When individuals think of living in a dorm, they may picture lofted beds, cramped hallways and nights up studying. That’s not entirely true of the residence halls at Iowa State.

Nights up studying aren’t uncommon, but the items that dorms provide students to have some fun may go unnoticed.

Whether it’s a shared game room or lounge areas for comfortable socialization or studying, each residence hall has their own items and events that create a sense of community among the fellow residents.

Maple-Willow-Larch, voted by students in 2017 as the best place to live on campus, is known well for their hall events. Whether it be football-watching parties in the fall or free doughnuts and coffee during dead week, these events attract a wide variety of students.

Maple resident Iryl Bacdayan, sophomore in biochemistry, said that her favorite part of living in Maple is the hall events.

“Whether it’s floor meetings or movie nights that include free pizza from Jeff’s, I really enjoy living in Maple,” Bacdayan said.

Various halls, including Eaton, Friley, Helser and Martin, have lounge areas and study rooms where students can go to get work done. For Eaton, laundry is offered on each floor, while Helser hall is only minutes away from State gym.

The newest residence hall is Geoffroy Hall. The main floor of Geoffroy includes 15 study rooms, an activity room and a lounge, according to the Department of Residence website. The hall also features a computer lab, a benefit for students who may be unable to provide their own laptop for classes.

Wallace and Wilson, commonly referred to as towers, feature a basement gym and game rooms. The game rooms include traditional games such as pool, as well as video games.

Wallace and Wilson also have a movie room, where students can go to relax and meet up with friends.

Wallace resident Alexis Dietz-Noel, sophomore in elementary education, said the basement gym helps her manage schoolwork and personal health.

“With the gym in the basement of the building, it’s hard to find excuses to not go,” Dietz-Noel said.

Oak-Elm are the two all-female dorms on campus. Each hall features common spaces for socialization, while Conversation dining hall in the basement, which is often used for floor dinners and bonding.

Buchanan features nine floors and is the only dorm that features both single and double suites. These halls share private bathrooms, and provide kitchenettes, which are often used for house meetings and bonding sessions for the residents.

Halls such as Linden use their floor space to take students out of their comfort zone. Brother and sister floors are featured in Linden which include students buddying up to navigate through their first or second year at Iowa State.

Barton-Lyon-Freeman is known for their activities that take place outside of the hall, including the annual ski trip at Sleepy Hollow in Des Moines. Barton and Lyon also feature two of the Honors Houses on campus, where honors students live and participate in the learning community.

Birch-Welch-Roberts are the all-male dorms on campus. The three halls are known for their sports participation and inclusive environment, offering some of the largest floor plans on campus.

Students over the age of 19 have the option to live in the Memorial Union. These individuals have the building at their fingertips; whether you’re looking to have a movie night, or need to attend a lecture for extra credit, the Memorial Union has it all.

No matter where a student chooses to live on campus, a comfortable and entertaining environment will be found.