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Rewind to early summer, freshman year. Your hands trembled as you tore open the housing letter to see whether you had been sorted into the party dorm, the dorm with the nice bathrooms or the all-women's dorm. At Vassar, each dorm comes with its own stereotypes, but are they really true?
Jewett: Jewett House, with its snazzy-chic lobby and four-star-hotel-esque grandeur, is the pride and joy of some residents. Others are not so reverent. Jewett often carries the moniker "phallus palace" for its suggestive structure, and some students feel its residents are overly charmed by their living environment.Daniele Selby '12 said, "it's trendy, but in this irritatingly pretentious way."
Davison: Fresh from a year of renovation, Davison is the newest dorm on the quad. Some students referred to Davison as "sterile," "antiseptic," and as welcoming as "a quarantine ward." Davison resident Violeta Picayo '13 objected, saying, "Everyone who lives in it calls it a home." "It's my favorite dorm other than my own," Main resident Aayushi Sethi '13 said, adding that her friends there love its new features. "We're so used to the neatness and the newness that we can't go to other dorms because we're not used to it," added Picayo.
Raymond: "There isn't even a stereotype about Raymond," said Freshmen Class Vice President Matthew Horton. For their part, though, Raymond residents definitely love Raymond. Raymond Junior Representative David Isein '11 described the house as a "close-knit dorm." House President Samin Sheheb '11 said that he sees an "increase in dorm pride" this year and that Raymond has a "strong community and identity." "One thing we have been called is the quirky dorm, and we do celebrate this," Sheheb said.
Cushing: For those who don't live in Cushing, the dorm can often seem too far away to care about. It has also earned the designation as Vassar's "Harry Potter dorm" for its Gothic architecture. Cushing Sophomore Representative Samuel Lahne '12 said that a lot of the perceptions about Cushing were exaggerated. He defended the dorm's location, saying, "It's not that far away." Lahne said that he liked living in Cushing because "it's kind of like a real home. Everyone knows everyone."
Josselyn: Joseph Hoffheimer '11 described Joss residents as "a bunch of isolated hipsters." Josselyn House President Elianne Shutze '12 is quick to defend her home. "Well, we do have a lot of hipsters," she conceded, "but we're not isolated." "Beyond the amazing bathrooms and gorgeous hardwood floors, Joss is defined by its unmatched sense of community," Josselyn Student Fellow Matthew Wheeler '12 said.
Main: "Too much goes on in Main," said Benjamin Dozier '13. Unlike other dorms, students' reactions to Main were largely neutral, and left little for its loyal residents to defend. Perhaps its use as an administrative building and the location of College Center effectively cloud Main's identity as a dorm. Main residents said that they love living in the largest building on campus, even though it can at first be difficult to navigate.
Strong: Strong House President Laura Riker '11 said that "a lot of the struggle for the House team is to get people excited about living in Strong." Riker noted that the all-female dorm is indeed "quiet," but that a quieter dorm can be nice to come home to after a long day of classes. She also said that Strong's house team offered a number of opportunities for dorm bonding, and said that its residents made up the "most diverse dorm" on campus.
Noyes: While Christine Astor '13 called Noyes "the coolest building I've seen on campus," others were not so positive.
"It's fitting that all the awkward people are in the awkward dorm," Jason Rubin '13 said.
Noyes House President Hannah Groch-Begley '12 was vehement in her defense and love of Noyes. She praised its facilities, saying that the dorm has "doors on the showers" and "big rooms." "We have such great living facilities. If people want to think we're weird, that's fine," said Groch-Begley. She added that "Noyes is actually a pretty awesome place to live. It's smaller, so we have great community."
Lathrop: Lathrop House has a widely-accepted reputation as a party dorm. "I've heard it's the party dorm," said Astor, "and that's all I've heard." Other non-Lathrop residents cited the dorm's "useless" bathrooms, and "really small" hallways as negative points. "All those things are true, but we've got character," said former Lathrop Junior Representative Jonny Yao '11. "Our bathrooms may not be the hottest bathrooms on the block—but the people are," he added. Yao also conceded his dorm's party stereotypes, saying, "I'm glad people still think of us as the party dorm."