We have come to our last day of housing reviews, and today, we’re covering two dorms for you. First up–Watt! Good luck with housing selection, and remember, there’s always McBain!

Location: 549 West 113th Street

• Nearby dorms: Across the street from Symposium and McBain. Around the block from Broadway and Hogan.
• Stores and restaurants: All the same locations as McBain and Nussbaum—you’ve got the best of Broadway at your disposal. Milano, Nussbaum & Wu, Dig Inn, Community, and International are practically next door. And they’re all it takes to survive.
• Cost: $9,076/year

Amenities:

• Bathrooms: Private bathrooms in each single/double.
• AC/Heating: No AC, but many suites have multiple windows so it is possible to create great airflow. Weird experimental covers on the radiators that CU claims are “collecting data” so we don’t waste heat — it can get a bit drafty
• Kitchen/Lounge: A tiny kitchen in each single/double. Amazing!
• Laundry: One dryer and washer on each floor.
• Computers/Printers: A printer in the lobby. Predictably, it was broken when Bwog visited.
• Gym: None, but the newly renovated McBain gym across the street is the Watt-dweller’s best friend
• Intra-transportation: The world’s slowest elevator. You’ll want to take the stairs.
• Hardwood/Carpet: Hardwood.
• Bonus: Housing reports that in 2013, all rooms were equipped with “comfortable desk chairs” — this is 100% true. Watt has incredibly comfy tippy chairs

Room Variety:

• Studio Singles: Two on each floor, 171 sq. ft. and 185 sq. ft.
• Studio Doubles: By far the most common, with nine on each floor. They vary from 200 sq. ft. to nearly 250 sq. ft.
• 1-bedroom doubles: A bedroom plus a living area gives you lots of space—a total floor area of 365 sq. ft. Usually, one person gets the inside room and another sleeps outside, effectively making two rooms. There are only two of these per floor.
• 2-bedroom doubles: Like the 1-bedroom double, but each person gets their own room plus a common area for a total of 458 or 480 sq. ft. Two per floor, so good luck getting one.

Numbers:

• Studio doubles go to mostly Juniors and are pretty easy to snag if your number is sub 3000
• Studio singles go to very lucky Seniors. The numbers on this one are just depressing — you’ll probably need a number under (or very close to) 200 to even think about it
• 1-bedrooms go to the luckiest Juniors on the face of the planet (think numbers under 50)
• 2-bedrooms go to lucky Seniors with numbers around 500

Bwog Recommendation:

• Rising sophomores can try for Watt, but don’t count on it as a sure thing.
• Rising juniors looking for a double should think of Watt as their first choice.
• The singles and 2-bedrooms are amazing options for rising seniors.

Resident Opinions:

• “Having my own kitchen and bathroom is the shit. Easily the nicest place I’ve lived at Columbia.”
• “I didn’t think living across from the frats would be a problem, and it mostly isn’t. But when it is… you’ll want to put public safety’s number into your phone and invest in some earplugs.” For reference.
• “It’s near-ish enough to the school, but it’s also close to Milano and 1020. It’s a good dorm. The space is comfortable.”
• “Watt is really nice. We sometimes have problems with mice but, for the most part, it’s pretty clean.”
• For the smaller rooms: “If you unbunk the beds, there’s not much space left. They give you a ton of furniture, which really has no use.”
• “The elevator is a bit slow and there’s no garbage chute, but everything else is great.”
• “I don’t like that there’s no lounge. It’s kind of annoying that I don’t know anyone on my floor. It really is like living in an apartment. The RA sends out emails, but nobody gives a shit.”