After submitting senior housing applications by Oct. 31, many juniors on campus eagerly awaited the housing lottery. With the Cabrini campus opening next year, Villanova has said the current juniors will have unprecedented access to senior housing. Since the senior lottery opened Nov. 10, this seems like the perfect time to compare the Commons and West Campus–the two on-campus options for seniors. As someone who has lived in both sections of campus, I figure I’m qualified enough to assess the two. However, I must admit that I’m not really sure if one is particularly “better” than the other. It is one’s circumstances that may affect which is the preference.
Starting with location, both have their pros and cons. The Commons are in the middle of campus, so it’s pretty easy to get anywhere you want. If you’re in Friar or Hovnanian and have class in Bartley, you can leave your room with five minutes to spare and probably still be early. If you’re in McGuinn or Trinity and have class in Tolentine, you can also get there really quickly. If you want to go to Spit or Pit for dinner, they’re pretty much an equidistant walk. Essentially, everything besides West Campus is relatively close to the Commons, and you usually don’t have to walk more than 10 minutes to get somewhere.
On the downside, the Commons are right next to Lancaster Avenue, one of the busiest roads in the area. Somehow, no matter what time it is, there are always cars driving by. This causes a lot of noise throughout the day, and even though traffic calms down at night, you still have to be careful when crossing the street. If you need to run to Bartley or Wawa late at night, dealing with Lancaster can be quite annoying. On the (literal) flip side, there’s a train that runs right behind the Commons. If your room is too hot and you need to crack your window, you’ll hear that train go by all night long. These aren’t exactly the best sleeping conditions.
“Even though Commons housing is closer to Main Campus and Conn, I wish there were more food options within the Commons itself, especially on the weekends when I’m not on Main as much,” junior Emily Walsh said.
When I lived in the Commons my sophomore year, it became annoying having to walk everywhere for food rather than having something like St. Mary’s or Spit at within a few minutes. It sounds like such a minor complaint, but the inconvenience adds up over time.
Moving on to West Campus, I initially feared it would feel immensely far from everything on Main Campus. However, I’ve found that it’s much closer to the library, Mendel and John Barry than the Commons are. As someone who works in the Writing Center, I’m thankful to be so close to Falvey this year. On top of this, West Campus has St. Mary’s and Second Storey, two of the best eateries on campus, are close to the West dorms. While it’s technically the most isolated part of campus, I’ve found myself enjoying the isolation. No Lancaster, no annoying freshmen or sophomores, and, most importantly, the train station is far enough away that you don’t hear it in the middle of the night.
On the downside, while West Campus is close to a decent number of buildings on campus, it is quite far from Bartley, Mullen and even Conn. Also, if you, for some reason, want to go to South Campus, it’s probably a 20-minute walk. Depending on your circumstances, West Campus might not be the ideal location. It’s also annoying having to walk through the tunnel every day. For some reason, one section is always flooded, and some may find it hard to keep their shoes clean. The stairs also make the journey seem longer than it is. If I’m ever running late to class, the stairs certainly act as a workout.
When thinking about the actual rooms and aesthetic appeal, both sides also have their pros and cons.
“The Commons are just aesthetically pleasing overall,” senior Ava Felice said.
With the Commons being built in 2019, this is not surprising. The hallways and stairwells are definitely better quality, and the rooms themselves feel newer. The wooden bathroom floors and big showers are appealing, especially compared to West Campus’s ugly-tile bathrooms. The Commons rooms also have a big pantry to store food, something that West Campus lacks.
However, West Campus rooms feel more practical than the Commons. The kitchens and living rooms are laid out better, and the kitchen sink is actually full-sized unlike the Commons’ shallow ones. It sounds minor, but a shallow sink makes cleaning dishes a nightmare. The rooms also have consistently bigger windows. In the Commons, test your luck and see if you get a room with one of the bay windows. Otherwise, the windows are significantly smaller than West Campus, leaving one’s rooms dark and bleak.
Overall, there are pros and cons to both parts of campus. Truly, your preferences are what should dictate where you live. If you’re a VSB student with an aesthetic eye, choose the Commons. If you’re a CLAS student who prefers a quieter living situation, choose West Campus. Or do whatever you want. You’ll be fine in either.
