Sunday, April 3, 2016

Why is David John Hall so different?


So, it turns out that when I applied to be an RA in Heleman Halls next year, I figured that I would be living in either Hinckley again or maybe in one of the other girls halls that are the same layout. However, this was not the case and it turns out that for the 2016-2017 school year at BYU Provo, I will be living in David John 1100 hall. I found out that there are actually zero pictures of the inside of the rooms in David John and pretty much no information about the rooms anywhere (or at least the kind of information that I would like) so I will have to be contacting someone living there currently if I can check out their rooms before I leave this semester. But after a quick tour of the hall and maybe a bit of wandering every hall, I have come across some details about what makes David John different from every other dorm building in Heleman.

Accessibility

One thing about David John is that it does not have an elevator. This shouldn't be a problem for me since I will be on the first floor next year, but I feel deeply sorry for anyone who is on the third floor on move in/out day. 

Room Layout

The obvious difference is that it is a suite-style dorm. Residents share a bedroom with one roommate, and then share a bathroom with the two girls next door to them. The sink area is separated from the shower and toilet by a door, so you can be brushing your teeth or blow-drying your hair while your roommate is taking a shower. The one bad thing though is that the bathroom is small, but so is your bedroom. There is hardly any room to do anything but sleep and sit at your desk. You're going to have to get creative with storage and multi-purpose items.

Extra Loung Space

Because bathrooms are within the walls of your dorm, boys are allowed on the hall during the same times they are allowed in the lobby area of any building (8 am-midnight all nights and 8 am-1:30 am Fridays) Visitors can either wander the halls during this time or chill in your floor's very own lounge area! I thought this was so neat when I first toured the halls. The thing is, the lobby of Hinckley this year was the place for ward prayer, meeting up with FHE groups, and then all of the couples. It was never the ideal place to study. But even though boys can be in that lounge, it had more of a private feel than the lobby did. PLUS you only have to share it with about 36 girls! They are very roomy and have plenty of sitting space. 

BONUS!!!

In these lounge areas, there is a toaster, microwave, sink and cupboard space. Have a freezer meal you want to heat up real quick? Don't want to walk all the way to the lobby or to the basement? Awesome! You don't have to! You can also clean your dishes, iron your clothes (there is an ironing board and iron) or make some toast. There isn't much room to store dishes in your room, but if you trust the girls in your hall, you can just store them in the cupboards! Seriously, this is a great feature. While it's not a full kitchen, there is still an oven, stove and full fridge/freezer open to all residents in the basement.

Less People

I don't know if anyone really cares, but each hall has about 4 less people than a typical hall in the dorms. So that's less treats to bring to a hall activity and more opportunities to get close to the girls on your floor.

Drawbacks

The only things I can really think of without having lived there is the fact that 1. You have to clean your own bathroom (but you have three people to help you out), it costs a little more than the regular dorms and the rooms are significantly smaller than the other dorms. But honestly, you don't need to do much in your room except sleep, maybe do homework and take care of yourself.

Still a Dorm at Heleman

You have everything else that life at Heleman Halls offers. RHA activities, an RA, hall council, the Cannon Center and mini Creamery just a couple hundred feet from your room, 24/7 vending machine access, and there is also a parking lot right behind the building. Honestly, if you're worried about a community bathroom, I have never had to wait on a shower or toilet this year so if bathrooms are your concern, I don't know if David John is worth the extra $100 a month, but if you want that suite-style experience and are willing to pay more, GO FOR IT! 

If you are a freshman for the Fall-Winter year of 2016-2017 and are living in Heleman, Please contact me! I can answer your questions much better than the housing people can because I actually lived here and can tell you exactly what you need to hear. Please don't hesitate to shoot me an email with any question you might have! 
brittanystamas@gmail.com

2 comments:

  1. My daughter is going to live in the dorm. I have concerns on the smaller bedrooms. My sons used to live in Stover Hall, the rooms aren't that big either. So are the DJH rooms are even smaller than Stover Halls? doesn't seem like it is worth it with 100 dollars extra a month. What do you think?

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  2. I personally think if your daughter wants to live in a more apartment style housing, Heritage is much more worth the cost than DJ because it has more space and it is nicer. I would recommend Hinkley, Chipman, Stover or Taylor (all girl halls) because I personally liked the set up better. You have a little more space in DJ with the shared bathroom, but I don't know if it's worth the price. Up to your daughter and what she thinks would work better for her but if she doesn't mind using a community bathrooom (that is cleaned by custodians daily) then I would opt out for the other buildings or go to Heritage.

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