I have lived on Mahaffey third floor (two thumbs down), in Elkinton, the Greens and the HPs (first and third floor, don’t ask). While I haven’t lived everywhere on the Linfield campus, there are some housing options that have stood out to me in my four years here. So, here are the pros and cons, the best and the worst. 

Let’s start with some of the best, which, of course, are going to be apartments. The perks are having a room to yourself, a kitchen and living room. You can cook your own  meals, no longer relying on Dillin or a messy communal kitchen. And you can’t forget  that feeling that you are finally living like an adult. 

The Greens

More formally known as the Blaine St. Apartments, this is my favorite and I miss living there. While not for everyone, they have a certain charm. 

Pros:

• Close to the academic building
  • For me, this meant I could leave with three minutes until class, and still make it on time. A big perk for someone like me who dislikes arriving early to class.
• Away from the sports 
  • This means that during game day you won’t be hearing the muffled announcer while working on homework. 
• Parking!
  • This is the only set of apartments with spots built in, as well as two full parking lots that rarely fill up. 

Cons:

• The appliances 
  • For some of these apartments, the ovens look like they were installed in the 60s, and have buttons to control the heat. So maybe ask for a tour to make sure you get a modern stove. 
  • They also use a communal laundry room. Slight inconvenience, but it could be worse. 
• Tree detritus 
  • For some reason these apartments love to track in outside plant matter. So invest in a vacuum.

The HPs

Odds are you’ll end here, but don’t worry, they are as nice as they seem. Cleaner, newer and lots of shelving if that’s something you care about. 

Pros:

• They’re newer
  • This is probably the only leg up the HP’s have on the Greens They’ve yet to collect a layer of grime, slowly produced by years of college living.
• Close to the Library and Arts Quad 
  • If most of your time is spent on this half of campus, these apartments will definitely be better than the Greens.

Cons:

• Lots of neighbors 
  • It can get noisy, and sometimes, inexplicably, your downstairs neighbor will bounce a ball against the ceiling causing loud thunks and a vibration through the whole living room. 

That’s my list of best apartments, but I understand that these are a luxury reserved for the upperclassmen. So, here’s some do’s and don’t for the dorms. 

Do’s

• Elkinton and its sister Terrel, courtyard facing. 
  • These dorms are more spacious, and have sinks in the room. No need to trek down the hall to brush your teeth in public. If you get courtyard facing, you can avoid the noise of the dumpster and delivery trucks that come by Elkinton, and the softball field noise by Terrel. 
• Jane Failing 
  • I have not lived here personally, but I’ve visited friends there. The furniture is very cute, and some of the rooms have bay windows, which add a certain romance to daydreaming and stargazing. 

Don’ts 

• Mahaffey 
  • The rooms on the third floor are tiny, you and your roommate will have to dance around each other, and your chairs will bump if you both sit at your desks at the same time. The kitchen is similarly small, and has no circulation, so it often smells bad. The only laundry machines are in the basement. And to make it all worse, it has a bug problem when it heats up in the spring. But it has an elevator. So at least there’s that. 
• Pioneer
  • This hall recently became available again for housing. Pioneer is the oldest building campus and its age shows. The heaters have a hard time when it’s cold, and in the summer you’re stuck on the top two floors without good circulation. And to top it off, it’s in an academic building. If you want all female housing Grover is the better place to be. 

I hope these recommendations help, and make it a little easier to scout out your next place to live. Or at least reassure you that there are worse places to live.