As the buses roared away from Robert Purcell Community Center, students excitedly chatted amongst themselves. Last Sunday, Residential Student programming  had their tour of on-campus housing for rising sophomores. As a bus took me and 20 other freshmen to West Campus, I had high hopes and expectations for what my housing might be next year. At Noyes Recreation Center there was a colorful display of pamphlets, free tote bags and notebooks which students could grab as they departed on tours of the various West Campus houses. Although the formal information sessions and pamphlets were helpful enough, I found that the most pertinent and important information — best food, quietest buildings, etc. — could only be attained first hand from friends on West Campus who had already gone through the housing lottery process.

On the day I was assigned my lottery number, I was excited to see that I was scheduled about halfway through the first day of sophomore selection. Being in the top third of time slots for selecting housing didn’t seem too shabby, until I learned that my time wasn’t as glorious as I thought. Because of scheduling system, even students with ostensibly “good” times could have a rude awakening on housing selection day. After having talked to myriad upper classmen and residential programming officials, there’s no way to know exactly when West Campus housing will fill up, but I got the sense that you would need to be within the first two or three hours. If you plan to claim a suite for you and several friends on West Campus, then you’d better be within the first 40 minutes of the housing lottery. I for one found this to be a huge disappointment, seeing as I fit neither category.

That being the case, I thought I might go where few freshmen ventured: 122 McGraw Place, once the Sigma Alpha Epsilong fraternity house, and Schuyler house (pause for gasp of horror), the ultimate pariah of “on-campus” housing.

122 McGraw Place turned out to be much cleaner and larger than I expected. I suppose I had in mind the image of a crowded fraternity house, but certainly the house was far from it. The rooms looked very similar to any other campus room (with the standardized carpet and furniture) although I’d say they were significantly larger. Any male occupants are guaranteed a single, and females can have singles or doubles. The walk to West campus is comparable (if not shorter) than the walk one would have to make from Cascadilla or Sheldon Court. The common spaces were far superior to the common spaces you’d find in most on-campus housing (a tribute to the building’s former use as a fraternity). Despite all of these positives, the property didn’t seem to be a popular stop for students.

Though I had toured West Campus with a crowd of 20 excited fellow freshmen, I toured 122 McGraw with a unenthusiastic group of three. Given everything I saw at 122 McGraw, I think this lack of interest is unfounded, and hope that others with high lottery numbers will discover this secret as well.

Finally I made my way down to Schuyler House. Oh poor Schuyler house, how unloved you are. On a bus crammed with students, only myself and one other student exited the bus to take a house tour. You’d have thought we just got dropped off at the island of the lepers. I for one think it is unfortunate that Schuyler house is stuck with its status as a pariah among housing. The hallways were more than twice as wide as the Collegetown properties and public areas seemed much better than those in Sheldon Court or Cascadilla. The RA that greeted us was more than friendly. I was able to see a double, single and super single,  all which seemed very spacious. As I’m sure many of you know, Schuyler house is notoriously one of the furthest away of “on campus” housing and therefore is not the most popular pick among students. Although this is a big deterrent, I think that the many positives of Schuyler house are often overlooked. Considering that residents are given free bus passes, the only major complaint I would have had would be the inaccessibility to dining halls. But then again, if you’re living in Schuyler, you’re not a freshman and can get whatever limited meal plan you’d like. Collegetown or the Commons are always just a short step away.

If I took just a few things away from the Housing Expo, it would be that the weak interest in 122 McGraw and Schuyler seem like a shame. Both of these housing units generally seemed superior to the Collegetown properties. Not only were they quieter and provided larger rooms, they just generally had a healthier, less claustrophobic, and more open atmosphere. So for all those unlucky students who are realizing their lottery numbers might not be as good as they first thought, and West Campus appears as though it’s slipping further and further away, don’t rule out those two properties over Collegetown just yet.

Jon Miller is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. He may be reached at jlm499@cornell.edu. Northern Exposure, a column from the perspectives of alternating members of the Class of 2015, appears alternate Fridays this semester.