The freshman dorm experience is a rite of passage. Freshman year is a huge learning curve and a student grows up tremendously during this time. The dorms are witness to many memories, getting ready to go out with friends, late night study sessions, and endless pizza nights. Each year students come to Ole Miss and experience all of the highs and lows freshmen year has to offer and many of these moments happen in the dorms. Regardless of what dorm a student is in, it becomes their home away from home.
When choosing what dorm to live in, the first thing a student should ask themselves is what kind of freshman experience do they want? Are they looking for a traditional dorm environment or more of a contemporary situation?
The traditional dorms, Crosby, Martin, Stockard, Brown, Stewart, Deaton and Hefley usually tend to be more open and social. These dorms have communal bathrooms; therefore, people are constantly walking around the halls and socializing.
The contemporary dorms, Residential Hall 1, Residential Hall 2, Residential Hall 3, Lucky Day, Burns, Minors, Pittman and Residential College South tend to be quieter because there are less people socializing in the halls. All of these dorms come equipped with individual bathrooms inside of the dorms. Many of these dorms, such as Lucky Day, are specifically for students in certain programs, such as the Lucky Day Scholars and Associates program. These dorms are newer and more modern than the traditional dorms.
Here's the rundown of the dorm options, and a few Pros/Cons:
Female Only Dorms:
Crosby Hall:
Crosby Hall is a traditional female dorm located across the street from Brown and Stewart. Crosby has 10 floors and can house up to 700 students. Crosby tends to be very social and girls who live in Crosby tend to get very close with the people on their hall. Many girls who live in Crosby tend to go through recruitment and join sororities on campus. Crosby is home to The Crosby Pod which is a small convenience store next to the laundry room on the bottom floor of the building. The Pod, as it is more commonly referred to, has a variety of snacks for when students need to treat themselves.
Martin Hall:
Like Crosby, Martin Hall is a traditional style female dorm. Martin has 10 residential floors that have study rooms on each floor.
Martin is also very social and the girls tend to become close friends with everyone on their floor. Many of the girls who live in Martin also go through recruitment and join sororities. Martin is home to the C-Store, which is a convenience store on the bottom floor of the building. Many late nights are spent by students eating the delicious Crispitos and chicken tenders.
Male Only Dorms:
Stockard Hall:
Stockard Hall is an all-male traditional style dorm connected to Martin. Stockard has 10 residential floors with study rooms on each floor. This dorm is a very social dorm and many students who live in Stockard join fraternities.
“I feel like I got the freshman experience and met some great people,” said John Bosco, former Ole Miss student who lived in Stockard his freshman year.
“The best parts of Stockard are the C-Store, the fact that there are a lot of greek life guys and it has the best atmosphere and the CAs are very chill,” said Austin Welge, Ole Miss senior.
Deaton Hall:
Deaton Hall is an all-male traditional style dorm located across from the Student Union. Residents are housed on four floors that are equipped with student lounges. A laundry facility and vending machines are on the first floor of the building.
PRO: Residents of Deaton explain that Deaton’s location is very convenient for freshman because it is very easy to get to class quickly.
CON: “One of the downsides of living in Deaton was that there were not very many Greek life people” said Welge. Who lived in Deaton at the beginning of his freshman year but later moved to Stockard.
Female/Male Dorms:
Brown Hall, Stewart Hall and Hefley are traditional style dorms that rotate between being all-male or all-female dorms depending on the male to female student ratio of the freshman class for the academic year.
Brown Hall:
Brown Hall is located on Women’s Terrance near the Student Union. Brown houses students on four floors and is equipped with two lounge areas, a kitchenette, and a laundry room.
Stewart Hall:
Stewart Hall is located across from Brown on Women’s Terrance. Stewart is seven floors and is equipped with study rooms and kitchenettes on each floor and a laundry room on the first floor.
Hefley Hall:
Hefley Hall is located very close to the Student Union and the Grove. Hefley houses students on four floors that are equipped with study rooms, kitchenettes and lounge areas. The laundry room is located on the bottom floor.
Brown, Stewart and Hefley are all located close to the center of campus which makes it very convenient for freshmen to get to class; however, many students feel the facilities need to be updated.
Co-Ed Dorms:
Residential Hall 1:
Residential Hall, RH1, is a co-educational dorm that opened in 2015. RH1 is the dorm designated for Provost Scholars and the Transfer Student Living Group. Students who are transferring to Ole Miss as a sophomore, junior, or senior are eligible to live in RH1.
All of the RH1 dorm rooms are equipped bathrooms in each of the rooms which are cleaned every 2 weeks by RH1’s cleaning staff. These dorms are much quieter than the traditional style dorms and have larger and nicer study rooms. The rooms also have an AC control panel, so students are able to control the temperature in their rooms.
Due to the fact that students have their own bathrooms, there is usually not much hall traffic; therefore, the dorm is not as social and it can be harder to meet people because most people tend to keep to themselves.
Residential Hall 2:
Residential Hall 2, RH2, is a co-educational dorm that opened in 2016. Like the other contemporary dorms, RH2 dorm rooms come equipped with individual bathroom in each of the rooms and communal spaces, such as study rooms and kitchens. RH2 is the dormitory for the international student living group; therefore, many international students elect to live in this dorm.
Residential Hall 3:
Like RH1 and RH2, Residential Hall 3, or RH3, is a co-educational dorm that opened in 2016. RH3 provides students with individual bathrooms in the dorm rooms, shared study spaces, lounges and a community kitchen. Also, several residents in RH3 are upperclassmen.
Luckyday Residential College:
Luckyday Residential College, which opened in 2010, houses the Luckyday Scholars and Luckyday Associates students. Luckyday is equipped with study rooms, a library, a classroom, a 24/7 fitness room, and a full-size kitchen. Students in this program are required to live in Luckyday dorm for two years. Luckyday residents are required to purchase the RC Unlimited Plus 1 dining plan.
“The best parts about Lucky Day were the amazing cafeteria downstairs, being located close to the grove, and getting your own bathroom,” said Ali Whatley, a senior at the University of Mississippi.
Burns Hall:
Burns hall is a co-educational dorm that opened in 2012. Burns is the dorm that the students in the FASTrack program and Early Entry Pharmacy program live in. Burns is a contemporary dorm that is also open to the general community in addition to those programs. Each of the rooms have their own bathrooms and students have access to a community kitchen, study rooms, and lounges.
PRO: “It was always quiet and easy to get homework done there,” said Ainsley Mandell, a senior who lived in Burns her freshman year.
CON: “The downside of it was hard to make friends on our floor because it did not have community bathrooms so you did not see people a lot,” said Mandell.
Minor Hall:
Minor Hall is a co-educational dorm that opened in 2012. Students are housed on four floors and each of the rooms are equipped with individual bathrooms. Minor provides students with a communal kitchen, lounges, and study rooms. Minor is home to the on-campus Papa Johns; therefore, it is a very popular spot for freshmen grabbing a late-night snack.
PRO: “Minor is relatively new dorm with individual bathrooms that someone comes to clean every two weeks,” said Abby Westfall, an Ole Miss senior. “It was very convenient to have the Pod and Papa Johns right downstairs.”
CON: “The dorm as a whole is not very social and it is also located very far away from Lamar, which many freshmen have classes in, and I had almost all of my classes in freshman year,” said Westfall.
Pittman Hall:
Pittman Hall is a co-educational dorm that opened in 2012 and houses five floors of students. Each of the rooms have individual bathrooms. There are multiple study rooms, community kitchens, and bathrooms.
Pittman is the dorm for the Honors College students. Many students in the honors college congregate in this dorm and thoroughly enjoy the experience.
Residential College South:
RC South is a dormitory for Residential College students and opened in 2009 and houses students on four floors. Each of the rooms have individual bathrooms. RC South has wonderful amenities for students including study spaces, a computer lab, a full-size kitchen, ping pong tables, and library. RC South residents are able to dine at the RC Marketplace and must purchase the RC Unlimited Plus 1 Dining plan.
The memories a student makes their freshman year will last a lifetime and the dorm a student lives in plays a significant role in these memories. I hope this helps your future rebel make their decision!