29 CommentsIn October 2003 (before Bwog was even a word!), The Blue & White made a long list of advice for freshmen. We’ll give you slices of that advice every morning of NSOP, so you can start your day with confidence and finesse and one of those good chocolate chip muffins from John Jay, plus hash browns if yer reeeal lucky. Check back here every morning for our first offering of sage NSOP advice for the day, plus a bunch of other NSOP stuff. These words of wisdom are to be taken with several truckloads of salt. We’re here for you, 2014!
- Don’t go to Wien. Don’t ever go to Wien. Think of Wien as Columbia’s very own Third World country, a place infested with rodents (we assume), unreliable utilities (for certain), undrinkable water (don’t be fooled by the dorm room sinks), and inedible food (before Wien’s Taco Bell was condemned, botulism- flavored tortillas were the most popular item on the food court’s menu). Frankly, if you have to meet an friend who lives in Wien, please, for goodness sake, ask him or her to meet you somewhere else (and avoid shaking hands). In sum, don’t go to Wien… Don’t EVER go to Wien.
- Nighttime is indeed the right time. When you find out what for, let us know.
- Undoubtedly, freshman year presents a wonderful opportunity for first-years to make friends. However, it also happens to be a time when friends are lost. For example, shortly after winter break, there will be murmurings of an upcoming registration period for the housing lottery. Suddenly, all Columbia students, save for the seniors, are thrust into a state of panic, and lose sleep contemplating questions like, “Who will I live with next year?” and “Whose feelings are going to be hurt?” In this situation, the best advice the B&W can offer a young worrywart is to practice damage control. In other words, it’s never to early to start alienating certain friends and sucking up to others.
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29 Comments
@Anonymous Wien is better than McBain—McShithole, as I’ve heard it called. McBain is the one to be avoided like the plague.
@Proud Wienie i was dreading living here, but the renovations have made it really nice. i’m a sophomore in a nice single with brand new bathrooms, wireless, and a pretty decent location-stairs that deposit you up on east campus, steps away from college walk-so i am considering myself pretty damn lucky.
my guess is that it’s “cool” to hate on wien but that will change as people will realize how much better it is to try and live here as a sophomore than hell on earth (mcbain).
@Wien Escapee I’ve heard that they’ve
a) Replaced the old school doors that had permanently open vents and no sound proofing value
b) Converted the awkward old unisex bathrooms on every floor into two different bathrooms on every floor
c) Boarded up the balcony on the 2nd floor above the grand lounge into a TV lounge and kitchen and computer lab. Before the computer lab was in the tiny room above the entrance, and the Kitchen and TV were shoved in the basement. Has the Laundry been moved up too?
ProTip: Get an even-numbered room on a high floor for an absolutely kick ass view. Unfortunately for you guys, Columbia has converted the southeast corner single with a window on the east and the south walls on the 11th and 12th floor into a double. That was a pretty money room.
@Proud Wienie a) yes
b) yes. they’re all marble now.
c) yes, with a flatscreen, computer lab with printers, and a new laundry room.
@Wien Escapee You kids have it easy.
@Wein Lounge isn’t that bad… except for the nails sticking up from the floor.
@Wiener Wien has changed drastically since 2003. Go into the bathrooms now: they’re palatial. The whole place has been repainted, the hallways are as wide as you could want them, there are three wireless modems on every floor, and in sum Wien is no longer a place to avoid like the plague.
@..... what is this “palatial wien” you speak of?
do we even go to the same college?
@Props to the wiener
@Anonymous Meh, suck it up and pick a room mate without caring about feelings. If people are going to bitch and moan about where you live, then they are probably too dramatic/douchey to have around next year.
On a side note, I did a wien walkthrough 2 years ago (my soph year). It really wasn’t that bad and the only thing that sucks is the location. That and the ridiculous heat in the winter…
@Anonymous there is no food court in wien anymore.
@seriously Freshmen, find a roomate by like OCTOBER. Especially if you are a girl, girls in my year paired up SO FAST. You will have to live in a double (unless you live in the LLC) next year and blind doubles almost never work out. I ended up in a tiny double with this huge depressed girl? who never talked to me and most importantly, NEVER left the room. Even when my boyfriend was in it. It was HELL.
@I'd like to be her boyfriend.
@Anonymous You suck
@Anonymous Wein doesn’t look that bad. But not really that great either… Kind of like the poor man’s John Jay.
@CC10 The remarks about Wien are all too true. I had the misfortune of living there sophomore year. I can’t unlive those days…
Schapiro isn’t NEARLY as bad. They haven’t had bedbugs in over 2 years!
@Wien RA The wien renovations have made the place a lot better
@yes Wien 9 is hella nice (relatively speaking, anyway). I can’t say much for the other floors, though.
(My recaptcha has an umlaut. WTF)
@HAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHA i’ve never seen one with an umlaut!
@former Wien 11 res That tidbit of advice is so outdated, wien is really nice
@Former Schapiro don’t forget the urinal overflooding + cockroaches + mice.
But nothing is worse than wien.
@alum Don’t go to Schapiro! Don’t ever go to Schapiro! Hordes of cockroaches!
@Anonymous and the bedbugs!
@soon-to-be schapiro NOOOOOO. DON’T TELL ME THIS.
@Harmony Hunter I am a moron.
@Hans Hey look, a confession!
@Harmony Hunter because i can’t find harmony where is it somebody halp me i think my friend
bobby locked himself there :(
@Harmony Hunted http://maps.google.com/maps/place?cid=7792374660421537504&q=Harmony+near+110th+Street,+New+York,+NY&hl=en&cd=2&ei=SPF7TOGeCY7ENdzG5dsP&sll=40.78735,-73.952433&sspn=0.07748,0.080431&ie=UTF8&ll=40.845113,-74.029484&spn=0,0&z=13&iwloc=B
Found.
@Harmony Hunter the link didn’t workfor me, maybe i’ll try to call bobby