So RPS has delivered the news: you’ll be living in Wright dorm for your Freshman year. Whether this information makes you nervous, excited, or a mixture of both, I’m here as a former resident to tell you the ins and outs of this central campus location.
I lived in Ruter hall – which is part of the famous “Virgin Vault” at Wright. This meant that our part of the building only housed girls. I know I know, bummer. But if you happen to have been assigned to this part of Wright don’t be so quick to disappointment. There are a few benefits to living in an all-girls floor.
For one, you don’t have to worry about walking around in a robe post shower in fear of being seen by a member of the opposite sex. The bathrooms will also be free from sweaty guy stench and you never have to worry about the toilet seats being left up. I’ve also heard hook up horror stories from some of my friends who can’t seem to dodge an old flame because they live right across the hall. You might also become really close with the other girls on your floor, and you can gorge on pizza while watching the VMA’s in the lounge with your floormates like I did instead of trying to look cute for guys all the time.
Virgin vault aside, here are some pro’s, con’s, and general advice for anyone living in Wright this year.
My biggest concern when I found out I would be living in Wright was that there would be no air conditioning. I’m not going to lie and say that this was never a problem when I moved in, but I can reassure you that it’s manageable. The best advice I can give is to bring MULTIPLE fans for the hot months of August and September. I had a revolving floor fan that was on pretty much 24/7 for a while. I also had a desk fan and window fan. I also recommend visiting the Crimson Creamery or Frozen yogurt place in Forest to cool down. Chances are you probably won’t be spending too much time in your dorm during these first few weeks anyway since you should be exploring campus! Once fall and winter comes the fact that you have no air conditioning will be irrelevant.
Wright is a pretty old building and my guess is that the university will have to start some renovations soon. You can tell the dorm’s age mostly from its restrooms. The showers gave me some issues on more than one occasion.
Now that I’ve covered the old age and air situation, there are lots of advantages that come with living in Wright that I’m excited to share with you!
Wright is unique in a few ways: we don’t have “floors” per say, but “houses”. This means your actual floor will consist of about 10-12 rooms and the other members of floor will live above or below you. Your RA might not be living on your actual floor. In other dorms your floormates will be on the same floor consisting of 30+ people.
In my opinion, the best part about living in Wright is the location and close proximity to classes and the library. Wright is home to which is arguably the most popular dining hall on campus. This dining hall has many options including Sbarros, Mexican, Asian, healthy choices option, and Charley Biggs chicken. There are also many beautiful murals painted on the walls of Wright that you can enjoy while you eat.
Wright Dining Hall photo courtesy of RPS
Wright also has a C-Store (short for convenience store). These C-stores spread across campus are AWESOME. They sell snacks, chips, ice cream, hot dogs, frozen dinners, candy, and any other food you might think of. Not to mention they sell deodorant, laundry detergent, nail clippers, and lots of other toiletries that can all be bought with meal points.
Wright also has a small computer lab and MM&M (Music Movies, and More) rental area. Most people come to the computer lab to print off papers for class or catch up on some study time. When you’re bored of Netflix the MM&M is an awesome place to rent DVD’s for a movie night.
Wright also has wardrobes and dressers in each dorm. Most other dorms have built-in closets. The advantage to having wardrobes is that you can move them around at your leisure so it is possible to rearrange your room around for more space, unlike having built in closets. I brought all of my clothes when I moved in and I had plenty of space for everything.
Wright is also close to SPEA, Kelley School of Business, and the Education building. You’ll also be in walking distance to Pizza X and Red Mango, which are food faves of IU students. Public transportation will also be easier for you since almost every bus stops at the library, which is right next to Wright.
Dorm life is definitely an experience that is unique to everyone. Most likely the memories you’ll make and the people you’ll meet will mean more than whatever dorm you were placed in. I hope you find your freshman experience to be just “Wright”!
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