Wallach, a freshpeople dorm with an upperclassmen mix for a mature vibe, is perfect for independent freshpeople who enjoy the quiet and those who don’t want to venture out into the cold to grab their meals. Great perks include a piano in the lounge and a study sky lounge.

Location: 1116 Amsterdam Avenue.

Nearby Dorms: Connected to John Jay (an all freshpeople dorm)  and Hartley by hallways

Stores and Restaurants: Connected to JJ’s and John Jay dining hall! Hamilton Deli, Strokos, New York Basics, the halal cart on 116th, RotiRoll and 1020

Cost: $8,718 /year for 2019-2020

Amenities:

  • Bathrooms: Floors 3-8 have seven private bathrooms per floor, with one being handicap accessible. On floors 2-9, three private bathrooms per suite. Bathrooms are tiled, but cleanliness will vary depending on your floor
  • AC/Heating: Heat, but no A/C
  • Laundry: A laundry room in the basement is shared with Hartley and has 12 washers/dryers. Unlikely that they are all full and busy! You can walk underground to access John Jay’s laundry room if so
  • Kitchen: On floors 3-8, a kitchen per floor lounge. On floors 2-9, a kitchen per suite. The kitchens have stoves, ovens, and cabinet space, but no fridges
  • Lounges: A beautiful piano lounge in the lobby, floor lounges with kitchens on each floor, and a wonderful sky lounge study space on floor 10
  • Computers/Printing: One PawPrint printer in the lobby
  • Fire Escapes/Bike Storage: None
  • Floor: Mock hardwood flooring in all the rooms
  • Elevators: Two elevators, 4 staircases

Room Breakdown:

  • Wallach has both doubles and singles. The 49 singles range from 94-125 sq. feet. The 190 doubles range from 200-206 sq. feet.
  • Upperclassmen: Most upperclassmen who live in Wallach have a single. Applications close in January, so have hope for next year!
  • Freshpeople: Freshpeople have a good chance of getting smaller singles (less than 100 sq. ft) in Wallach, since some are reserved specifically for freshpeople. The doubles are spacious, as well.

Bwog Recommendation:

Wallach has a reputation for being one of the nicer dorms before Carman renovations occurred. With its upperclassmen/freshpeople mix, it’s generally a bit quieter. The sky lounges are pretty useful to study in but they can get very warm. If you want the LLC experience without suffering through some of Hartley’s outdated amenities, it’s definitely a solid choice. Definitely keep it clean on the lower floors to avoid pests. Overall, a great choice for convenience. 

Resident Opinions:

  • “Definitely a less rah-rah first-year experience than Carman and John Jay.”
  • “Living on the third floor, I saw quite a few pests, I saw more cockroaches in a month than I saw when living on the third floor of Hartley my entire first year.”
  • “The kitchens are nice and I’d take wood floors and single-occupancy bathrooms any day.”
  • “It’s a laidback community with plenty of opportunities to meet people with different interests and backgrounds.”
  • “Living in Wallach was a hot mess: constant fire alarms, hospital sirens, and large roaches in the bathrooms from time to time.”
  • “I had a kitchen as a first-year and surprisingly large single use bathrooms.”
  • “Be prepared to invest in a large fan because it gets hot in there.”