Your unofficial guide to BU housing

BU is great at a lot of things. Great food, athletes, and academic opportunities.

However there’s one thing they really suck at: providing helpful information about housing options on campus.

There are minimal pictures, lackluster descriptions and confusing floor plans when you start investigating.

I didn’t even know South Campus existed until mid September. Thanks BU housing.

It’s pretty hard to figure out where to live your freshman year…or any other year. So I did my research and came up with the best “cheat sheet” to BU housing I could possible make.

West Campus

If you’re an active person and aren’t absolutely repulsed by frat boy and athlete culture, West is for you.

Your options

• Rich Hall, Sleeper Hall, Claflin Hall – generally freshmen/sophomores
• StuVi 1 – juniors/seniors only
• StuVi 2 – sophomores/juniors/seniors
• 1019 – *mostly* sophomores/juniors/seniors

Who lives in West Campus?

West is known for housing the highest concentration of athletes, where the athletic facilities are.

However, there are also your fair share of NARPs (Non-Athletic Regular People) who just like to be close to a gym and a dining hall that doesn’t give you food poisoning once a week. (Sorry Warren…)

Also with Allston just steps away, West is a preferred option for those who are involved in Greek life, as many Frat houses clog up the neighborhood.

What’s it look like?

West pretty much looks like your traditional college campus. The buildings are close enough together to make it feel like you’re in a bubble (even smaller than the general BU bubble).

Student Village is gorgeous with plenty of green space, Nickerson field is right outside of Rich, Sleeper and Claflin. There’s a Dunkin Donuts that takes dining points. FitRec is less than a minute walk from pretty much every dorm. There are also some awesome views from StuVi 1 and 2.

Some West fun facts

1. The unspoken truth is that 1019 is what people choose when they can’t get into StuVi.
2. You know someone has really pissed off some higher being if they’re a junior in Claflin, Sleeper or Rich.
3. Because people can pull others into suites and apartments in StuVi when there is an open room. INSANE #squadgoals occurs in those dorms. You can catch all the “bros bein’ dudes” together in their StuVi 2 man cave. Glorious.
4. There is a 24 hour Shaw’s/Star Market one block over from West, which is perfect for feeding your munchies after a lovely evening spent in the bakery.

East Campus

If you live in East you’re seen as more artsy and creative

Your options

• Warren Towers – mostly freshmen
• Bay State Brownstones – all years
• Kilachand – mostly honors students
• The Towers – mostly freshmen and sophomores
• HoJo – mostly sophomores and juniors
• Myles Standish and Myles Annex – mostly freshmen and sophomores
• Danielsen – mostly transfers
• East Campus Brownstones – all years
• Bay State Apartments – juniors and seniors

Who lives in East Campus?

East Campus houses almost every type of person because of the diverse housing options.

Generally, people choose East Campus because of its close proximity to most classes. In the winter, that really comes in handy.

East is for people who do not want a traditional college campus. The walk to FitRec is wicked long, but many people I know in East don’t care. There are two dining halls that kids in East have close access to: Bay State and Warren.

Warren Towers holds the highest concentration of freshmen students on campus and is a popular choice. Also, there are specialty housing options on Bay State Road for people who are really passionate about a certain subject.

What’s it look like?

East Campus looks like it blends seamlessly with the rest of the city. The Bay State brownstones are so picturesque and look like they belong in the Back Bay.

Danielsen literally is in the Back Bay. Can you say #fancy?

Warren is right on Comm. Ave, so students who live there never are always close to the action. Also, the views are to die for.

Basically, East just looks like your typical cityscape. Buildings, buildings, and more buildings. The occasional tree too, I guess.

Some East fun facts

1. Towers is filled with terribly misguided freshmen whose campus tour leader was just REALLY good at their job.
2. HoJo looks like it’s straight out of Chernobyl, so that’s cool. (OK, but seriously does anyone live in HoJo? I’ve never seen anyone walk in or out…)
3. The East Campus Brownstones are approximately the same square footage as my Sleeper Hall closet.
4. I heard Danielsen is where they plop the transfer and international students. This really helps them feel like they’re a part of campus… Oh wait, no it doesn’t because it’s literally in the middle of nowhere.

   what is Towers doe

South Campus

South is for anyone who doesn’t care for the BS of typical college dorm life.

Your options

• Apartments – sophomores, juniors and seniors
• Dorm/suite style – sophomores, juniors and seniors

Who lives in South Campus?

Basically anyone who wants the feel of living off campus without the responsibilities of actually renting an apartment lives in South.

Everyone says it’s where the quiet kids live, but with the minimal RA presence in South it isn’t so hard to pull off a sick rager. It’s a cool place for upperclassmen to live.

What does it look like?

Aside from the hella wonky bridge people complain about, South Campus is beautiful. It’s a nice escape from the rest of campus, and it kinda feels like you’re out of the bubble.

I didn’t even know South Campus existed for a while, which is a shame because I think it’s a beautiful part of campus.

It definitely has a quieter, secluded vibe but looks pretty “collegey” to me in comparison to parts of East.

Some South fun facts

1. An inside source tells me that people actually get rowdy AF in South.
2. South Campus is great for people who want to slowly fade into oblivion and never make contact with anyone ever again.
3. South is great for your Instagram feed. It’s so scenic.
4. If you’re really passionate about hall sports, you could probably get away with them in South because the RAs are never around.