At the end of my freshman year, I was devoted to finding the “best” possible dorm to live in for my sophomore year. While I had been in nearly every building by that point, simply by virtue of having different friends in different places, I still made it my mission to tour every single dorm building. Of course, my interactions with the different buildings have been a lot more casual since then. From the places that I have actually lived in myself to the buildings that I have had sleepovers in during finals week study sessions, I hope that, through recounting my experiences in these spaces, I can give a clearer picture of what it is like to live or interact with these various buildings regularly. 

Notes:

• Everyone has their own likes and dislikes about each dorm. My experience is not representative of how every single person feels about these buildings, especially for the ones that I have not been a long-term resident in. This is just an account of my personal experiences and opinions!
• These dorms all have the same basic amenities (kitchens, lounges, vending machines, restrooms, furniture, etc), so absences of mention does not indicate lack of existence. 
• Every room in every building is different!! Just because I recount a specific feature does not mean that every room will include it (it is likely impossible to have 15-20 foot ceilings in every single dorm room, I fear). 
• The blog covers only 8/19 of the available dorms on campus. However, I plan on covering the rest at a later date; stay tuned 🙂

My Dorms:

Danawell Hall: 

My freshman year dorm! It felt like I was living in a hotel in the woods—very pretty, both in terms of the area of campus it is situated in and the building itself. Also, this is one of the newer dorms, so it has a cleaner, more modern energy. My room was really big, and the lounges were awesome for late-night study sessions. It was on the quieter side, but I was able to have people over often. I was such a big fan of this one; it was a great place to begin my college experience!

Danawell, circa freshman year (bedroom exterior, building lounge, room interior, and floor lounge)

Mertz Hall:

I lived here while working for the Admissions Department during the summer of 2025! I was most impressed with the kitchen and lounge areas in this building! There were lots of cozy places to hang out and cook with friends. My room had an interesting layout, but it was massive (my walk-in closet could have been considered a room of its own). The interior was very grand in design, but it was still super cozy!

Parrish Hall: 

My sophomore year dorm!! The location is what made this building so special to me—my walk to class is less than a minute long every morning! Parrish is also the main building on campus, so there is always something interesting to stumble upon. From the WSRN (Worldwide Swarthmore Radio Network) room to the 4th-floor lounge, Parrish provides a lot of variety for hangout and studying spaces. Also, my room is HUGE, with a ceiling over 15-20 feet tall!

Parrish, circa sophomore year (view from outside my window, room interior [pre-decoration], and Admissions’ showroom [ft. my summer co-workers!])

My Most Visited Dorms:

Wharton Hall: 

I have been spending nights here recently with my friends from class!! Good variety in room sizes and styles. The singles are nice, though I am a big fan of the layout of the quads. It is a really nice set-up for rooming with friends. My friend’s room gets a lot of visitors, but I also know many people in the building who are opposed to bringing people over. I think it is definitely a dorm where you can make your experience your own. Also, it is usually considered one of the most stunning dorms on campus because of the massive magnolia trees that bloom in the courtyard. 

My friend’s sophomore-year room in Wharton & the view from her window

NPPR (PPR Apartments):

The apartments are some of the most coveted dorms on campus. This, of course, is for good reason. They are apartment-style, and people are able to block with their friends: sharing a large kitchen, living room, and restroom. Of those, having a customizable kitchen and living room set-up, I think, is the biggest plus. I know quite a few people who have lived in this building, so I have eagerly spent quite a bit of time here. It feels like a dorm that you can truly make feel like a home.

Roberts Hall:

Roberts is such an underrated choice!! The rooms are massive, and so many of the rooms have a mud room and a personal bathroom that you only share with one or two other rooms. The layouts are cozy, and the views are nice. I have genuinely never heard any complaints about this building—I am definitely a big fan. 

Willets Hall: 

Most of my friends lived here during their freshman year, so I spent quite a bit of time in the Willets lounges back in the day. This is the only dorm on campus that is exclusively composed of first-years, so it presents a lot of really great opportunities for making new friends. Occasionally, there were cooking nights in the kitchen and concerts in Mephisto’s lounge. For socialization, I definitely think Willets is second-to-none!!

Willet’s Hall circa freshman year (ft. friends studying, the building’s exterior, and the elevator chair)

Woolman Hall:

I LOVE Woolman Hall. It has the layout of a house, and the rooms are massive. The kitchen is incredibly welcoming, and the 1st floor lounge is such an incredible space for calm, quiet socialization. I have been here for movie nights and late-night hangouts with friends, and it is very nice! The first time I visited, I walked into the lounge and nearly all of the building’s residents were in the lounge working together. It feels like a really nice place for community building.

Once again, these are only a fraction of the dorms on-campus that I have interacted with, and they are not arranged in any particular order. I think that, in my search for the “best” dorm, I was able to come to the realization that there is actually no such thing. Truly, I consider myself blessed to be at a school with so many appealing options available come dorm-selection time, and I am excited for the selection process to resume again soon!!