The pros and cons of living in Walsh, the most notorious dorm on campus

BC is notorious for its terrible housing lottery, especially for rising sophomores. Students are either placed in Vandy – which is nicer than my parent’s house, tbh – or in Greycliff, which is like living in the Amityville Horror house because nobody really knows what goes on in there.

I got an 8-man pick time, which genuinely restored my faith in the good Lord, but when my roommate went to pick a room, all of the 8-mans were gone. We ended up in two blocked quads in Walsh, and my experience in the first month has been interesting, to say the least.

Here’s what goes on in Walsh when the parties stop and people aren’t pooping on the floor.

There are freshmen trolling

Getting the solo cup filter on Snapchat is a great accomplishment during the first few weeks of freshman year, so I wasn’t surprised to see a ton of them hanging outside in the hallways on the weekends. I was surprised when I let one in to pee and he completely missed the toilet and urinated all over our bathroom floor.

There are no (OK, very few) outlets

Walsh was built in 1982 before students needed to charge laptops and phones, do their hair (RIP to the perms of the 80s) and hang up their holiday lights. So with only three outlets in each bedroom, there are bound to be some issues. Every day takes me back to my youth because I basically jump rope with all of the cords attached to my surge protector, and I play hide and seek trying to locate the outlet. Things I’ve ordered in the last three weeks: a 10-foot phone charger and a 50-foot cable because our “entryway” has 0 outlets.

The top floor lounges have beautiful views

Walsh has arguably one of the best views on campus, which you wouldn’t expect since it is so far away. The seventh and eighth floor lounges have huge windows, which you can see Gasson and Bapst from. Everyone looks up from their work when the sun starts to set. Also, it has AC. That’s reason enough to go.

Unidentified stains

Spot the contrast in colors carefully selected by BC’s interior design team

Honestly, I just really want some opinions as to what this stain could possibly be. On my light, there is a red/maroon stain and we have debated whether it is blood or barbecue sauce/ketchup? If it is blood, I would love to know how it got up there. Must be a great story.

THE TOILET

The toilet in our bathroom is moodier than me during my tween years. It used to shoot out water whenever it was flushed, which the repairman chalked up to “condensation due to the heat.” It was like taking a swim every morning before class. Thankfully, another work order led to it being fixed, and our carpet has officially dried.

Living with your friends

I knew within a week that living in Walsh was going to be an amazing experience. I don’t miss walking from my double on Newton to the communal showers in a towel with people passing by. I love being with my friends all the time and the community that being on Lower provides.