, I don’t like having to apply.

ERICA SCHMITT: Kosmicki favors the recently renamed Schapiro Hall, one of the newer dorms on campus. It was previously known as Lincoln Hall.

JACOB KOSMICKI: I would say gun for Lincoln. I think Lincoln was a pretty nice place to be. I’d say more generally take a dorm with A/C if you’re not used to not having temperature control.

ERICA SCHMITT: From The Daily Northwestern, I’m Erica Schmitt. Thanks for listening to episode 2 of The Daily’s Digital Diaries. This episode was reported and produced by me. The Audio Editor of The Daily Northwestern is Lawrence Price, the Digital Managing Editor is Angeli Mittal and the Editor-in-chief is Jacob Fulton. Make sure to subscribe to The Daily Northwestern’s podcasts on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or SoundCloud to hear next week’s episode on Monday.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @eschmitt318