By now, you probably have your room and roommate assignments. If your room assignment says Foster, congratulations! You're living in a great place this year! Here's what you can expect when you live in Foster.
Foster consists of five separate buildings - Harper, Magee, Martin, Shea and Jenkinson. Harper is the main building; it's bigger and taller than the others. Regardless of which building you're in, living in Foster has some great advantages.
- Food is literally right outside your door (especially if you live in Harper). Gresham Food Court is located in Foster Quad, and it contains not only the main cafeteria, but the Crimson Creamery ice cream parlor and the Hoosier Den late-night snack bar. You're also a quick walk away from the C-store across the street in McNutt.
- Your room is fully carpeted and has more storage space than you'd expect. You have a desk, bookcase, two-section closet, two overhead cabinets, a wall shelf and plenty of room under your bed.
- You have air conditioning. That is all.
- You're just minutes away from the athletic areas, North Jordan (Greek row) and the center of campus. I could reach Assembly Hall, the Wells Library, the SRSC (gym), many Greek houses or the Union in just a 10-minute walk. The Kelley, SPEA and Psychology buildings are even closer. Can't get any better than that!
- You have two A-bus stops, one across the street and one right outside of Shea. This is so convenient at night, when the weather is bad or when you need to go across campus to 3rd Street or Kirkwood and don't feel like walking.
- If you need to go to the Indianapolis Airport, shuttles will pick you up and drop you off across the street at McNutt.
- The atmosphere is perfect. I never remember the hall getting too loud, but it was never too quiet. The people around me always buckled down and got their work done when they needed to, but they certainly loved to have fun too.
I must, however, mention some drawbacks you'll encounter. These are only minor, but you'll still need to be aware of them.
- To get home, you'll have to hike up Fee Lane (we call it Fee Mountain, and you'll understand why very soon). Often, you'll carry your heavy backpack, which makes the trip even harder. Fortunately, Foster is the first stop on the hill.
- This one is for girls living in Harper: You're most likely living on one of the upper floors, which means you'll have to wait for elevators, which are small and can take awhile. If you're living in any of the other Foster buildings, you won't even have elevators.
- The buildings aren't connected to each other, so you'll need to walk outside to access different ones.
I had a great experience living in Foster last year, I really couldn't have asked for a more perfect residence hall. To those of you living here this year, enjoy!
Need more information about living in Foster or other residence halls on campus? Read one of these!
- Teter Quad Residence Hall (Dorm Review) - My Home Away from Home
- Foster Dorm Review: The Best Parts of Foster Quad
- Living in Read: A Dorm Review
- McNutt Dorm Review - Indiana University