Sophomore Edition: Which Columbia dorm should you live in?

Furnald’s a good option for rising sophomores who are tired of living with their roommates. If you’re a rising sophomore with a good-to-average number, you can easily snag yourself a single that’s close to campus, but you’ll also have to put up with next year’s first-years, as well as communal kitchens, bathrooms, and common spaces.

Though it’s the farthest dorm from campus, Harmony has some qualities that a rising sophomore might look favorably upon, including its many floors of singles.

Also known as Carman 2.0, McBain is a good option for sophomores who want to live with their bestie in a double and prefer a more ~vibrant~ social scene (i.e., expect parties every weekend). If you’d prefer a quieter atmosphere, avoid McBain—Nussbaum will probably be your best bet.

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.

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.

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.

Wien is notoriously known as being “that really bad dorm with a random sink in each room.” While Wien might not be ideal if you were hoping to live with your friends in a suite, it does have some overlooked perks. As a rising sophomore, you have a good chance at getting a single if you have a good to average lottery number. Additionally, it’s not that far from campus, has a piano in the (really spacious) main lounge, and is newly renovated.

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.