Housing approacheth. And, unless you’re on top of it, it’s probably coming up sooner than you think. Bwog’s got you covered; we’ll be rolling out two housing reviews per day until no residence hall is left un-reviewed. Prepare to get (even more) excited: this year, we’re reviewing Barnard residence halls, too. Reviews for all! Today’s residence hall is… Claremont!

Location: 47 Claremont

• Nearby dorms: Pretty far from the rest of Columbia’s dorms, but it’s close to Elliot and the 600s.
• Stores and restaurants: Ollie’s, the Vine, and Mo Willies are by far the closest, and Starbucks, M2M, and various halal carts aren’t too much of a walk. Fairway is pretty close, too. Kiss Westside and Chipotle goodbye. Ordering in will still be an option, but sometimes delivery people have difficulty finding the building.

Cost:

• $9,076 (same as Watt, Woodbridge, EC, Hogan, and Ruggles)

Amenities:

• Bathrooms: One per suite, so that can put you at seven heads to one shower. But they are spacious, and renovations make them look less like murder rooms, and more like hotel toilettes.
• AC/Heating: No AC, but the Claremont wind tunnel and an open window can cool things down considerably. Heating is a bitch and a half. Hulking radiators are hooked to a central thermostat, so that only when all rooms fall below a certain temperature will the heat kick in. Likewise, the radiators will only turn off after all the rooms reach ridiculously high temperatures.
• Kitchen/Lounge: Aside from EC townhouses, these are some of the largest and nicest kitchens available at Columbia: ample counter and cabinet space, full fridge and freezer, ovens with gas burners, large trash and recycling in the kitchen, and new microwaves complete with fans/vents. On the downside, the kitchen doubles as the lounge for a suite, with a dinky table and a few chairs.
• Laundry: Laundry in the basement, fairly standard and never that busy.
• Computers/Printers: Computer lab also in the basement, and the NINJa printer there is frequently jammed.
• Gym: No gym.
• Intra-transportation: One elevator, mainly used by those living on the 5th and 6th (the two highest) floors. Fairly speedy, but it is an old elevator with a pull door and has on occasion broken down with students inside for a few minutes.
• Hardwood/Carpet: Hardwood.

Room variety:

• 6 3-person suites, all singles.
• 6 4-person suites, all singles.
• One 5-person and one 5-person suite on the first floor (one double and the rest singles in each).
• 10 7-person suites, two large doubles, one large single, one medium single, and one infamously small single (as little as 80 sq. ft.).

Numbers:

• 3-Person Suites: 20/342
• 4-Person Suites: 30/2224
• 5-Person Suite on 1st Fl: 24/1307
• 6-Person Suite on 1st FL: 20/849
• 7-Person Suites: 10/2926

Bwog recommendation:

You’ll get used to walking if you live 47 Claremont Avenue. Situated on the far side of Barnard at about 118th St, it’s farther from 1020 than any other dorm. But for those that don’t mind the walk—and that aren’t out for the kind of Carman-redux debauch found in McBain and EC—Claremont can be ideal. Blessed with graceful pre-war touches, the civilized building sits on a soberer avenue (one where, on a Sunday afternoon, you’ll sooner see professors and their kids than brunched-drunk sophomores).

Resident opinions: