With residence hall selection day quickly approaching for current Marquette freshmen, it’s important to be aware of all your living options — and their pros and cons. From noise levels to location and amenities, current residence hall dwellers speak out about their dorm.

McCabe: McCabe Hall, located on the corner of 17th Street and Wisconsin Avenue, is a coed dorm housing over 200 sophomores with suites featuring private bathrooms and kitchenettes. Eric Eichelberger, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences, finds McCabe to be the ideal living situation for him. “Having your own bathroom is convenient,” Eichelberger said. “Also, I live in a triple and having two roommates is a lot of fun.” As the newest dorm on campus, McCabe has both double and triple rooms. The building’s location, however, may be more convenient for some more than others. “(The location) is a little out of the way but not too bad,” Eichelberger said. “It is good if you are an engineering major because the engineering building is directly across the street.” Overall, Eichelberger believes living in McCabe can fit anyone’s personality or lifestyle. “Anyone can live here and have a good time.”  

Mashuda: Located on campus’ far west side is Mashuda Hall, which is coed and open to freshmen and sophomores. While many students only know Mashuda for its dining hall, residents, like Jamie Rehm, freshman in the College of Business Administration, know the actual ins and outs of Marquette’s only dorm past 19th Street. “(The location) is kind of far but I personally don’t think it’s a problem,” Rehm said. “Most people learn that it’s really not that big of a deal.” Rehm points out that there are pros and cons to living in Mashuda. “We can control our own heat and air and we have our own bathrooms,” Rehm said. “But I wish it could be more (social). It’s pretty quiet compared to McCormick or Schroeder.” That noise level, or lack thereof, does come in handy however when residents want to buckle down and study. “During final exams they open up ballrooms on the second floor so people can study there,” Rehm said. “It’s nice because the libraries are always full that week but there is always room in the ballrooms.” Mashuda offers singles, doubles, triples and quads.

Carpenter: The 16-floor Carpenter Tower is available to both freshmen and sophomores, men and women — and it even features specialty engineering floors. Despite its many options, Carpenter’s residents can still find some cons within the numerous stories. “It’s not social at all,” said Matthew Bernard, sophomore in the College of Health Sciences. “It’s definitely hard to meet people,” Taylor Boyle, fellow sophomore in the College of Health Sciences, said in agreement. “People mostly leave their doors closed.” The dorm is located in the eastern part of campus, on 11th Street, removed from some of the classrooms. Despite not being centrally located, Boyle said she is happy with the location. “I like being on that side of campus opposed to the Mashuda side,” Boyle said. “It’s only about a five minute walk to some classes. Both Boyle and Bernard agreed that having private bathrooms was one of the biggest pros to living in Carpenter Tower.

Straz: The closest dorm to downtown is Straz Tower. Straz is not only home to one of the healthiest dining halls on campus, but also to the Rec Plex work out facility which features health and fitness rooms, basketball courts and a swimming pool. Straz also houses specialty honors program floors as well as Dorothy Day social justice living community. Trevor Gundlach, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences and resident of the Dorothy Day community, said he embraces everything Straz has to offer. “I like the convenience to the Rex Plex and the healthiest — and probably best — food,” Gundlach said. “Also, the view is beautiful.” The location of Straz may be something to shy people away from the far east dorm, but for Gundlach, it opens up opportunity that other dorms may not offer. “I enjoy living more toward the city and having more accessibility to Milwaukee,” Gundlach said. “Living here you can be more connected to Milwaukee than Marquette.” Straz is coed, air conditioned and offers doubles and quads.

Schroeder: Masuda is far to the west and Straz sits at the eastern most edge of campus, but smack in the middle is Schroeder Hall. Schroeder is home to over 600 students, with an Italian-themed dining hall and according to many, a very social atmosphere. “It’s a lot more social (than the other dorms),”  said Leah Steinbruecker, a sophomore in the College of Communication. “During the weekends it’s probably not the best place to study.” The social atmosphere of Schroeder may not be conducive for every student though — especially those who would want to get some studying done. “I don’t go out every weekend,” said Kayte Tuleta, sophomore in the College of Business Administration. “ I feel like everyone has their doors closed and only talks to their friends.” Even if the social atmosphere is perceived differently by different kinds of students, the love of the prime location is shared by most. “I consider it the best location on campus,” Tuleta said. “It only takes me about five minutes to walk to each of my classes.” Schroeder has nine floors, is coed and offers both doubles and triples.