Blue walls! Blue walls!

Location: 47 Claremont Avenue

• Nearby dorms: Elliott, the 600s, Schapiro, Woodbridge, the works.
• Stores and restaurants: Claremont is essentially at 119th Street, so it is farther from things than you’d think. On the plus side, it’s a wonderfully quiet residential street.
• Cost: $11,574/year (projected rate for 2023-2024). 

Amenities: 

• Bathrooms: One private bathroom (one toilet, sink, and shower) per suite with a good amount of cabinet space. Cleaned weekly by facilities (so is the kitchen). 
• AC/Heating: No AC :(. Radiators in larger rooms, heating pipes in smaller ones.
• Kitchen: Honestly the nicest kitchens to be found on campus. Tons of cabinet and counter space, a big sink, and a new microwave and stove.
• Lounge: A TV lounge in the basement!
• Laundry: Four washers and four dryers in the basement in a nice, clean room.
• Fire escapes: Yes (though there are cameras on them).
• Computers/Printing: A tiny computer lab in the basement, and the slowest printer known to man in the lobby.
• Gym: There is a gym room in the basement with some treadmills and other things.
• Intra-transportation: There’s one very slow elevator, but because the building is only six floors, it’s usually okay. To get to the basement, you either have to take the elevator or a separate set of stairs, which are outside and can get cold.
• Hardwood/Carpet: Hardwood bedrooms/kitchen/hallways, tile bathrooms.

Room Variety: 

• There are 10 seven-person suites (one extremely small single, one medium single, one large single, and two large doubles).
• There is one six-person suite (one double and four singles) on the first floor.
• There is one five-person suite (one double and three singles) on the first floor. 
• There are six four-person suites (all singles, with one significantly smaller than the others).
• There are six three-person suites (all singles, with one significantly smaller than the others). Three of these are reserved for the RA and two other individuals who can select in.

Numbers: 

From Columbia Housing: Room Selection 2022 data shows that the students who selected into this building were 50% sophomores, 28% seniors, and 23% juniors.

• 100% of students who selected into this building participated as part of a group
  • 12% were in mixed point groups with an average point value of 22*
  • 28% were in rising seniors groups
  • 19% were in rising juniors groups
  • 41% were in rising sophomore groups
• 3 and 4-person suites were chosen by rising seniors, leaving 5-7 person suites for the remaining groups 
  • That being said, you might be able to score a three-person RA suite as a junior, which, from personal experience, is an incredible option.

Bwog Recommendation: 

Claremont is all about ratio—there’s a big difference between a 7:1 person-to-amenities ratio and a 3:1 person-to-amenities one. An equally big consideration is the size inequity in the rooms: in all of the suites, at least one person is going to have to settle for a <100 square foot single. While the doubles are human-sized, and the largest single is just over 140 square feet, someone is going to have to take one for the team. (Having been that person—it’s completely doable, though there really is room for you and only you in there.) The 3- and 4-person suites/the suites at the back end of the building are also pretty light-less, though not actually shafted.

All that said, Claremont is wonderful. There are so many little touches that make it a great place to live in. The kitchen and bathroom are designed as if people will actually live in the suites (cough, EC kitchens, cough) and are new and cleaned by the incredibly kind and reliable Columbia staff. Not your unreliable self or suitemate. The blue walls with crown molding are, and I cannot emphasize this enough, fucking amazing. Some rooms have a little outlet with a light switch perfect for adding fairy lights. It’s a small building, so there are usually laundry machines open and rarely accidental fire alarms. If you can handle getting ratio’d, if you will, by the suite sizes, then Claremont is a great option for you and your housing group.

Resident Opinions:

• “I like it.”
• “Distance okay bathroom nice any rats/cockroaches no.”
• “A timeless void because of the lack of light, but a beautiful one.”

Photos via Bwog Staff’s friends and Bwarchives