Housing Reviews 2024: 600 W. 116th St.

If you want a double, this is your best option!

Location: 600 W. 116th St. (The corner of 116th & Broadway, entrance between the Shake Shack pick-up window and FedEx)

Nearby dorms: So many—as for Barnard, there’s 616 and 620 right on the same block. If you walk a few blocks up, there’s Elliott and the Quad. As for Columbia, Woodbridge, Schapiro, and 629 West 115th Street are all within a block. In terms of other University buildings, Casa Hispanica and the Kraft Center are super close as well.
Stores and restaurants: Shake Shack is literally inside the building, so is FedEx! Otherwise, Ivy League Stationers, Morton Williams, Pret-A-Manger, Hooda Halal and the UPS Store are right down Broadway. If you have to walk more than a block, Starbucks, Sweetgreen, Wu & Nussbaum, Community Food & Juice, Blue Bottle, Hex & Company, University Hardware, Milano Market, Tom’s Diner, and Book Culture are also super close. Not to mention the 1 train station is right when you walk out of the door.
Cost: $12,438 per year ($6,219 per semester), according to the Barnard Bursar.

Amenities:

Bedroom Furniture: The standard—each bedroom set has a twin XL bed, desk, chair, dresser, and either a closet or a wardrobe. Some rooms come with bookshelves.
Bathrooms: One private bathroom with a toilet, sink, shower, and usually a bit of cabinet space. Some suites have an additional bathroom.
A/C and Heating: Bedrooms have AC window units and heaters! AC units can usually be controlled, but not heaters.
Kitchen: Each suite has a kitchen with an electric stove and oven, sink, and refrigerator. Kitchens are pretty big with lots of cabinet and counter space!
Lounges and Common Areas: Common areas are typically a dining room either connected or separate from the kitchen with a dining table and around four to six chairs. There’s a good amount of space here! Other than the suite common areas, there’s a lounge with a couch, two chairs, a table, and a TV on the second floor.
Laundry: The laundry room is on the second floor right off the lounge. There are six washers and eight dryers, of which I think have always been functional. The only times I’ve ever had difficulty finding a washer/dryer has been on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Whenever I do my laundry between Monday and Thursday, there are usually many machines to choose from!
Intra-transportation and Accessibility: The building has two very slow (although large) elevators and one extremely steep staircase. Although the main entrance isn’t wheelchair accessible, the basement alley entrance is. However, in my experience, the basement entrance gate closes at night. If you need ramp access, I would speak to ResLife before picking this dorm in order to evaluate the process.

Room Variety:

600 has suites that accommodate between two and seven people. You can only pick into double rooms—single rooms are taken up by RAs (and maybe CARDS housing, but don’t quote me on that).
A suites face 116th, B suites face 116th and Broadway, and C and D suites face Broadway. E and F suites are shafted, but it’s not bad here if you’re on a high enough floor. F suite bedrooms can look into A suite bathrooms so make sure to close or crack your (tinted) windows when you’re showering!
Almost 60% of the suites in this building are made up of student dorms. The rest are occupied by faculty members or non-affiliates. (For example, I think one of the Barnard Deans lives here.)

Bwog Recommendation:

I love 600! My room is huge, my view is gorgeous, and the kitchen countertops are really spacious. I don’t ever ever ever want to leave. Except I am, of course, because I want a single. But guys, if you’re going in to get a double, you must get 600. I’ve never been in 620 before, but Plimpton is far and 616 is grimy and feels like you’re in a school basement. 600 feels like a luxurious “New York apartment.” The ceilings are really tall, the crown molding has character, and there’s an insane amount of square footage and closets. My suitemates have access to a fire escape that leads to the roof. There’s been sightings of roaches (on the lower floors), rats (in previous years, I’ve heard), and mice (in my 12th floor penthouse suite), but that’s just a slight drawback. That’s not at all a reason not to live here — there will be vermin wherever you go. Honestly, we’ve only seen a mouse maybe like four times, and Facilities has always been extremely responsive about it. Also, this is one of the closest “off-campus” dorms to campus. I can leave my building ten minutes before class and still make it on time (depending on the elevators). Anyways — I’m going to miss 600 so much. I love it; it feels like home to me.

If you’re not big on paragraphs, here’s a pro/con list for you:

Pros:

Very close to campus
Really spacious rooms, common spaces, and storage space
Beautiful views (if you face 116th or Broadway)
Extremely tall ceilings with gorgeous crown molding
Huge countertops, lots of cabinet space
Really nice bathroom(s)!
If you have a fire escape you can use that and/or get to the roof
Laundry is easy and accessible
Because non-residents live here you will see lots of dogs in the elevators

Cons:

Doubles unless you’re an RA
Some dorms have either roaches, rats, or mice. Few sightings though.
Elevator is insanely slow
Weird stovetops (the heat is a knob so you don’t understand how much heat you’re adding, my stovetop is tilted and sort of chars things/makes this burning smell)
Fire escape is terrifying and fairly unsafe (very sparse handrails)

Resident and Visitor Opinions:

“So convenient, really charming interiors”
“Mice but great kitchen”
“Beautiful wood floors and some A suites have two bathrooms! Doubles are large and spacious, floor to ceiling windows in some cases. Heaters are super loud though.”
- Editor’s note: Only some suites have wood floors. I know, bummer!
“Great kitchens!”

Read more about 600 on our other Housing Reviews or on Barnard’s website!