Housing Reviews 2024: 620 West 116th Street

Can’t really go wrong with any of the 600s tbh.

Location: 620 W. 116th St., between Broadway and Riverside Drive.

Nearby dorms: One of the Barnard 600s—same block as 600 and 616. Also nearby Elliott, 47 Claremont, and the Barnard Quad.
Stores and restaurants: Located a few steps from Broadway, it is close to Shake Shack, Morton Williams, Pret, Sweetgreen, and the food trucks as well as Ivy League Stationers and the Hardware Store.
Cost: Yearly expected cost is $12,438 for traditional singles and doubles (as of 2024).

Amenities:

Furniture: XL twin bed, desk, desk chair, and dresser are provided. Some rooms have built-in closets while others have wardrobes.
Common Areas: 620 does not have a common room, but does have access to the common room next door in 616. Some suites have common space/dining rooms in addition to the kitchen.
Security: 24-hour attendant at the front desk.
Internet: Reliable internet access (both Barnard Secure and Barnard Guest) with routers in most rooms.
Bathrooms: Every suite has a private bathroom.
Kitchens: Every suite has its own kitchen with a gas stove, oven, sink, and refrigerator. Some suites (though it is not advertised which ones) have dishwashers. Microwaves are not provided but are permitted.
Flooring: Flooring is either black linoleum or hardwood depending on the unit.
Laundry: Laundry machines are located in the basement. There are four washers and four dryers. Laundry is free for residents.
Accessibility: The front door to 620 is wheelchair accessible. All suites except for those on the first floor are wheelchair accessible.
Intra-transportation: 620 has 10 floors made accessible by two elevators and one staircase.
Air Conditioning/Heating: 620 does not have air conditioning but box fans are provided. There are multiple radiators in each suite, with at least one in every room.
Printers: 620 does not have printers but residents can access printers next door in 616 at any hour.

Room Variety:

Four to seven-person suites made up of single and/or double rooms.
Rooms 3-5 in A suites and rooms 1-3 in B suites (e.g. “Room 4A3” or “Room 4B2”) have views of 116th Street. South-facing rooms on the higher floors of D and C units have views of downtown and Riverside Park.
Shafted rooms on higher floors (e.g. “Room 7D4” or “Room 8B5”) will still get a reliable amount of light.

Numbers from the 2023 lottery:

Out of 148 students that picked 620, 68.2% were seniors (101), 10.1% were juniors (15), and 21.6% were sophomores (32).

Bwog Recommendation:

620 is great if you want to stay really close to campus! It is on 116th Street, but is the farthest of the 600s from Broadway, so it is much quieter and really close to Riverside Park. 620 has lots of singles compared to the other 600s, so you have a decent chance of getting one as a sophomore or junior. Though the 5-person all-singles suites are usually taken by seniors during housing selection, there are plenty of other singles in other suites that are up for grabs in the 123 lottery. Though 620 does not have AC and has had some issues with mice in the past, it is a conveniently located building with lots of space.

Resident Opinions: