So you're coming to Oregon State, and you want to know which hall you should live in? Our very scientific quiz below will help you determine which hall is the best fit for you.

  

Do you want to live with other Beavs who share a common interest, passion, or academic focus?

Which direction are you even heading with your life?

You’re in luck. There are a lot of ways for you to live and learn together, in a cohort of other Beavs with shared interests or academic goals. Take a look at our Living-Learning Communities and Special Interest Communities. Some of these are focused around an academic major, so you can live side-by-side with people who are most likely taking the same classes as you. If your major has an associated LLC, you might want to make that community your first request.

Other communities are built around a shared identity or common interest. Explore your options and see if there’s an LLC or SIC that sounds like a community you want to call home.

Keep in mind that you’re about to join a community called Beaver Nation, where you’ll find a home, no matter which hall you live in. When you live on campus, you’ll be surrounded by other Beavs from all over the world, who are all going through the same big experience – starting college – together. If none of our LLCs or SICs speaks to you, that’s fine. Keep going and think about some other ways you can narrow down your hall preferences.

  
Do you have a roommate in mind already?

Roommates! Look how much fun it is to have a roommate!

Great! Does your roommate know where THEY want to live? If your roommate is passionate about a certain community, then why not go along with their top requests? Just make sure that when our online roommate matching system opens this spring that you confirm each as other roommate matches. You should also make sure you list the same hall preferences they do on your housing application. (Even if you've already applied for housing, you can log in and edit your hall preferences at any time up until June 5, 2021).

If neither of you knows where you want to live, that's fine--there are a lot of other ways to choose between halls.

That's fine! If you want to select your own roommate, you can participate in online roommate matching (check our Important Application Dates page to see the time period when roommate matching is open). The two of you can communicate about what halls you're both interested in. Just make sure that you and your potential roommates are both interested in the same communities.

  
How do you feel about cleaning bathrooms?

Look how clean her bathroom is. She takes this seriously.

Some of our residence halls have semi-private bathrooms, where two or more bedrooms share an en-suite bathroom.

  • Pros of this set-up: You only share your bathroom with the people who live in your suite, and if you need to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, it's a little bit closer.
  • Cons of this set-up: UHDS custodial staff don't clean private spaces, so you and your suitemates are responsible for cleaning your own bathroom. Good luck with that!

Halls that offer suites with semi-private bathrooms:

Many of our residence halls offer community-style bathrooms. These bathrooms are down the hall from your bedroom and are shared by other residents of the hall.

  • Pros of this set-up: Our professional custodial staff clean these bathrooms for you every day. You can just shower and go.
  • Cons of this set-up: The bathroom is down the hall, so you have to walk a little farther to get to the facilities.

Halls with community bathrooms:

  

Do you like to cook a lot?

Homemade hamburgers with grilled mushrooms and onions? YES.

Good for you! All of our residence halls have kitchens available 24/7 for students who want to cook some of their own food. You can even use your dining plan to purchase ingredients at our on-campus grocery store.

No two residence halls are exactly alike, and some residence hall kitchens have more workspace than others. Some even have kitchens on every floor. The following residence halls all have large and/or multiple kitchens for student use:

If cooking's not your thing, we've got you covered. Our professional chefs LOVE to cook and you'll find all kinds of different cuisine at our on-campus restaurants.

You can also stock up on snacks at our on-campus grocery store, and if you just don't have time to walk to the dining center, you can also use your dining plan to order food delivered straight to the door of your residence hall via one of our adorable food delivery robots.

  

How addicted to coffee are you?

One coffee = okay. Two coffees? Now we're talking.

You might want to live in a residence hall with a coffee shop in the building! Although rest assured, ALL of our residence halls are within an eighth of a mile of a coffee shop. (Yes, we measured. You're welcome).

Two of our residence halls have cafes on the ground floor of the residence hall:

All of our residence halls are really close to on-campus restaurants and coffee shops. In addition to the two listed above with a cafe on the ground floor of the hall, several additional residence halls are attached to dining centers with coffee shops inside:

All other residence halls are also within a short walk (an eighth of a mile or less) to coffee.

  

Do you think you'll bring a car to campus (and use it frequently)?

So many cars. Will one of them be yours?

All residents at Oregon State are eligible to bring cars to campus. They are required to purchase a resident zone parking permit and park in R-zoned lots. Some halls are close to parking lots, while others are a quarter-mile or more away from resident zone lots.

Halls that are close to resident zone parking lots:

The truth is, it's usually easier and more convenient to get around on campus on foot or bike. You do not need a car in Corvallis, especially if you're living on campus.

If you want to explore the rest of the city and the state, there are a lot of ways to travel without owning your own car. Oregon State offers student ZipCar memberships, there's a city transit system that's free to students, there are regular shuttles to regional airports, and you can even take a bus or train to the Oregon Coast or to cities around the Pacific Northwest.

Halls that are further from resident zone parking lots, for students who don't care about using a car frequently:

  

How organized are you?

This person has a binder AND a dictionary. So organized!

If having a place for everything and everything in its place is a dream come true for you, consider a hall that has lots of built-in shelves, cubbies and wardrobes.

Halls with built-in shelving and wardrobes:

  • Wilson
  • Callahan
  • Sackett (Honors College students and their roommates receive priority for placement in Sackett)

If organization isn't a priority for you, then any of our halls will work just fine. Rooms in every residence hall come with basic furniture included: bed, desk, chair, wardrobe, trash/recycle bins, and window coverings.

If you want to bring extra organization solutions (closet organizers, under-the-bed storage bins, a desk hutch...) then go for it! If that's not your strong suit, you can just dump everything in a big pile in the corner if you really want to. We won't tell your mom.

  

How often do you like to exercise?

These people are getting it done.

All students have access to excellent sports and fitness facilities on campus, but some residence halls are closer than others to our main exercise centers. If getting your daily dose of workout endorphins is critical, consider halls that are close to both Dixon Recreation Center and the intramural sports fields.

Oregon State's primary student fitness center, Dixon Recreation Center, is centrally located and all residence halls are within a few minutes' walk. Whether you choose to use it or not...totally up to you.

If playing sports or going to the gym's not your thing, Oregon State has a beautiful 422-acre campus with plenty of great pathways and trails for long walks, and there are lots of other clubs and organizations that offer creative ways to stay active (archery, ballroom dancing, and a unicycle club, to name a few).

  

Does your perfect weekend involve strolling to the Farmers Market?

You've reached new fashion heights when your shirt matches your produce.

Corvallis has a friendly, walk-able downtown with an outdoor farmers market in the fall, spring and summer. It's also full of restaurants, cafes, small independent shops, and a riverside walking path. If you like to get out and explore what the community has to offer, consider living on the east side of campus, with residence halls that are just blocks from downtown Corvallis.

Halls close to downtown:

If walking downtown isn't your thing, that's cool. We have an on-campus grocery store, several convenience stores, and even food delivery robots. You seriously never have to leave campus if you don't want to.

  

How big a Beavers fan are you?

Are you excited to meet Benny? He can't wait to meet you.

If cheering on the Beavs is your favorite pastime, you should definitely consider living on the south side of campus. South side residents are just steps away from live Pac-12 baseball, football, basketball, soccer, gymnastics and more, with Reser Stadium, Goss Stadium, and Gill Coliseum nearby. Bonus: The OSU Beaver Store is there too, so you can stock up all your orange and black essentials.

Residence halls close to sports venues:

If you're not that excited about organized athletics and you'd rather spend your weekends painting or playing video games or dancing or singing or watching anime or riding horses...fantastic.

The great thing about college is that no matter what you're into, you can find other Beavs who are into that too. Find a club that fits your passion.

   

How much time do you think you'll spend at the library?

This beautiful round room with the big windows? Yep,  it's in the library.

If research and quiet study time is your jam, pick a hall near the Valley Library. It's academic heaven: six floors with more than 1.4 million volumes, not counting magazines, maps, and other specialty documents. It's consistently ranked by students as the best place to study on campus, and it was named Library of the Year by the American Library Association in 1999--the first academic library to receive that honor.

There's a coffee shop on the ground floor, a free writing and research help center on the second floor, and comfy spots to study, read and relax throughout the building.

Halls within a quarter-mile of the Valley Library:

Here's the good news: you can search the Oregon State Libraries collection remotely, and there are cozy study spots all over campus. The Learning Innovation Center is close to west side residence halls, and the Beth Ray Center for Academic Support is close to south side residence halls. There are also study lounges inside every residence hall, if you like studying close to home.

The answer is: there is no wrong answer.

Each residence hall has unique features, and more importantly, unique communities. We consistently hear from students that the most important factor in their college experience is not the physical building they live in, but the connections they build within those walls.

If you still want tips on researching halls before you come to campus, here are more resources: