When applying to the University, I asked my older brother, who had gone here years before, which dorms I should request. Being an Emmet fellow himself, he immediately said there was no choice but Old Dorms, and following this sage advice from a guy once known as "Party Pete," I checked next to the box that read "McCormick Rd."
As it turns out, he was right. Old Dorms are an experience. All those New Dorm-ers may claim superiority with their cleaning services and proximity to Observatory Hill, but living in Metcalf provided me with a keen knowledge of communal showers, the art of getting sunburned on the quad and of course the amazing friendships that come out of sharing such small quarters with so many other girls.
Like any living situation, there are upsides and downsides. Although I loved them, I can't depict Old Dorms as perfect. They are, as it happens, old. The communal showers are something to get used to, especially if you are used to having your own bathroom, as are the tiny beds on top of wooden drawers (that consequently do NOT bounce if you are trying to jump on them). My roommate and I were seized by a plague-like mass of ants for half the year, and I know for a fact that a certain editor of this paper was attacked by an immortal cockroach on more than one occasion. But despite these insect incidents, I wouldn't trade my year in Old Dorms for anything.
Living in Old Dorms has one advantage that sticks out above all the rest and is perhaps the best argument for choosing them: the quad. The quad is the center of all activity. I was a Metcalf girl, so my dorm made up one of the back sides of this social square. Once the thermometer got above 60 degrees Fahrenheit, hordes of first years migrated into the sunshine for work, tanning and the inevitable game of Frisbee. Having the quad provides students living in Old Dorms with a way to meet a variety of first years from McCormick Road.
Another definite pro to living in Old Dorms is its proximity to central Grounds. Being able to wake up five minutes before a class in Gilmer Hall has its advantages, especially when you oversleep your alarm and wake up 15 minutes before a final exam. I may not have ever made it to that Psych 101 exam had it not been for the luxury of being able to walk 50 yards into my classroom, and being able to walk to Cabell in ten minutes wasn't that bad, either.
The hall system of Old Dorms should be a study in sociology. I loved living on a hall and can't imagine first year any differently. When you live on a hall, you live so closely to everyone else that you automatically end up spending as much time with your hallmates as if they were your roommates. I felt like I had so many girls I could work with, hang out with or even make the bus ride to Teeter with. My friends and I (including my awesome RA) completely bypassed the whole room thing, too. We were perpetually sitting in the middle of the hallway, and the hall was in fact where most work, socializing and eating took place. We all joked that we might as well sleep in the hall, or at least move a TV out there.
I was and will remain a proud Metcalf 2nd-Lefter. My first year in Old Dorms is something I look back on fondly and something that I even miss. It gave me lasting friendships, an attempt at a tan before summer started and an indispensable knowledge of shower shoes.
Read More
Queer Student Union showcases strength and spreads love
By Rosie Strickland | 2 hours agoThis summer, QSU members say that the organization’s efforts to support the University’s Queer community extend far beyond the 30 days of June.
‘Don’t get too comfortable’: Words of wisdom for the incoming class
By Kate Johnson | 2 days agoThese fourth-year students offer their reflections on their first year at the University.
Navigating the University from near and far
By Amanda Chung , Mai Hukuoka and Dana Douglas | 5 days agoAs the 2025-26 school year inches closer, three Life writers came together to discuss their different perspectives as in-state and out-of-state students.
