By SABRINA K., MACINSIDERS
Many of incoming McMaster first year students will be moving into residence this weekend, and some of you may not have got your 'first pick' of residence choices. At first you may be disappointed with where you end up, but I'd like to open your eyes to the idea that each and every single residence has it's up's... and it's down's.
Residences are divided into two areas: North Quad (Edwards, McKay, Whidden, Brandon, Woodstock, Hedden and Les Prince) or West Quad (Bates, Keyes, Matthews, Moulton and Wallingford).
Rooms:- Single: desk, chair, bed, dresser with drawers and/or closet, corkboard, lamp, bookcase, internet connection, WIFI
- Double: Everything in a single times two
- Triple: One bunk bed set (bed on top of a bed with the top accessed by a ladder), one loft (bed accessed by a ladder with a desk underneath it), lamps, corkboards, shelves, dresser, chairs, etc for each student.
- Quad: four single beds, desks, lamps, corkboards, chairs, phones, internet wifi, shelves for each student.
North Quad:
N-O R-T-H NORTH-QUAD-WHAT! N-O R-T-H NORTH-QUAD-WHAT!
Whidden:
Whidden, Whidden, Whidden, BASH, BASH, BASH! Whidden! BASH! Whidden! BASH! Whidden, Whidden, Whidden, BASH, BASH, BASH!
Built in the 1960's Whidden houses singles, doubles and triples (bunk and loft) for a total of 333 students on 5 floors. Common rooms, kitchens and bathrooms are all communal.
Pros:
- Each floor has a large common room that is centralized on the floor. In the basement is the large common room known as The Cave
- Whidden is one of the most spirited residences with very strong traditions
- Underground tunnel that leads to Commons
Cons:
- Layout: Whidden is built like the inside of a peace sign and the layout takes a few days to get used to.
- No AC
- Rooms are predominantly triples
- Balconies are no longer available to students even if their room is attached to one because previous students kept setting fires on them.
Edwards:
Built in 1930 Edwards is the brother residence to Wallingford Hall and was once an all male residence. Edwards houses 105 students on 3 floors with singles, doubles and triple rooms. Two kitchens, located in the basement and on the second floor are available and common rooms on the first floor and in the basement. Bathrooms are located on each floor.
E-D-W-A-R-D that is us and who are we? EDDIE, let's get rowdy! Woo!
Pros:
- International House means a lot of diverse programs throughout the year
- Large traditional rooms
- Plenty of storage space between the drawers and your closet
- Edwards is small, which means you get to know those you live with more intimately than you might with a larger building.
- Good lighting in the bedrooms: Light over the bed, desk lamp and a room lamp
- Easy to access bike room with large amounts of storage
Cons:
- Heating is sometimes an issue as it is an older building
- Laundry room is fairly small, 3-4 washers and 3-4 dryers for the entire building
- No elevator... but it’s only 3 floors
- Room size may vary - Edwards' rooms are not uniform.
McKay:
McKay Hall was built in 1965 and with 6 floors it houses 280 students. Rooms include singles, doubles and triples. Common rooms on each floor with kitchenettes.
Duh-nuh-nuh-nuh, nuh-nuh,nuh-nuh, can't cut this! Duh-nuh-nuh-nuh, nuh-nuh,nuh-nuh, can't cut this! Business in the front, Party in the back! Business in the front, Party in the back!
Pros:
- On 5th floor some rooms have sky lights
- Predominantly doubles
- Tunnel to Commons
- Easy Layout
- Elevator
- MULLET CHEERS!
Cons:
- No AC
- No scenic views
- Washrooms are shared by two rooms
Brandon:
Built in 1970 Brandon Hall is the tallest building on campus with 11 floors and 559 students. Houses singles and double rooms, each floor has a common room (with cable) and a washroom.
We're Bigger! We're Better! SIZE DOES MATTER!
Pros:
- Relatively small floors considering it’s the biggest residence
- A lot of people means more diversity and more people to meet
- Predominantly doubles
- Close to Commons
- Close to Cootes
- Has AC
- 3 Elevators and wheelchair accessible
Cons:
- First floor is very different from the other floors
- Poor lighting in some rooms
- Communal bathrooms
Woodstock:
Built in 1970 along with Brandon Hall Woodstock houses 293 students on 6 floors. Rooms include singles, doubles, triples and one quad room. Common rooms with cable TV and washrooms with showers are located on each floor.
Hey Woodstock! Yeah? Shake your booty! No Way! Shake your birdie? Okay! Jump shake your birdie, JUMP JUMP, Shake your birdie!
Pros:
- Wheelchair accessible
- Large common rooms with kitchenettes
- 24 Lounge on first floor and The Nest in the basement (large common spaces)
- Predominantly doubles
- Close to commons
- Quad room is very large
- Has AC
- Tunnel to commons
- Close to Cootes
Cons:
- Poor lighting
- No scenic views
- Small windows that do not open completely
Hedden:
Built in 1991 Hedden Hall houses 390 students on 5 floors. Hedden has singles, doubles and triple rooms. Each floor has common rooms with cable TV and washrooms with showers.
Hedden Hall is HOT TO GO! H-O-T-T-O-G-O!
Pros:
- Proximity - Close to Commons Market Place, Basket Ball courts, Gym and Arts Quad
- Bathrooms - one person use only: shared by both genders but only one person uses the bathrooms at a time and they can be locked so you're not disturbed.
- Common rooms - spacious well kept common rooms
- Newer building - built in 1991
- 2 elevators
- Has AC
Cons:
- Proximity - Farther away from center core.
Les Prince:
Les Prince is the newest residence built in 2006 and houses 390 students on 6 floors. Les Prince has singles and doubles with personal washrooms. Common rooms are coloured by floor and all include a kitchen and cable TV.
We walk around, we walk around, its FAR! eee! eee! It's FAR! eee! eee!
Pros:
- Cone (affectionately known as Connie) the elevator that talks to you.
- Bathrooms are personal
- Rooms are fairly spacious and long
- Close to the David Braley Athletic Center (DBAC)
- Newer built residence
- Has AC
Cons:
- On the edge of campus means a far walk to Center Core
- White brick walls have a jail effect if not decorated
- Windows do not open completely
West Quad:
Deep inside the West Quad Jungle, you can hear the West Quad rumble! *followed by animal noises*
Mary Keyes:
Built in 2003 Mary Keyes is the only suite style residence on campus and houses 280 students. Each suite includes 4 bedrooms, two bathrooms, a common area and kitchen. 6 of Mary Keyes’ suites are completely wheelchair accessible.
Pros:
- Suit style includes two bathrooms
- Cables comes with your residence fees
- Large common rooms and study rooms with whiteboards.
- Close to Bridges and you don’t even have to leave your res to go to the Bistro or the My Mac store.
- Close to GO Bus Platform
Cons:
- Harder to meet people (since everyone is in their own suites)
- Not as many first years as other residences
- Far from Commons (Bridges/Bistro aren’t open on the weekends)
- Most expensive
Matthews:
Built in 1965 Matthews houses 288 students on 4 floors. Matthews has singles, doubles and triple rooms. Each floor has a common room with cable TV and a kitchen.
Pros:
- Huge quad rooms
- Large games room in the basement
- Big screen TV in games room
- Themed floors (Wellness House and Halcyon [silent] House)
- Monkey Cheers and the OOOOO SNAP!
Cons:
Moulton:
Built in 1961 Moulton Hall houses roughly 234 students with singles, doubles, triples and quad rooms. Common rooms are located on each floor with cable TV and washrooms with showers. The basement and first floor are used as all-female if there is a demand for it.
Pros:
- EMR (big common room in the basement)
- Piano on each floor
- Common rooms on each floor are large
- Lobby waiting area for guests and socializing
- Elevator
- Wide hallways
- Close to Bridges and the Bistro
- MoMaWa Circle
- Big storage areas in rooms
- Wheelchair accessible!
Cons:
- Small number of laundry facilities for the size of the residence
Wallingford:
Built in 1930 Wallingford is the sister-residence of Edwards Hall. While Edwards is no longer an all male residence Wallingford remains the only all female residence on campus with 76 students on 3 floors. There is one common room with cable TV and kitchens on the first and second floors.
Heeey Wally! Hey Baby!
Pros:
- All female residence (despite popular belief it’s not a residence filled with Daddy’s Girls)
- Tea Room
- One of the original six buildings built in the 1930’s
- Large rooms and large storage in closets
Cons:
- No carpeting in bedrooms
- Communal bathrooms
- No elevator... but it’s only 3 floors
Bates:
Built in 1973 Bates is the only apartment style residence on campus. Bates houses 501 students on 5 floors. Apartments have 2, 4 or 6 students with a common area, kitchen, toilet room and shower room. Games rooms and study rooms are located in the basement. Bates also has two elevators.
Pros:
- Apartments - common areas are shared with only your room mates and not the entire floor
- Cable - comes with your residence fees so all you need is a TV!
- Bathrooms - are just for you and your room mates and the shower is seperate from the toilet so you don't have to do the pee-pee dance while your roomie is in the shower
- Kitchens - comes with regular stove and oven, fridge, sink and counter tops, cuboard space. Bring your own pots, pans, utensils etc and you make practically all your meals from the comfort of your residence!
- Room - You still have roomies but you get your own personal space that you can retreat to when needed. Your personal room comes with its own key so you can lock it up when you leave if you feel the need.
- Games rooms/Study Rooms - Huge study and games rooms
- Share your Res with the MSU Pres (Presidential Suit located in Bates)
- Close to Bistro/Bridges
- Elevator and Wheelchair accessible
Cons:
- No public bathrooms - If you gotta go... do so before you leave your apartment, there are no communal bathrooms that you can quickly go to
- Floor dynamic - Being in an apartment makes it a tad harder to have a united floor dynamic because there are no floor specific communal common rooms where people watch TV, play games and socialize together
- Narrow Halls
- Bad Layout
- Unidentified Mascot that is apparently a bear but looks more like an aardvark
- No AC
- The front door is actually the back which has a weird button you have to press before the door will unlock.
- You have to bring your own microwave
- You have to pay for your own toilet paper!
Thanks to the following people who helped compile this article:
Danielle
Drew
Eva
Sam
This article is a re-post of
an article in our Res & Off-Campus Living archive.
