Those freshmen living in Wolman should have realized how fortunate they are by now. They can kick on the AC while frosh in the AMRs sit three inches in front of their fans trying to get by on those muggy, September days.
Wolman offers frosh a quality of life unreachable in the AMRs. Wolman suites have kitchenettes, private bathrooms and larger rooms for all those late night needs. Wolman residents also have lounges equipped with couches and TVs with cable. The university tries to sell the idea that the AMRs are the "social dorms," but the lounges offer a cool place to hang out and enjoy the latest episodes of ER.
The kitchenettes in each suite are typical of two-star motels. A pint-sized refrigerator will keep milk at a lukewarm 50 degrees, and the range tops are known to spark from time to time. As with every other faucet in Wolman, the kitchen sink's hot and cold are reversed, and counter space is limited, at best. Despite all this, the kitchenettes are great for snacks between meals at Wolman Station. They expand meal equiv options to include foods that spoil - like milk and eggs - and provide a means to cook Ramen and other dorm room staples.
The food may be better at Terrace, but the convenience of Wolman Station is too much to pass up. Not only can Wolman students wear shorts to dinner in December, they can also sneak enough food out of Wolman Station to stock the fridge.
The Depot is a convenient place to meal equiv, but the prices are high and the hours are limited, particularly on weekends. At least it's there when Wolman Station is closed on Saturday. The Depot offers select, a-la-carte items like salads, yogurts, fresh bagels, and Starbucks coffee. And, um, that's all for this year, folks.
Unless you're meal equiving, go to RoFo right around the corner. It has better food - including Krispy Kreme Donuts - at better prices.
The basement of Wolman offers quite a few luxuries unknown to AMR frosh. The computer room has a standard range of PCs and Macs and offers free printing. The rec room is tiny, but the TV is a nice distraction during those 10K sessions on the treadmill, and the game room is great for hours of table tennis. A little-known pool room right across the street in McCoy rounds out the entertainment venues. One of the most frustrating aspects of Wolman is the frequent fire alarms. Last year, more than a dozen alarms were pulled, many in the middle of the night before a big exam. Most students learn to stay in their rooms, but ten minutes or so of automated evacuation instructions can be detrimental to sleep or study. Some fire alarms are pulled in celebration - many Ravens victories were celebrated shivering in front of McCoy - but most hit during midterms and finals.
The best thing about Wolman is the privacy. Most frosh still have roommates, but they have a suite of their own, a bathroom of their own and a kitchenette of their own. For you freshman stuck in the AMRs for the next year, Wolman will seem like a haven of quiet and solitude.
Wolman is much nicer than anything on the campus side of Charles, but it's still student housing. Life doesn't get all too great until you find an apartment your junior year, or get into Bradford or Homewood your sophomore year. Anyway, to you Wolman frosh, kick back, turn up the AC and enjoy a year of superior student housing.
