Be-U-tiful UHeights: Life in the Honors College Residence Hall
by SaraJane Harrington ‘17
Animal Sciences
Being in the Honors College has many benefits like registering for classes early, taking small seminars with world-class professors, and having access to a host of academic opportunities. But one of the greatest perks of all is where HCOL calls home: University Heights North (affectionately called UHeights North or simply UHN). The building is the newest dorm on campus and also is home to the Honors College classrooms/staff.
If you want to check out UHeights more, the Honors College peer leaders and I have made a video tour you can watch at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-aE2noqwuQ.*
In addition, here are just of few of many reasons why UHN is a special place to live:
Suite style living
Most of the rooms in UHeights are suite doubles, which means that you get a room with a roommate and a small common area attached to another room with another set of roommates. This gives you a chance to develop a relationship not only with your roommate but also with two other awesome people! It’s also nice to have some extra space for skis, shoes, fridges, etc. If you’re not about that suite life, there are private doubles (with just one roommate) and private singles.
Private Bathroom
If you’re living in UHN then you can take shower shoes off of your college packing list. It is so nice to have a bathroom you only share with your suitemates and that you know exactly how clean it is. Also being able to leave your shampoo in the bathroom leads to less awkward walks in just a towel back to your room to grab it.
Lots of Cool Study Spaces
From lounges with desks, rooms with long tables, seminar classrooms, our sweet spiral staircase room, and the fireplace lounge, UHeights dwellers have a myriad of study spaces available at all times. So whether you’re up before the library opens or want to practice a PowerPoint in the classroom you’ll present it, UHN has got you covered.
Green Living
It’s pretty awesome that we live in an LEED Certified Gold building. Basically that means that this is one of the greenest buildings in the northeast and features some awesome designs including an accessible green roof that cools the building and provides a fun outdoor space for residents.
Classes in Your Building
My first semester, I had my HCOL seminar at 9:35am on Mon/Wed/Fri. So naturally I woke up at 9:20 every morning, brushed my teeth, made a halfhearted attempt to look presentable, and rolled downstairs to my classroom with a mug of tea and 2 minutes to spare. This is also nice when you accidentally forget your essay on your desk because it’s only a bathroom break away!
Socials
UHN has a great kitchen/rec room that hosts a bunch of events pretty much any day of the week. So if you’re a free food hound or you want a social study break, there’s usually something going on. Examples include: weekly yoga, cookie decorating, finger painting, smoothies, Lord of the Rings screenings (with free wings!), and many more!
Social Scholars
Probably the best part about living in UHeights (especially as a First Year) is that you’re living with/near people that you’re taking classes with. This is such a great resource to help you grow socially and academically. Whether it’s commiserating over an essay, read-a-loud’s trying to figure out what on Earth Descartes is talking about, or just having common talking points with any other First Years in the building to facilitate friendships, UHN is a place to find and build community.
*Please forgive my crude editing skills, sadly it’s taken me years just to get to this point.