St John’s University-New York Top Questions

Describe the dorms.

Natalie

I love my dorm. Donovan Hall, where I live, is different from all of the other dorm halls because instead of having suite-style rooms (which consist of five or so rooms in one suite, connected by a common area), I'm in traditional, door-to-door rooms. I'm connected to an adjoining room by a bathroom/shower, which I share with five other girls. It gets kinda crazy with so many people in one building, but you'll find that in any college dorm. My room is big--I have my own closet, unbunked (thank god) bed, and desk. The walls are thin so it's easy to hear EVERYTHING that's going on in neighboring rooms, but it's not bad and people are nice. No wi-fi, but they provide you with ethernet/cable cords.

Jordan-Ivana

usually really spacious but it depends where you live they are all furnished with a kitchen and bath

Aysha

The dorms are cozy. Most buildings are suite style complete with a living area and bathroom(s). Usually there are 1-4 people in a room, a lounge on each floor, and free laundry is always available in the basement.

Vinny

There's various types of dorms on campus, but not that much space for everyone. The only on campus dorm I lived in was the Manhattan campus, which I thought was a great experience. It's in TriBeCa and the area is beautiful. The on campus townhouses in Queens are awesome, too, though. I wish I could've lived there!

Erin

Most dorms at St. John's are actually very nice. They are all air conditioned and other than on the Manhattan campus there are no communal bathrooms. The typical freshman dorm is suite style - doubles, singles, and triples are all grouped together around a common room with couches and microwave and two bathrooms. The worst dorm as far as space goes for a freshman would be Donovan hall. The rooms are either triples or quads paired together across a bathroom. However, the lack of space is by far made up for by the friendships made in this building. The atmosphere is fun and there is always something going on. Every freshman wants to live in Donovan, despite having bunked beds and sleeping practically with your nose rubbing on the ceiling. As for the other dorms, many are suite style. There are beautiful townhouses for juniors and seniors located in the middle of the campus. There are also a few off campus apartments owned by the school that are really nice because you don't have to go through the hassle of a landlord and there is no public safety (like with the townhouses, too). The biggest downside of the dorms is the visitation policy - everyone has to be swiped in and no one of the opposite sex can be swiped in over night (the dorms are coed so there are ways around this for the determined student). The upside of public safety is that students do always say they feel safe on campus.

Ajia

The dorms are very large and have a diverse group of students within the building. From the inside the floors have an L shape to them with 5 or 6 suites on one side and the other. The freshman dorms are gender oriented by floor but the upperclassmen dorms have one floor that is half boys and half girls. Each floor has two Resident Assistants and they help students transition from living at home to living with strangers without their parents being around. They also try to help students adjust to independent responsibilities. Each suite has a common area for all of the suitemates to spend time together and they are all responsible for keeping that area clean. At the end of the hall is another common area/lounge for everyone in the building to either study or enjoy time with friends. Each building has a kitchen usually located on the 5th floor. It has a refrigerator and freezer but anything left in there or in any lounge can be taken if left unattended. Its up to the suitemates if they would like to leave their door open. There is no official rule that says its prohibited unless you're making loud noises during quite hours.

Melissa

There are a number of dorms for freshmen, sophmore, junior, and senior. Freshmen dorms consists of four buildings, DaSilva, Donovan, Hollis, and St. Vincent hall. These are located on campus close to the library and dinning facility for easy and quick access. Entrance to any of these buildings consist of swiping your storm card which is your identification. It is same sex by floor. The buildings consists of wireless access in all lounges, kitchen lounge, game room lounge, TV lounge, study lounges, and laundry room in basement (free for residents). Inside the bedrooms you have cable and internet connection. A bed with a mattress, desk with a chair, dresser and closet space, and student controlled heating and air conditioning units. You can share a room or have one to yourself these are different costs. I reccomend having a roommate, it is a good way to meet people and make new friendships. They are clean and basic, it has the necesities that every college student needs.

Teresa

The on campus dorms lack kitchen space and common area space. The off-campus dorms are much nicer, and some have single rooms available .

Alexa

The dorms vary depending on building. My freshman year, I dormed in Hollis Hall and loved it. The suite had two triples and two singles and a common area between the two. There is also a lounge on each floor, perfect for studying or relaxing and watching some TV. Some dorms are more like communities than others, with many freshmen claiming that Donovan Hall is the most open, welcoming, and the best for forming bonds with a building. The townhouses are the nicest option, though only open to outstanding students and upperclassmen. These are beautiful on the outside AND inside, though have a similar set-up as the rest of the dorms. The heat and air conditioning can sometimes be a problem - with the heat not coming on early enough in the winter - but it is not a huge problem. Also, the rooms are somewhat bleak, but with posters and your own flair, they are comfortable and cozy.

Alexa

The dorms vary depending on building. My freshman year, I dormed in Hollis Hall and loved it. The suite had two triples and two singles and a common area between the two. There is also a lounge on each floor, perfect for studying or relaxing and watching some TV. Some dorms are more like communities than others, with many freshmen claiming that Donovan Hall is the most open, welcoming, and the best for forming bonds with a building. The townhouses are the nicest option, though only open to outstanding students and upperclassmen. These are beautiful on the outside AND inside, though have a similar set-up as the rest of the dorms. The heat and air conditioning can sometimes be a problem - with the heat not coming on early enough in the winter - but it is not a huge problem. Also, the rooms are somewhat bleak, but with posters and your own flair, they are comfortable and cozy.

Samantha

On the St. John's Staten Island campus there are not classified dorms for students. They are given apartments that are located off campus, and are owned by the university. They are either studios, two, or three bedroom apartments in which the students are placed into. They are fully furnished and neatly kept.

Benjamin

Well, it really depends on your residence hall. My dorm, donovan hall, is not exactly an ideal living situation. i have three roommates and share a bathroom with another room across the hall. this can be difficult at times, and living in such closed quarters can cause some inevitable conflicts. Socially, my dorm is also not what one expects of college. there aren't any parties here, partly because of the strict housing policies that St. John's has such as: no alcohol, no off campus guests after midnight, and no resident guests after three. But also, Donovan hall is where all pharmacy majors are required to live, and the pharmacy program here is very serious and quite difficult so most residents are studying all of the time and don't have time for any of the frivolous pleasures that the rest of campus enjoys. However, Donovan hall is not the only dorm on campus. Hollis and Dasilva halls are located right across the main campus path, and boast a common room which is basically a living room, two bathrooms, and two single bedrooms, and a triple bedroom for each side. These two halls basically have fully furnished apartments for living quarters, with tons of space to study. These two resident halls are also filled with the animal-house style parties one would equate with college. I remember the first week about six ambulances showed up to Hollis carting away students who had a few too many drinks. My experience is limited though. i can only describe the freshman residence halls.