Your first year residence experience can certainly be a large determinant of how your first year will turn out. Especially once life returns back to normal. Read this article to get a proper grasp on how the ranking system works and what characterizes the residences.
Ranking System
Western University assures every incoming first-year student a place in residence. After you confirm your decision to enroll at the university, you will receive a residence questionnaire prompting you to rank all residences from 1 to 7. If your high school entrance average was 95%+, you will be automatically guaranteed one of your top three choices of residence.
No one truly understands how the ranking system to placing system translates. When I attended Western University, individuals who ranked Ontario Hall and Saugeen-Maitland Hall as their top choices ended up in Ontario Hall. As a result, there truly isn’t a way to ensure the residence you will be assigned to. Unless you have above a 95% entrance average. However, hopefully this blog post can help provide a sense of the pros and cons of each to help your ranking process.
Types of Residences
- Hybrid Style Buildings
Both Hybrid Style buildings feature double bedrooms which share a washroom with another double bedroom and single bedrooms that share a washroom with a single bedroom.
Ontario Hall
Ontario Hall is the newest residence and was built in 2013. This residence has “hotel-like” attributes with both clean study halls and modern furniture. There are also 1000 students in this building. Ontario Hall also has one of the best cafeterias amongst the first year residences, so the food is great.
Perth Hall
Perth Hall is a smaller and older version of Ontario Hall. It is located right next to the Western Recreation Center. They have an older cafeteria, but still have all of the benefits of a hybrid style building and lots of opportunity for student bonding. People have said given the smaller size of Perth, students on the same floor are able to form tighter bonds.
- Suite Style Buildings
Suite style rooms feature four single rooms, a common living space, two shared bathrooms, and a full kitchen for cooking.
Essex Hall
Essex Hall is on the south-side of campus and features a suite-style building, located right across from the Western Recreation Center.
Elgin Hall
Elgin Hall is located on the north-side of campus, located near Medway-Sydenham residence.
- Traditional Style Buildings
Traditional style buildings feature shared rooms with two beds and shared bathrooms on the floor.
Medway-Sydenham Hall
Medway-Sydenham Hall is located on the north-side of campus and is often touted as the “new” Saugeen-Maitland Hall in terms of student life. They are a smaller residence with 613 beds and they have an older cafeteria. The building has historic finishes.
Saugeen Maitland Hall
Saugeen-Maitland Hall is one of the largest residences with 1252 beds. People recognize Saugeen as one of the liveliest residences that has a reputation for partying, although that image has diminished somewhat in recent years. Additionally, Saugeen has gained fame for its excellent food, thanks to a recent renovation of their cafeteria.
Delaware Hall
Delaware Hall is located right on campus right next to the North Campus Building. It has 450 beds and three rooms to practice music in. Delaware Hall has one of the best locations amongst all residences in terms of closeness to different buildings on campus. It is just a five minute walk away from the North Campus Building, where many first year students have lectures.
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