Housing Reviews 2022: Plimpton

Looking for school-life separation and a good shot at a single for your sophomore year? Plimpton is the dorm for you.

Location: 1235 Amsterdam (121st and Amsterdam)

Nearby Dorms: 537 W 121st, Wien, and EC

Stores And Restaurants: Appletree, Max Caffe, Subsconscious, Dunkin’ Donuts (right below!), Columbia Deli, Friedman’s

Cost: $5,603 per semester (School year 2021-2022 information)

Amenities:

Bathrooms: There is one private bathroom for a suite of six people. The floors are modern and there’s plenty of room behind the mirror and in the shower shelves.
AC/Heating: There is air conditioning until about October when it gets colder outside when it switches to heat. The levels can be adjusted to off, low, and high, and in some suites, you can even set a specific temperature.
Kitchen: There is one kitchen per suite which includes a refrigerator, an oven with a gas stovetop (four burners), and many cabinets and some counter space. Sometimes the knobs can get a bit stuck (the author had to call CARES twice because of this…oops).
Lounges: There is a wooden table with four chairs in each suite, although floors 7 and 8 have been renovated—the wall between the hallway and kitchen is replaced with a table and bar stools! On the first floor, there’s a study lounge, a piano lounge, and a computer lab.
Laundry: The Plimpton laundry room, consisting of six washers and six dryers, is located in the basement (although one washer has been broken for a while). Use the LaundryView app to check what’s available.
Gym: The building doesn’t have a gym, and the closest option is Dodge (120th and Broadway) or the Barnard Fitness Center (Barnard Hall) a little further away.
Intra-transportation: Two quick elevators that can get pretty full during the 10:10 rush. Also, two sets of stairs, although only one set has basement access.
Hardwood/Carpet: The bedrooms have dark hardwood floors.
Wifi: Barnard Secure and Barnard Guest are both available.

Room Variety:

Floors 2 to 15 have six-person suites with four singles and a double. The single farthest from the suite door is the largest.
The doubles are located on the corner of the building, so they all have two windows.
All the bathrooms and flooring in the bedrooms were renovated in Summer 2017.

Numbers:

Plimpton has about 336 residents: predominantly Barnard sophomores and juniors, with a few suites comprised of CC/SEAS students.
The cut-off for the 2020 housing selection was 100/70. The first number denotes the group’s average class ranking (rising-sophomore). The second number is the group’s lottery slot. For reference, in the 2020 housing selection, there were 114 groups in the 6-person lottery.

Bwog Recommendations:

Plimpton is great if you’re looking for a separation between home-and-school life. However, if proximity to campus is high on your list, Plimpton may not be the best dorm for you. Especially if you have late nights in the central campus area, you will be a frequent Via user.
Plimpton is pretty far from Barnard dining halls, so if you’re a home chef or a JJ’s fan, Plimpton is a good bet. Otherwise, trekking to campus for dinner can be a hassle sometimes—the closest dining hall is Chef Mike’s.
Plimpton has a ton of singles so it’s a good bet if you’re a sophomore looking for your own space.
If having A/C is a priority for you, Plimpton certainly delivers.
There are great views from the higher floors.

Resident Opinions:

I’ve been an RA here for over a year now, and I’ve loved it! It checks my boxes for AC, independent living, and being surrounded by people in my year. Mad heads live in Plimpton.
I think Plimpton is the only dorm with a Barnard security guard monitoring the exterior at night, which can help with any uneasiness of coming home late.
I love Plimpton! You get good natural light in the A and D suites on each floor.
Six people to a suite can feel a bit cramped, especially in the kitchen or if you’re waiting for the bathroom, but it’s not as bad as I thought it would be.

Plimpton Photo Gallery: