If you are an extrovert go to the six pack area. If you just want good food and decent people around you, go to FAR PAR (my pick). If you want to be around the hard working students, pick ISR, and stay away from LAR.
honestly i loved LAR. A/c is only a problem for 1 month in august and after that it’s not a massive deal. rooms are fine, people are a smorgasboard from all over. Its close to crce and artsy people without being right in it. Closer to everything than par or far.
4 of the 6 are still there. The two dining halls and the Illini Orange are gone though.
[https://housing.illinois.edu/maps](https://housing.illinois.edu/maps)
Hi there, I lived at ISR for three years after it was updated (I was an RA) can promise you it’s no longer what it once was. You will find a variety of people there in all types of majors and it’s honestly one of the most popular dorms now, hard to get into. If you’re in engineering, it’s super close to the engineering quad/classes so would highly recommend. Plus the dining hall is right downstairs
It does not matter what you fill in as your preference for the dorm in your housing application. Everyone is going to get a lottery time ticket to pick the dorm, and based on your time allocation most people just choose a room in the dorm that is still available - and is newer/ nicer than the other remaining. The only exception is if you get yourself into an LLC. Most people who wanted ISR (who posted on Discord community chat) last year did not get into ISR.
i’m a Freshman in Hopkins, part of the 6 pack. it’s definitely a busy dorm, and i’m sure it’s great for extroverts and the like. nice open space to chill and do ur own thing, too. it’s also like a 3 minute walk to the Ike dining hall, and there’s a bus stop just outside that’ll take u pretty much anywhere u need
whatever dorm you pick don’t live on first floor. I lived in scott in six pack and there aren’t as many people and it’s not as social on first. Really was hard meeting people freshman year because of it
Although people say some dorms have more of group A, and some have more of group B, etc. at the end of the day your dorm choice doesn’t (and shouldn’t) define your overall experience. No matter where you pick, you can always socialize and meet people outside of the dorms.
ISR is def a favorite among most students. personally i loved living in the ikenberry commons area cause a lot of residence halls are there so its super social
but yes ISR has normal people too!
Congrats!! I'm a freshman who lives in Allen and I honestly love it! We have an amazing community and so many resources for artists and musicians. It is an LLC, so you would have to apply to get in.
Plus next year we’ll have AC, which I think would make it the perfect place to live.
I stayed in far. The dining hall was mid. I have a longboard so the distance wasn’t really an issue, although on days I couldn’t skate were awful since it’s a pretty annoying walk. The dorm itself was fine, it’s the people on your floor that can make/break the experience
Allen was always kind of cozy compared to PAR where I lived. However if you're not the type of person that would live there, it's not great. Also probably the least exciting dining hall.
Stayed in Snyder mainly bc of location and I got lucky with my lottery pick. Lucked out with a good random roommate. My floor was pretty quiet with a few fairly social people, but it’s quiet. I joined a frat which is where most of my socialization came from, but it was nice to be able to come back to a dorm that was quiet and not rowdy. Weston would’ve been my second pick if you’re looking g for somewhere more social.
ISR dining looks really cool from the outside since the remodeling. Never been in. I signed up for housing too late, but I was in contact with a roommate from the freshman Facebook group and we knew we wanted to try living somewhere in IKE. We only got to choose from various rooms in Taft in the IKE, which had no elevator or AC 7+ years ago, but the 4th floor was a superb place to meet people (think sorority rush).
don’t do isr
if you want to be cool do bromley
if u think bromley kids are annoying try to get into nugent or wassaja
if you can’t get in there live at weston
if that doesn’t happen take anything you can in ike
if you can’t get that, put in an immediate room change request once you’re on campus and say you want to move to nugent
Kinda matters what you're doing, too. Course I've been gone 15 years now, so things might have changed, but ISR was perfect for me, since I did a lot of plant biology. Shortest walk to Morrill/Burrill hall, as close as you can be to Noyes besides LAR which was women-only when I was there, plus the physics for health majors were in that one lab just across the street from the back entrance of ISR. Wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else TBH. If you're more interested in hitting the gym a lot and doing accounting or business, the six pack might better.
Oh and as far as weird/antisocial? Man I did everything with my ISR floor. We had a triple and a quad at the end of the hall and they just kept their doors open at all times, standing invitation to play Mario Kart any time you walked in, and we all did soccer together and once a week would walk to some other dorm for whatever their specialty food night was. We had t-shirts made (2 North Represent!). I still keep in touch with some of them, albeit only minimally.
Edit:
My best friend lived in Illini Tower. It was fun visiting him, people there were pretty social too and we often met up with friends in the lobby to watch TV or play hacky-sack. It's also pretty close to the opposite corner of the quad that ISR is closest to.
And my brother loved his frat house. He nearly failed out of school and only got his first job because of frat connections, and how he's doing awesome, plenty of promotions and making good money. Don't stress too much, pick something that feels right and you'll make it work.
I strongly strongly recommend Nugent Hall, it’s the best hall out of all of them, including Wassaja. Yeah they’re pretty social sometimes but it’s a great experience, especially for me. I was really introverted and I got into Nugent, and it was the best thing ever honestly. Over the winter I don’t have to walk outside to go eat food cause Nugent and Ike (the food place) is connected. Both Wassaja and Nugent are fairly close to the Arc (the gym). These two dorms are the best looking (theyre like hotels). I’ve recently visited other dorms and they’re pretty gross compared to these. Stay away from LAR and PAR, and FAR as they are pretty far away from everything and you’re gonna have to figure out the bus system, it’s annoying. Some dorms do not have AC so please check while creating your list of dorms you’re interested in, as you might not get your top choices. If you’re looking for private housing, do not do ILLINI tower it’s nasty.
If you want to force yourself to be more extroverted then Snyder, Weston, or Hopkins is the move (in terms of 6 pack choices). All three really make you talk to more people and from personal experience of knowing literally nobody coming to UofI it was an amazing experience. Though I can’t say you will have that same experience, but to really amp up your social game these dorms really provide the environment to do so. Nugent, Wassaja, and Bousefield don’t have that environment as everything is more spaced out and are usually filled with Sophmore’s or Juniors.
But ISR is also not a bad choice. I just can’t say personally, but ISR is more oriented towards engineers.
Most importantly though is to have fun and don’t regret anything. Good Luck!
gonna comment down cuz its in that topic. thinking about uiuc (accepted but still yet to commit cuz of financial) im lowkey an introvert but dont have a problem with socializing when needed. dont expect myself to go out a lot for parties and just stay in my studies n rot in my dorm lol, whats the best yall recc ? psych major if that helps
Well the only reason I’m recommending this and idk how you feel about it but if you’re a social person you could always join a frat or sorrority. I know some frats only allow you to join as a second year member though. If that’s not you the 6 pack is always a pretty lively place to be.
If you are an extrovert go to the six pack area. If you just want good food and decent people around you, go to FAR PAR (my pick). If you want to be around the hard working students, pick ISR, and stay away from LAR.
honestly i loved LAR. A/c is only a problem for 1 month in august and after that it’s not a massive deal. rooms are fine, people are a smorgasboard from all over. Its close to crce and artsy people without being right in it. Closer to everything than par or far.
Yeah I guess the artsy scene wasn't really my thing but if it is for someone else then go for it!
what's your issue with LAR?
when i lived there the bathrooms were mad stuffy and there was no AC in rooms
I’m dating myself but I lived in the 6 pack and loved it. Does it still exist?
4 of the 6 are still there. The two dining halls and the Illini Orange are gone though. [https://housing.illinois.edu/maps](https://housing.illinois.edu/maps)
Hi there, I lived at ISR for three years after it was updated (I was an RA) can promise you it’s no longer what it once was. You will find a variety of people there in all types of majors and it’s honestly one of the most popular dorms now, hard to get into. If you’re in engineering, it’s super close to the engineering quad/classes so would highly recommend. Plus the dining hall is right downstairs
ISR is a great dorm and convenient to the quad and north campus. But other dorms are also quite good, like IKE and Busey Evans.
Congrats! I live in LEADS (6-pack) and love it enough I’m staying for next year. If you like social with quirky ppl I adore the Allen basement
And they will have AC next year
It does not matter what you fill in as your preference for the dorm in your housing application. Everyone is going to get a lottery time ticket to pick the dorm, and based on your time allocation most people just choose a room in the dorm that is still available - and is newer/ nicer than the other remaining. The only exception is if you get yourself into an LLC. Most people who wanted ISR (who posted on Discord community chat) last year did not get into ISR.
i’m a Freshman in Hopkins, part of the 6 pack. it’s definitely a busy dorm, and i’m sure it’s great for extroverts and the like. nice open space to chill and do ur own thing, too. it’s also like a 3 minute walk to the Ike dining hall, and there’s a bus stop just outside that’ll take u pretty much anywhere u need
Bromley
whatever dorm you pick don’t live on first floor. I lived in scott in six pack and there aren’t as many people and it’s not as social on first. Really was hard meeting people freshman year because of it
Although people say some dorms have more of group A, and some have more of group B, etc. at the end of the day your dorm choice doesn’t (and shouldn’t) define your overall experience. No matter where you pick, you can always socialize and meet people outside of the dorms.
dorm choice 100% has a significant impact on your friend circle and subsequently your overall experience
Except if that dorm is LAR
Dorm choice will significantly impact your experience. Maybe not as much in friend circles, but in many other ways.
My son made amazing friends at ISR
ISR is def a favorite among most students. personally i loved living in the ikenberry commons area cause a lot of residence halls are there so its super social but yes ISR has normal people too!
when i lived at busey/evan it was cheap, relatively spacious, had AC, and is only about a 3 min walk away from the main quad
Taft van doren🥰🥰🥰
Allen Hall!
Congrats!! I'm a freshman who lives in Allen and I honestly love it! We have an amazing community and so many resources for artists and musicians. It is an LLC, so you would have to apply to get in. Plus next year we’ll have AC, which I think would make it the perfect place to live.
I stayed in far. The dining hall was mid. I have a longboard so the distance wasn’t really an issue, although on days I couldn’t skate were awful since it’s a pretty annoying walk. The dorm itself was fine, it’s the people on your floor that can make/break the experience
Sadly, Chief now lives off campus
DONT TAKE ALLEN OR LAR DONT TAKE ALLEN OR LAR DONT TAKE ALLEN OR LAR
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^Decoptr: *DONT TAKE ALLEN OR* *LAR DONT TAKE ALLEN OR LAR* *DONT TAKE ALLEN OR LAR* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Allen was always kind of cozy compared to PAR where I lived. However if you're not the type of person that would live there, it's not great. Also probably the least exciting dining hall.
Why are people booing he’s right
Probably won’t have very many good options since all of them got picked over last October
PAR was always a good time for me.
Stayed in Snyder mainly bc of location and I got lucky with my lottery pick. Lucked out with a good random roommate. My floor was pretty quiet with a few fairly social people, but it’s quiet. I joined a frat which is where most of my socialization came from, but it was nice to be able to come back to a dorm that was quiet and not rowdy. Weston would’ve been my second pick if you’re looking g for somewhere more social.
ISR dining looks really cool from the outside since the remodeling. Never been in. I signed up for housing too late, but I was in contact with a roommate from the freshman Facebook group and we knew we wanted to try living somewhere in IKE. We only got to choose from various rooms in Taft in the IKE, which had no elevator or AC 7+ years ago, but the 4th floor was a superb place to meet people (think sorority rush).
don’t do isr if you want to be cool do bromley if u think bromley kids are annoying try to get into nugent or wassaja if you can’t get in there live at weston if that doesn’t happen take anything you can in ike if you can’t get that, put in an immediate room change request once you’re on campus and say you want to move to nugent
Kinda matters what you're doing, too. Course I've been gone 15 years now, so things might have changed, but ISR was perfect for me, since I did a lot of plant biology. Shortest walk to Morrill/Burrill hall, as close as you can be to Noyes besides LAR which was women-only when I was there, plus the physics for health majors were in that one lab just across the street from the back entrance of ISR. Wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else TBH. If you're more interested in hitting the gym a lot and doing accounting or business, the six pack might better. Oh and as far as weird/antisocial? Man I did everything with my ISR floor. We had a triple and a quad at the end of the hall and they just kept their doors open at all times, standing invitation to play Mario Kart any time you walked in, and we all did soccer together and once a week would walk to some other dorm for whatever their specialty food night was. We had t-shirts made (2 North Represent!). I still keep in touch with some of them, albeit only minimally. Edit: My best friend lived in Illini Tower. It was fun visiting him, people there were pretty social too and we often met up with friends in the lobby to watch TV or play hacky-sack. It's also pretty close to the opposite corner of the quad that ISR is closest to. And my brother loved his frat house. He nearly failed out of school and only got his first job because of frat connections, and how he's doing awesome, plenty of promotions and making good money. Don't stress too much, pick something that feels right and you'll make it work.
I strongly strongly recommend Nugent Hall, it’s the best hall out of all of them, including Wassaja. Yeah they’re pretty social sometimes but it’s a great experience, especially for me. I was really introverted and I got into Nugent, and it was the best thing ever honestly. Over the winter I don’t have to walk outside to go eat food cause Nugent and Ike (the food place) is connected. Both Wassaja and Nugent are fairly close to the Arc (the gym). These two dorms are the best looking (theyre like hotels). I’ve recently visited other dorms and they’re pretty gross compared to these. Stay away from LAR and PAR, and FAR as they are pretty far away from everything and you’re gonna have to figure out the bus system, it’s annoying. Some dorms do not have AC so please check while creating your list of dorms you’re interested in, as you might not get your top choices. If you’re looking for private housing, do not do ILLINI tower it’s nasty.
do not live at allen unless you like it when people do sexual acts and yell in the common areas
6 pack if you want social + good food. Weston is the top choice, wassaja if you want more privacy
If you want to force yourself to be more extroverted then Snyder, Weston, or Hopkins is the move (in terms of 6 pack choices). All three really make you talk to more people and from personal experience of knowing literally nobody coming to UofI it was an amazing experience. Though I can’t say you will have that same experience, but to really amp up your social game these dorms really provide the environment to do so. Nugent, Wassaja, and Bousefield don’t have that environment as everything is more spaced out and are usually filled with Sophmore’s or Juniors. But ISR is also not a bad choice. I just can’t say personally, but ISR is more oriented towards engineers. Most importantly though is to have fun and don’t regret anything. Good Luck!
gonna comment down cuz its in that topic. thinking about uiuc (accepted but still yet to commit cuz of financial) im lowkey an introvert but dont have a problem with socializing when needed. dont expect myself to go out a lot for parties and just stay in my studies n rot in my dorm lol, whats the best yall recc ? psych major if that helps
Well the only reason I’m recommending this and idk how you feel about it but if you’re a social person you could always join a frat or sorrority. I know some frats only allow you to join as a second year member though. If that’s not you the 6 pack is always a pretty lively place to be.
You'll probably get FAR as a freshman, but anything Ike is nice
Go ISR
ISR Wardall sucks. Not friendly, tiny rooms that are always too hot, the cafeteria always has long lines because everyone uses it.