After my first semester of being an RA in David John Hall, I have learned something extremely important: IT IS SO DIFFERENT THAN THE REST OF HELEMAN!
So if you're a potential resident at Heleman Halls and looking into staying at David John, please read about what makes this hall so different from the rest of Heleman so that you can decide whether or not this living situation is a good fit for you.
Trust me, this is a great place to live! Living in the dorms at BYU in itself is an amazing experience and definitely something to look forward to. After spending a year in Hinckley Hall and now living as an RA in David John Hall, I just thought it was important to clear up what it is really like. If you've found my blog, chances are that you were just like me as a high school senior: eager, excited, and wanting to start planning out exactly how I was going to set up my freshman dorm. If this is true, then you have probably found that there are no pictures anywhere of what the dorms look like aside from the 3 on BYU's website. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO PLAN ON MY DORM ROOM WITH THOSE CRAPPY PICTURES? You're in luck! I am here to go into detail and clear up any concerns you might have. Also better pictures :)
What Does it Look Like?
For those of you who may already know you just want your own bathroom and don't care too much about anything if you don't like the way they look, this is for you. Pictures and explanations.
I thought I would add this picture. It is what the hallway looks like. There are about 20 rooms or 10 suites per hallway and a "lounge" in the middle of the hall. This room has couches, a white board, cabinets, a sink, a microwave, toaster, trash can, rags, cleaning supplies, and an ironing board and iron. This is a really cool, unique feature to David John Hall.
The mini fridge can be seen on the desk in the picture on the left. This is how it will look when you move in, but most people buy an extension chord and put it between the beds or under a bed once it's lifted. The desk is identical on both sides of the room. The shelves are able to be moved up and down on the track or removed altogether. You can kind of see it, but there is a bulletin board on the wall right next to the desk. All of the electrical outlets run along the wall on that strip under the shelf. This runs down the entire wall from the desk to the window on both sides. It might be smart to buy extension plugs to give yourself more mobility and accessibility with electricity.
Here is a close up of the desk. The drawers are heavy and the top one has a way to put a lock on it for valuables which is nice. The small one where the chair is pushed in is great. It has a divider in the front for pens and pencils and what have you and the rest is just open and goes almost all the way back. You can seriously fit so much in these drawers so if you're messy and have a lot of junk, I would invest in a few desk dividers or bins. There are also two drawers under the bed which are also deep and both can be locked. (you'll need your own combination lock) If you can see, under the bed there are two sets of longer legs that when you move in can be swung out, lifting your bed a couple extra feet. It's enough to fit the fridge under with little room between. It's important to note that if you put anything between the beds like the fridge, you will have difficulty opening the far drawer because the space between the beds is not much space. The mattresses are almost brand new and are plenty comfy, so don't feel like you need too much of a foam topper if you're into a soft bed, but you do you because I could literally sleep on anything and be comfy.
There is another shelving unit right above the bed as shown in the left picture. This can be moved up and down or if you wanted another shelf, you could move one of the shelves from above the desk. Once the bed is lifted, however, if the shelf is too low it can be easy to bump your head on it often. They are notorious for falling only when they have a lot of weight on them. I haven't heard of any problems with these shelves falling on anyone this year so just don't put your bowling ball on it and you'll be fine. The closets are located right when you walk in the room. One side will be two sets of two doors which open to a closet and the other side is the door to the bathroom. There is lighting just above the closets with a separate switch which is nice if you're getting ready early in the morning and your roommate is still snoozing. The shelves are adjustable but my main complaint with the closet is that there is barely any space to hang things up. I had to get creative this year, but it was doable. There are 4 drawers which are decently deep and I can fit a decent amount of clothing in them. The bottom drawer is a little different because it is twice as deep as the others. I put my pants in this one and I can fit all of my jeans and slacks with plenty of extra room. There is a towel rack on the door to the hanging side and a mirror above that. I also put a command hook on the other door and it holds my robe and hair towels and is still able to close. I needed extra drawers under my bed for my clothes, but I can also fit those drawers I got from Bed Bath and Beyond (see my later posts) in the closet between the shelves as well as on the floor under the rod. I use that one for shoes and it works really well for me.
Here is a quick view of the bathroom. There are two sinks, space under neath the sinks, those 3 shelves on either side of the mirror, a towel hook on the side of both shelves, a full length mirror on both doors, and a towel rack inside the bathroom part with the shower and toilet. That door locks. It is small. The door behind me in the picture on the right that opens up is the toilet and shower. The door blocks the toilet when it opens and the shower is across from it. So it's just about 3 feet wide and the shower is probably 3' by 3'. It's small, but it's the size of all the showers in the dorms. The biggest difference about David John is that you have your own bathroom in your room that you share with your roommate and the two girls who live next door to you. You must also clean this space. The other dorms are community bathrooms which are cleaned for you, but the bathrooms are a part of your monthly cleaning check. Some supplies are provided, but you will want to get some of your own as well. You also have to provide your own toilet paper between the 4 of you living in the suite. These are not falling apart. They are old, but they are well taken care of.
My Personal Thoughts
David John is a great place to live. If you like being in close quarters with more people and you can keep your space tidy, then this is a good fit. If you're worried about moving out for the first time, are super messy, don't know how to clean or can't get along with other people easily, this may not be the place for you. From what I've seen, you tend to get extremely close with the three other girls you live with and possibly some others on the hall or from your ward, but it isn't one giant party in the hall because you don't leave your room as often. The dorms are a great living experience in general, but lots of people tend to leave David John after one semester. This is mostly because of missions and other personal reasons, but also because it is so much like Heritage minus the kitchen which a lot of people wish they had. It's a weird in between dorm and apartment and some people just do better in an apartment. I think a lot of people just don't know what David John is about and so they are hesitant to try it or just don't know what they are getting themselves into when they sign up for a room here. I would encourage you to check out my post about Hinckley Hall and the other dorms for more information about Heleman Halls life because everything else is still the same. There are kitchen supplies for check out, vending machines, a kitchen in the basement, basement storage, etc... I hope this helps anyone who was just as frustrated as me at the lack of information out there about the dorms :)
-Brittany
