Housing Reviews 2024: Watt Hall

The perfect place for you and your best friend.

Location: 549 West 113th Street

Nearby dorms: McBain Hall, 548 West 113th Street (Brownstone), Broadway Hall, Hogan Hall
Stores and restaurants: Wu and Nussbaum, Milano Market, Tom’s, University Hardware, Junzi, Symposium

Cost: The upperclassmen housing rate for the 2024-2025 academic year is projected to be $12,180/year.

Amenities:

Bathrooms: One private bathroom in each apartment.
AC/Heating: No AC, but you’ll survive.
Kitchen: Each apartment has a compact kitchen with a fridge and a stove—but no microwave. Time to bust out the Microfridge from freshman year!
Lounge: Certain apartments have their own private living space, but there is no main lounge.
Laundry: Each floor has one washer and one dryer. Good luck!
Computers/Printing: There’s a printer in the lobby.
Fire Escapes: Yes indeed!
Gym: Nope. Start your workout by running to Dodge.
Bike Storage: None.
Intra-transportation: One very tiny, very unreliable elevator.
Hardwood/Carpet: Hardwood.

Room Variety:

Six floors with a total of 32 singles and 66 doubles
Studio Singles: Two spacious singles on each floor. Beware, they’re shafted.
Studio Doubles: Nine on each floor.
1-Bedroom Doubles: Only two on each floor. These have a bedroom and a common area, which is typically converted into a second bedroom so each resident has their own room.
2-Bedroom Doubles: The best-of-the-best. Only two per floor, but they come with two bedrooms and a living space along with the usual bathroom and kitchen.

Stats:

Housing Data from the 2023 Room Selection shows the make-up to be 72% rising juniors and 28% rising seniors.
100% of students who selected into Watt Hall participated as part of a group. Form those groups soon!
Two-bedroom doubles were the first rooms to be selected, all by rising seniors. Sorry, rising juniors.

Bwog Recommendation:

If you’re looking for a homey environment to share with your best friend on campus, look no further than Watt—or maybe do look further, because it fills up fast. While it may not be a heavy socialization dorm, you’ll be able to enjoy some privacy with the exception of a roommate, which is what makes Watt so popular. Despite some noise from frat row, the lack of AC, and one dinky elevator, Watt attracts many students who seek that NYC apartment vibe for a bit of a cheaper price. If you have the perfect roommate and you’re willing to put up with Watt’s quirks, it’s a great place to live!

Resident Opinions:

“It’s mostly quiet and you don’t really see other people unless you have friends on the floor.”
“I share with my best friend and it’s great because we have a lot of space, can cook on our own, and we’re still close to campus.”
“The private kitchen and bathroom are really nice, but because everyone has their own kitchen the fire alarm goes off frequently, like once a month.”
“One annoying thing is that the garbage disposal is in the basement and you can only access it through the really slow elevator.”