To all the Columbia students who will find themselves being signed into here next year: you’re in luck. Barnard first year resident hall is one of the luckiest with AC, controlled heating, and amazing natural light. In this totally unbiased review written by Bwoggers-by-day and Sulz-residents-by-night Cara Hudson-Erdman and Idris O’Neill, read more about what the hall holds for you.

Location: The Barnard quad (3009 Broadway)

Nearby dorms: Brooks, Reid, and Hewitt form the rest of the quad. It’s also close to the 600s, Elliott, and Furnald (Columbia).

Stores and restaurants: Morton Williams, Shake Shack, Sweetgreen, Amir’s

Cost: Barnard hasn’t released room rates for 2018-2019, but this year’s was $9,510

Amenities: You can access anything located within the quad without leaving the building– this includes Primary Care, Furman Counseling Center, practice rooms in the basement, Brooks and Sulzberger study lounges, Brooks piano lounge, and WBAR. It’s also steps from Hewitt dining hall, as well as Barnard Hall. There’s also a nice lounge on the first floor that’s basically a waiting area for guests.

  • Bathrooms: 2 shared bathrooms on each floor, one women-only and one gender-neutral. Sulz-Reid residents will have access to one bathroom on their floor, usually near an RA’s room (RIP crazy nights)
  • AC/Heating: Sulz has AC and heating! You lucked out! It’s just one machine that switches over in mid-October. People will flock to your room for it – November will be a great time to discover who your real friends are when the heating is on.
  • Kitchen/Lounge: One lounge on each floor shared by the entire quad floor– includes a kitchen but no fridge, so bring a mini-fridge.
  • Laundry: 2 laundry rooms on each floor, and costs 2.50 for a full wash-dry cycle. Res Life is trying to introduce free laundry systems, so look out for that!
  • Fire Escapes/Bike Storage: You don’t need a bike when your entire campus is a city block.

  • Computers/printers: Computer lounge and 3 printers located in basement.
  • Intra-transportation: 4 elevators– however, two of them are designated for Sulz Tower and only go to floors 8 and above– if you take them to your floor, get ready to be scolded by some upperclass students!
  • Hardwood/carpet: Tile flooring, carpeted hallways.
  • WiFi: Yes, but a tad spotty.
  • Room variety: Mostly spacious singles with big windows. 3 triples on each hall. Sulz-Reid residents will be envious of these huge doubles, but you will still get pretty sizable rooms. There is one quad on this side of Sulz, but you’ll share the hall with about ~50 students.

Bwog recommendations:

If you’re a first-year at Barnard and you’re living in Sulz, you’ve lucked out. You have huge windows, lots of natural light (I hardly ever turn on the lights during the daytime), and most importantly– AC! Your friends in Brooks and Reid will be very jealous during muggy September. There’s also a kind of theory that people living in Sulz tend to form closer relationships with their hall. Living in the quad can make you feel a little trapped at times since you’re in literally the same building as everyone in your class, but it’s so nice to be located so close to everything! Basically, first-year housing has it’s ups and down but this is the best you’re going to get.

Resident opinions:

“I love Sulz! My favorite part is the air conditioning”

“My favorite part is the rats and cockroaches that infest my room and the dust that collects,  the slamming doors, the mouse in the lounge, and the proximity to Hewitt’s B rating, and not being able to use 2 of 4 the elevators”

“I love being in a triple and I love my roommates but there’s not a lot of space”

“I’m lucky I love my roommates because I would have killed them by now. I never thought I would get so used to not having a moment by myself.”

“The views are nice. It’s close to all my classes”

“The lounges are decent”

“Overall I’m happy I don’t have to live in Brooks or Reid”