As my first year at Drexel is coming to a close, I thought it would be helpful to create a guide for incoming freshmen to help them better navigate the process of choosing the right Drexel Residence Hall for them. Going into the housing selection process as an incoming freshman, I had no idea as to what housing style I was looking for, what kinds of amenities I wanted/needed, what part of campus I wanted to be near, and whether I wanted to be part of a Living Learning Community (LLC). I put off thinking about these important aspects of housing until the last possible second (literally the day housing applications were due), so, at the very least, I hope this review will get you to start thinking about your preferences so that you can eventually make a well-informed housing decision.
With the exception of students living within a 10-mile radius of University City campus, all first-year students must live in one of the eight Drexel Residence Halls: Bentley Hall, Caneris Hall, Kelly Hall, Millennium Hall, North Hall, Race Street Residencies, Towers Hall or Van Rensselaer. In this guide, I will be discussing each residence hall in terms of students’ most prevalent housing preferences/concerns: housing style, location, date of last renovation and LLCs.
Housing Style
Each Drexel Residence Hall offers one of two housing styles: traditional dorm rooms or suites.
Traditional Dorm Rooms — Bentley, Kelly, Millennium, Towers
The dorm rooms accommodate two people and their amenities include two beds, two desks and chairs, two closets and an AC unit. On each floor of these residence halls are two sets of communal bathrooms, along with a few full private bathrooms (with the exception of Towers, which only has communal bathrooms). Additionally, each building has a limited number of ‘community kitchen’ areas — Bentley only has one, Kelly has one on every other floor, while Millennium and Towers have kitchens on almost every floor. Finally, each of these residence halls has a laundry room with washers and dryers that service the whole building.
Suite-Style — Caneris, North, Race, Van Rensselaer
Suites can be likened to ‘mini-apartments’ and they accommodate anywhere from three to six people (generally with two people per room). Each room in a suite is about the same size as a dorm room, maybe a little smaller, and has the same amenities as a dorm room. Additionally, each suite is equipped with a bathroom. Just like the buildings with traditional dorm rooms, the suite-style buildings have several community kitchens and a centrally located laundry room.
Location
All the residence halls are clustered together between 32nd St. and 34th St., placing them within close proximity of the Urban Eatery Dining Hall and the numerous restaurants on Lancaster Ave. Out of the eight halls, Caneris is closest to Drexel’s academic buildings (which makes getting to class less of a hassle), while Van Rensselaer is the furthest away.
Date of Construction / Last Complete Renovation
Newly constructed or renovated residence halls tend to have more modern appliances, more spacious layouts and better-functioning amenities. Here’s a list of the construction dates/latest renovation dates for each residence hall (starting with the most recent):
Kelly — reopening in Fall 2023 after expansion and complete renovation
Bentley — completely renovated in 2019
Millennium — opened in 2009
Race — opened in 2007
Caneris — opened in 2000
North — opened in 1999
Towers — opened in 1986
Van Rensselaer — opened in 1931
LLCs
Living Learning Communities (LLCs) are located in certain residence halls (or specific floors of residence halls). With LLCs, students from the same academic programs are able to live close together, which can be a great opportunity for students to make lasting friendships and get to know people from their academic discipline. Currently, the Honors LLC is located in Bentley Hall, while the Biomedical Engineering LLC, College of Computing & Informatics LLC, College of Nursing & Health Professions LLC, Engineering LLC, First-Year Exploratory Studies LLC, Liberty Scholars LLC, and the LeBow College of Business LLC are all located in Millennium Hall.
I hope this review was helpful for anyone trying to pick the right residence hall for them! I know that sifting through endless Drexel Housing Reddit threads can get overwhelming, so hopefully this guide alleviates some of the stress that comes with this process. Here is a life-saving step-by-step guide to completing your housing application, and here is a detailed look at the amenities of each residence hall. Be sure to regularly check your email to keep up with housing and roommate selection deadlines. Can’t wait to see you all in the Fall!