University of Missouri-Columbia Top Questions

My freshman year I lived in Hatch Hall. It's a typical community style dorm - 1 roommate, share the bathroom with the floor. I really enjoyed this dorm, it was just renovated in 2007 so everything was basically new and it looked more "home-y" than I was expecting. In Hatch, every floor had a floor lounge, with couches, chairs, tables and a TV. Attached to the lounge was a study room with a white board and a sliding door, so you could separate yourself from whatever was going on outside. Since Hatch was newly renovated, instead of using typical keys to lock/unlock your door you just used your student ID and a 4 digit code that you chose yourself to unlock it. Doors automatically locked as soon as it was closed. This was nice because you never had to worry about forgetting to lock your room or getting a new key if you ever lost yours (most people were more motivated to not lose their student ID since it also is your meal card, but if you did lose it, or lock your ID in your room you can easily go to the first floor and get a temporary one). Because the doors automatically locked, that also meant they automatically closed so no one really kept their door open. However, most people from my floor started congregating in the lounge from the very beginning of the semester so that's how you meet a lot of people. Now those same people are some of my best friends. If you don't like community style, there's other dorm that are suite style where you'll have 3 suitemates and all 4 of you will share a bathroom. Some of those residence halls have common living areas within the suite, some are just the bathroom that is shared. These res halls are more expensive than typical community style, so that's one thing to keep in mind when selecting where to live.

Almost all of them are new and VERY nice.

Almost all of them are new and VERY nice.

There are lots of dorms on campus. You can choose from all-male, all-female (there is one of each), or co-ed. Some dorms are more social and students have their doors open all the time whereas others are more quiet and tend to keep doors closed. Oftentimes a student's dorm will be determined by whether they want to participate in a FIG (freshman interest group). Many dorm rooms are reserved for students who sign up for a particular FIG. The FIG may be related to a major (i.e. engineering FIG), or an interest (i.e. service and leadership FIG)

I never lived in the dorms, but I can give an outsider's perspective. Expect pretty new or renovated buildings that all look the same but are pretty clean. Rooms are small and you won't have much privacy. You'll be tempted/have to eat dorm food all the time. You'll have to use public bathrooms. You have to vacate the premises when school is not in session. On the upside, people I knew that lived in dorms said they made very good friends with people they lived around. Dorms are sometimes organized by interest areas so you may be with people who will benefit your education down the line. Also, some of the dorm cafeterias serve really good food. It's really up to you to eat well by choosing a salad instead of greasy pizza. Just be careful to not be tempted to drink alcohol or smoke in the dorms. They take that very seriously as my friends learned from personal experience.

There are no dorms at Mizzou. There are residence halls; they are great. I live in Hatch hall on the southeastern corner of campus. The location is incredible. There is a huge nature reserve behind my dorm. In front of it is a clear path to campus, and on the ground floor is a dining hall. All residence halls are different though. Some are close to the rec center, some are close to certain dining halls, some are by the library. All are relatively similar in price, but they have other differences. In Hatch for example, the rooms are 8'x10', but in my friend Carter's hall, Dogwood, the rooms are much larger. However, they have non-central a/c. I have central a/c. Some halls are newer, some are older. Each has its pros and cons. They have some similarities too. Each hall has a communal kitchen; some have multiple. There are washers and dryers in each hall. Some doors lock via keycard, while others lock via key. There are all male halls and all female halls, and of course, co-ed halls. Hatch is a co-ed hall, with both community style (1 bathroom per hallway) and suite style (1 bathroom per 4 people). I live community style and I think it's a great way to meet people. I've made many friends that way. Nevertheless, suite style is the way to go for some people, there is more privacy, and a nicer bathroom.

The dorms here range from average to really nice. When I say average, personally I think they are a lot better than most college dorms. I have lived at Center and Dogwood. Both were single dorms. These two are some of the nicest on campus, but unfortunately they were kind of expensive. In my dorms, I have had hardwood floors and dry wall walls, which makes it feel very homey. There are only a couple of dorms with concrete floors and walls but the rooms are bigger. The furniture is also really nice, which isn't something you normally think about. The only real problem I have had is the comfort of the beds, but thats normal for every dorm out there. In almost all of the dorms, you can walk down the hallway and see everyone's doors open. People in the dorms are very friendly and eager to meet new people. It's a lot of fun especially after you get to know your neighbors!

You get pros and cons in every building. We have some recently renovated residence halls that are incredibly nice. But even in the older buildings that may have their quirks, you'll meet the nicest people. From what I've observed, all of the students in those buildings make friends and connections really quickly. Freshmen Interest Groups (or FIGs) are also a really great way to get to know people and have some unique experiences your first semester on campus.

Like the rest of the buildings, the dorms are going through cyclical overhauls and renovations. My freshman year, lived in Mark Twain Hall, a dorm tucked away into the north side of campus and slightly set apart. Mark Twain is a hotel-turned-dorm and its isolation meant that the whole building really bonded together. I loved it because it had a dining hall on the first floor (perfect for rainy days and winter storms) and everyone left their door open all the time, so meeting people was as easy as going for a short walk. However, some things are changing. With every renovation and construction project the dorms are becoming more and more like luxury (tiny) hotel rooms and doors stay closed. While the amenities are wonderful, and much improved from the days our parents went to school, I'm a little sad to see that the dorm experience is slowly disappearing. That being said, you can find dorms of any variety on our campus: all girls, all boys, single, suite, double, shared etc. And we have great programs where you can live with people who are studying the same major. I lived in a Journalism community and it was great to get tips about classes and find out what everyone else in my field was up to. I recommend it. If nothing else, you'll at least make some great friends and connections.

Here you will get to see some of the dorms at the University of Missouri- Columbia. The featured dorms are Cramer and South Hall.