She’s beauty, she’s grace… she’s probably the best housing you’re gonna get as a sophomore.

Location: 1235 Amsterdam Ave, aka 121st and Amsterdam. 

Nearby Dorms: 537 W. 121st. That’s about it, unless you count EC and Wien. 

Nearby Dining Halls: Grace Dodge, Chef Don’s, maybe the Fac Shack?

Nearby Stores and Restaurants: You’re right on top of Dunkin, near Appletree Deli, Massawa, Subsconscious, Max Soha, Dragon Sushi, Elysian Fields, and Nikko are all walkable.  

Cost: $12,438 per year ($6,219 per semester), according to the Barnard Bursar

Amenities: 

• Bedroom Furniture: Twin XL, closet space, linoleum floors and a desk. 
• Bathrooms: Bathrooms are pretty small but up to date. 
• A/C and Heating: Yes and yes. 
• Kitchen: Includes a fridge, gas stove, and lots of cabinets. Gotta accommodate those 6-person suite snacks. 
• Lounges and Common Areas: most of the suites don’t have a common space, so you’re stuck with a dining table 
• Laundry: Yes, with six machines in the basement. 

Room Variety

• A mix of four singles and a double in six person suites in an A, B, C, D configuration. The D and C lines aren’t shafted, but some rooms in the A and B lines are, so keep on eye on that when selecting. 

Numbers from the 2023 lottery: 

• Last year, 11 rising seniors picked into Plimpton, 67 rising juniors, and 158 rising sophomores. There’s basically no cutoff for Plimpton, as there were nine doubles available at the end of the lottery
• This year, Plimpton has 29 suites available in the 6-person lottery, 28 singles and doubles available in the 123 Lottery. 

Bwog Recommendations: 

• Plimpton’s a solid dorm. Is it pretty? No. Does it have charm? Also no. But does it have singles? Hell yeah. If you really want your own space as a rising sophomore, Plimpton is probably the way to go. They’re easy to select in the 6-person lottery, and there’s typically a lot of doubles left over after the 123. However, the cons of Plimpton might outweigh the pros: it’s a weird distance from Barnard’s campus, a bit removed from campus life (and like, not in a fun way), and not near a subway line. But there’s buses for days. TLDR: Make some memories with six other besties and you’ll have the time of your life in your classic college dorm.  

Resident Opinions: 

• The shafted single wasn’t that bad. 
• Lots of fire alarms. 
• You can get Dunkin every day!!!!

Cover Image via Bwarchives
Plimpton Images via Bwog Staff