You may think that some places on grounds are better than others depending on which school you’re in, if you have a meal plan, or how many roommates you want but these would be my suggestions when taking in all factors. I believe that the pros outweigh the cons for all of these residential areas.
bond
To start off, Bond is relevantly new as it was built in 2019 when some of these housing residences have been around since the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. This alone is a reminder of how new all the appliances, furniture, and rooms are which can be really nice since everything is more efficient. It is also scary close to grounds where New Cabell hall is right up the street, close to the Rotunda, McIntire, the amphitheater, and it’s about a three minute walk from Nau/Gibson hall. That means I could leave my room 5 minutes before my class starts and still make it in time. Bond is also nice because you get a whole apartment meaning you have a kitchen and living room on top of all the lounges in the building.
What I appreciate most about bond is that it’s hall-style so you can still have an apartment but also have neighbors close by where everyone can access each other through the hallway. This can make it so much easier to meet people because other apartments on grounds like Faulkner or Copeley have doors that lead straight outdoors so people don’t really talk to their neighbors as much. This is also nice because there’s an elevator but other places on grounds only have stairs which can be a barrier during move-in.
Lastly, your laundry is indoors which is a huge privilege that many people across grounds don’t get. The only downsides to Bond is that it’s so hard to get because of how everyone wants to live there so it always gets filled up first and the rooms in the apartments aren’t as big as other places on grounds. However, it is still my number one.
lambeth
Next up would be Lambeth, which I will forever recommend. Lambeth is great in my opinion for reasons completely different from Bond but still very valid. However, keep in mind that when I am talking about Lambeth, I mean their three person apartments since I haven’t experienced their 4 person apartments but some points still apply to both. My first pro is that the room size is perfect and it comes with a full bed. That full bed lives in my head with how cozy it was.
In addition to that, the air conditioning system in each room is updated so they work so well and it will go as low as 68 degrees. This is a privilege because many places on grounds don’t go this low and don’t let you control the temperature how you like because UVA is trying to save money on AC so it will turn on and off randomly for periods of time which can be uncomfortable. Lambeth also has its own mailroom!! This is another privilege because many places like Copeley and Faulker have mailrooms outside of the residence area. For example, my friend lives in Copeley but she has to drive to Lambeth to pick up her mail, and when you have heavy mail, it’s incredibly difficult to walk that distance so you have to figure out transportation, which not everyone has access to.
Lambeth is also an amazing residence place because it literally has its own amphitheater which is so beautiful and brings the community together as people hang out there all the time and engage in activities with one another. Furthermore, Lambeth has a whole building in the middle of the residence area that has a small grocery store, vending machine, printing, tv’s, lounges, and study rooms. Location wise, Lambeth is so close to the Barracks road shopping center where the walk is so fun to go on with friends because it’s not too short but not long either. This makes it convenient for cooking since Lambeth has a kitchen, but it also has a dining table, a living room, a hallway with two closets, and two bathrooms.
Moreover, the location of Lambeth is right next to Greek life and right next to Mad Bowl so if you plan to go out, the walk is always so close that you can get to any party at any frat within 10 minutes of walking. This makes going out way more convenient especially if the weather is bad or cold. As for the cons, it might be a longer walk for some but I think that the walk isn’t too bad since it’s only around 19 minutes and the bus always passes by Lambeth at any time of the day so to me this doesn’t truly have an impact but the only thing I’ll say is that the walk to grounds is mostly uphill which can be tiring. Lastly, I don’t like how there aren’t any elevators because it can be hard to bring heavy things up. Other than those two things, Lambeth is perfect.
residential colleges: brown & the irc
Finally, my last recommendation would be the residential colleges but only Brown and the IRC. If you can get into Brown, I think you’re honestly living your best life. Newcomb dining hall is your neighbor and you could probably see Brown Library from your window if there wasn’t anything in the way. However, the IRC is still really close like you can see mem gym from your window and you are only a couple minutes from the bookstore with Alumni Hall being your neighbor as well. Also, the residential colleges have so many free events that offer free food and merch. They definitely make sure their residents are well fed for absolutely no cost. In general, residential colleges have a tight community where it can feel good to live there with support and friends all around you. These residential colleges also remind me of first year housing because you can live in the same room as someone else and it is hall-style. Moreover, they have many different lounges and game rooms for hang out spots. The only con I can think of for living at the IRC is that your mail room is all the way over at Page so you will also need to find transportation for heavy mail. The only con I can think of for Brown is that it can get noisy as everyone passes through and around Brown throughout the day because of school and night because people go out. Lastly, it can be hard to get in since you have to apply to live in residential colleges but they are open to all years.