Best dorm?

Jordanj6502

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Jan 9, 2010
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Ames
I lived in Helser freshman year. It was good. No A/C meant everyone had their doors open all the time in the beginning of the year, so you get to know everybody pretty well.

Moved over to Friley with a group of guys sophomore year, and the rooms were bigger, and having A/C was nice, but it was not much better than Helser to be honest.
 

aforstate

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Jan 23, 2010
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How is it that so many of us lived in Helser? As dorms go, it isn't that big, especially after they tore part of it down.
 

aeroclone

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Oct 30, 2006
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Another Helser survivor here. The rooms were small, the place was old, the lack if ac sucked, but the community was great. I made a lot of awesome friends living there.
 

hexodat64

Active Member
Dec 5, 2011
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Minneapolis, MN
Another Helser survivor here. The rooms were small, the place was old, the lack if ac sucked, but the community was great. I made a lot of awesome friends living there.

Couldn't have said it any better. The lack of ammenties really made the community great. I would never chose to live there more than a year, but it really was a great experience being there for my freshman year
 

Jordanj6502

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Jan 9, 2010
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They tore down what would amount to a house per floor. Where the UDCC is now.
2275477736_c7b26d11d5.jpg
 

aforstate

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Jan 23, 2010
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Some dude on my floor had a tshirt with an aerial outline of Helser. It said "Helser Hall: The Pinnacle of 1950's Architecture." I thought it was kind of amusing. Cool story, I know.
 
C

CyBer

Guest
Some dude on my floor had a tshirt with an aerial outline of Helser. It said "Helser Hall: The Pinnacle of 1950's Architecture." I thought it was kind of amusing. Cool story, I know.

What year were you? Cuz I was there when we designed those shirts.
 

bostrem00

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Feb 23, 2009
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Des Moines
Another helser alum, had a great time, always thought the motto of helser was, "Built on asbestos and broken dreams" :jimlad:
 
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aforstate

Active Member
Jan 23, 2010
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What year were you? Cuz I was there when we designed those shirts.

I lived in Helser Elwood in '01 but I ran into a guy that lived there when I was there at a tailgate probably 3(?) years ago that had one of those shirts. I have no idea where he got it.
 

marothisu

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Jun 15, 2009
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NYC
Hey I'm heading to Iowa State and was just wondering what the best dorm is? For a standard double. Right now, my #1 option is Friley. I was just wondering if the huge size of it might be a bad thing possibly? Not sure what to think. I'd like to know some thoughts on Friley and/or other dorms. Thanks.

I only lived in Friley during my dorm days (two years), but Friley is massive. I honestly think it depends on what you're looking for and the "house" you get in.

My experience: First year I lived in one of the oldest sections of Friley with probably the smallest room in Friley (yeah, I looked at floor plans of Friley to figure that one out awhile ago). It was pretty comparable to the worst rooms in Helser that I saw. It was a piece of **** floor and old. Furthermore my roommate didn't wear deodorant and my small room constantly smelled of BO. However, my house was ******* awesome because of a lot of the people and I had an amazing time. The next year, I moved to one of the newer parts (I even had A/C!) and my floor was a bit more anti social and I had less fun.

So, yeah from my experience..the dorm experience is only as good as your neighbors and how tight you get with them. Honestly the 1st year was unforgettable with all the awesome neighbors. I'm still in weekly contact with probably 5 of those guys. The second year, on a top floor with AC..meh. Nothing big. Big deal. My neighbors blew and only a few actually talked to one another. It was lame.


About the size, it's not really an issue. At first, I got lost. I mean that's expected because Friley is massive with weird hallways in a few places. However, after awhile I learned my way around really well without much effort. All the shortcuts and stuff.

Tip: If you end up in Friley and don't live on the north side of it, and it's cold out..it is a really, really good idea to learn your way through the hallways to escape a few blocks of cold everyday.


I have been in a lot of other dorms too, like those suite ones near UDCC which were pretty new when I was there. They are "nice" but not luxurious by any means. For a college kid it's nice, but worth the money? IMO not really.
 
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marothisu

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Jun 15, 2009
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Oh and my house was near Domino's...which at the time you could get a medium cheese pizza on Friday and Saturday nights after 10pm for $2.99. Extra toppings were $1. Freshman 15 was awesome. Wonder if they still have that amazing deal..