Which Residence is Right for You?

When I was accepted to the university, I had two thoughts. First, I knew immediately that I was going to accept my Offer of Admission. Then I thought, “Well, where am I going to live?” As I was moving to Toronto from Montreal, I knew that it was very likely for me to be accepted into residence, but I wasn’t sure which one would suit me best. Each residence building, Pitman Hall (PIT), the International Living & Learning Centre (ILLC), and Daphne Cockwell Complex (DCC) has its own offering of housing styles, meal plans, and accommodations. Here’s a quick overview of each one and what they have to offer, along with my personal experience in residence and a few tips!

I lived in Pitman Hall, as I heard that it was a very social building when I was applying for residence. In the end, your residence experience is what you make of it, and any of these buildings can offer you chances to make new friends. As I valued my privacy, I chose a single room, and Pitman is set up so that the single rooms are set up in sections of eight-10 on each floor. With common space and shared bathrooms within these smaller floor sections, it is designed for residents of single rooms to interact with each other. This was a great experience for me as I became very close with the people on my floor. But, there were many other ways to meet people in residence as well. Each floor in the building has a common room with couches, tables, a TV and a laundry room. Our floor, the eighth, also had a separate kitchen/dining room as most of the rooms were singles with no kitchens.

We were also offered many other opportunities to interact with people on other floors and in other room styles. While my floor was mainly made up of single rooms, meant for one student, I made many friends in apartment-style rooms, consisting of four-five bedrooms, a full kitchen and two bathrooms; or paired rooms, comprising of two separate bedrooms, a common area and a shared bathroom. While these rooms were more rare, I also knew a few people that lived in double rooms - one large room with two beds and desks. These types of rooms are often found in a section of single rooms and the residents use the shared bathrooms and kitchen spaces.

ILLC actually used to be a hotel before it was converted into a residence building for the university, so it is highly desirable for a few reasons. First, the single rooms are larger in size than those in Pitman Hall and have larger beds. Next, each room has an en-suite bathroom. If you are in a single room, you don’t have to share at all. In a double room, you need only share with one other person, your roommate. Each floor has a common room with cable TV, couches, workspaces and a laundry room. They also each have a kitchenette for when you want to make a quick meal instead of going down to the cafeteria, located on the ground floor.

DCC is the newest residence building on campus, and actually opened the year after I left residence. However, I have heard nothing but amazing things from the people who have lived there! While DCC also acts as an academic building, the residences start on the eighth floor. Every room in this residence is apartment-style, meaning that whether they are two-bedroom or four-bedroom units, they all have a lounge area, a kitchen and a bathroom or two for the roommates to share. Because each room already has its own lounge area, the common rooms are only on every second floor in DCC. Laundry is also more centralized, with a large laundry room located on the eighth floor for all residents to share. This residence building is also great because of its added study space. On every other floor there is a study lounge, meaning you don’t have to make the trek to the library or Student Learning Centre to have a peaceful study session.

Each residence requires its students to have a meal plan (opens in new window) . The dining halls are each located on the ground floor of Pitman Hall and ILLC, and can be accessed at any point of the day during opening hours. Residents also get flex dollars with their meal plans, to be used at many of the campus eateries, including DCC Market, Ted’s Kitchen (located in the Ted Rogers School of Management Building), Balzac’s on Gould Street and the Starbucks located in the Student Learning Centre.

Residence was one of my favourite parts of my university experience. I met many of my friends there, got to know Toronto by living right downtown and made a home for myself. You can apply to residence (opens in new window)  once you’ve received your offer of admission. If you are not currently eligible for residence, take a look at the housing alternatives (opens in new window)  that the Housing & Residence Life Office has to offer!