Ward Hall or McKean? Which one is better? Well, that depends on who you ask. I, myself, am in Ward Hall. As much as I love the hardwood floors and the perfect window glass, sometimes I just want to turn the volume on my Jambox to maximum and rock out like the true college student I am. Is this possible in Ward? Yeah, sure, if I want to “disturb quiet hours” and receive sketchy looks from my neighbors. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love quiet hours. They are great when you are actually trying to sleep. But, when it is 11:00 pm on a Saturday night what is the harm in leaving your door open and your speakers up so all I can hear are the glamorous chords of my favorite Kanye/Jay-Z song “No Church in the Wild?”
Although I do not live in McKean, most of the time I honestly wish I did. I am not a hardcore partier, but can’t a fun-loving girl–such as myself–find a happy medium? They say the grass is always greener on the other side, but differing personalities definitely show some “dorm patriotism.” According to Andrew Hauser, a diehard McKean fan and resident, thinks that, “McKean has more people, so you’re always meeting new people that you haven’t met yet.” On the other hand, Ward resident Deanna Loew is Team Ward Hall all the way. She claims, “At Ward, you get the best of both worlds. You can go to McKean to hang out and be loud, but when you want to sleep, Ward is the place.”
Like I said, I am a resident of Ward Hall and as much as I love the loud bass in McKean, when I have to get up at 5:30 am for swim practice I guess I do savor quiet hours. Ward has amazing bathrooms, too; I don’t have to stare at a giant urinal every time I go to take a shower. (Yeah, that could get old quickly!) So I can honestly say that Ward is a pretty nice place to be.
However, in a perfect world, I would live in Ward on the weekdays and move into McKean on the weekends. Quiet hours are great, but who likes getting yelled at for carrying a speaker around like it’s a gun? Nope, not me. Dallas Brock, another McKean resident, sums it up like this: “While Ward Hall may have features comparable to those of a Disney Resort, McKean has spirit and individuality that will forever be unmatched.”
If someone else was writing this article, they might say that Ward is the place to be on campus, but a music lover and high-energy girl like me would have to disagree. Both have pros and cons. I would take spirit over hardwood floors any day, but I do enjoy my sleep (especially on nights before swim practice). If you ever want to get some sleep, quiet hours are very strict over here in Ward, so you won’t have to worry about the noise. Ever.
The opinions on this page do not necessarily reflect those of The Sandspur, its staff or Rollins College.
Be First to Comment