Junior Edition: Which Columbia dorm should you live in?

Claremont is a great option for juniors and seniors with groups that range from three to seven people. You’ll have a decent shot at a single, and the kitchens and bathrooms aren’t half bad. The downside to Claremont is that some people complain that it’s a bit of a walk from campus, but I guess “far” is relative.

With one side facing Riverside and the Hudson, Woodbridge is probably the ~ultimate~ New York apartment building. It’s a good option for seniors and juniors who want to share a one- or two-bedroom apartment with one of their closest confidants. Watch out for dorms facing inwards to avoid getting shafted.

Watt is a good option for rising sophomores with really good lottery numbers or for juniors who want to give apartment living a try. There are a bunch of different room types in Watt—studio singles, studio doubles, one-bedroom apartment doubles, and two-bedroom apartment doubles. The best of all: Each apartment has its own kitchen, meaning that max two people will be using it.

Schapiro is a good option for rising sophomores in groups of two or a junior who wants to finally live in a single. It’s close to campus, which will make the winter much more manageable, and as an additional bonus, Schapiro has a ton of overlooked amenities, including a gym, dance studio, and music practice rooms.

A good option for rising juniors with good numbers who want to live with their squad. As a rising junior, you have a good chance of getting an eight-person suite, even with just an average lottery number. The good is that each suite has its own kitchen. The bad is that there’s not much common space.

Just two words: All. Singles. However, you can’t pick into River during in-person selection—it’s only open for online selection, and since groups do not have to stick together during online selection, there’s a chance that your group will not be able to find a string of singles right next to each other.

If you’re a sophomore in a group of two or a junior applying by yourself, you have a good shot at getting a Broadway double or single, respectively. The good things about Broadway are that it’s pretty close to campus and that it’s newly renovated. The bad: shared kitchens and bathrooms.

Though Nussbaum is suite-style, you pick into it as if it were a hall-style dorm. This is good for sophomores and juniors who would rather live in a suite but don’t have the group size to get one. If you’re a rising sophomore, expect a double; rising juniors have a good chance at a single in a suite.