When it comes to Social Science, being able to visit your site is an important aspect into understanding what you are studying. For me,I decided to research the subculture of CCNY students who choose to dorm through their college years. Prior to my site visit to the CCNY Towers,I had never stepped foot into a dorm, but the visit actually opened my eyes to what dorms are really like. I have always seen dorms as a pointless waste of money but what I didn’t understand is that there actually is more to it than sitting on a twin sized bed with food containers piling in the corner. The CCNY Towers actually give students an opportunity to do better in school amongst other benefits.

When I first chose dorms as my subculture, I didn’t expect it to be so much work. Initially,I thought a call or email to a director of the Towers would suffice and immediately an arranged visit and interview would be set,but that wasn’t the case. Instead,I was met with disappointment when my expert for the subculture turned me down on both a tour and interview due to a clash with a co-owner regional manager of the Towers. Due to the fact I had lost my expert, I had to look elsewhere for experts in the dorm subculture and thankfully I had a couple of classmates willing to help. My expert then became my classmate Britney and she notified me that she would help me not only visit my site but would serve as my interviewee which was a huge help. After we exchanged numbers, we set a time to meet for the site visit and from there I was able to get in my field notes and get a true view of dorm life.

We decided to schedule the site visit the day prior to Spring Break and although it wasn’t the most ideal day, it was the one that worked for both our schedules. I decided to bring along a close friend, who is also a CCNY student, to help me observe just in case I missed anything, she would help refresh my mind. As we arrived on campus, the difficulty at hand was actually finding the Towers due to the fact neither of us had ever seen the building nor asked for the exact location. It was around noon and the day had taken on a very gray turn with rain filling the sky and glum looks on everyone’s face. We eventually found our way to the dorms and the walk was proven to be shorter than we initially thought. It happened to be a fast walk, about 8 minutes from campus to be precise which must be ideal for students living on campus. As we made our way there, I noticed not many students seemed to be outside or even making their way to the dorms, only about three people were on the same path as us. The path to the dorms was full of vast greenery and intricate craftsmanship including the architecture buildings, gardens and nice seating areas for students to relax. We eventually made it to the large grey building and I was surprised with how modern and big the building actually was. It looked very welcoming with benches on the side of the entrance, bike racks, and even a small garden with flowers in mid bloom. I had called Brittney down and the visit had officially begun.

When we first entered the building I noticed that the use of a keycard by a Tower resident must be used in order to go through the door which notified me that security must be tight in the dorms. The keycard was also needed in order to get through the turnstiles and reach the front desk to check in which seemed a bit extreme but once again, it was good for the safety of residents. Through my research, I came to the conclusion that most dorms require such high security in order to prevent robberies and in possible extreme cases, shooters. Once at front desk, I took in the worker’s inviting warm smile as she began signed us in which gave me time to take in the first floor. It was painted a bright purple with posters all over the wall as well as couches to the side and a large lounge with a pool table, a ping pong table and a vast amount of chairs placed around small tables. Regardless of the clouds outside, the first floor had a very welcoming energy,and I can only assume on a regular day it must be fun to take some time to relax there. After my quick assessments of the first floor, Brittney led us to the elevators to continue the tour of the building.

The first stop of the tour was Brittney’s shared room with her roommates. She had notified us that the room she was staying in was the cheaper option for students who choose to dorm. The room is shared among four roommates and cost about $12,000 per year per person. Although it does seem pricey, the students are getting the best out of it since the amenities of the Towers are included. When we reached the sixth floor where Brittney lives, I noticed that it was painted a bright pink which was a contrast to the purple on the first floor. She then told me each floor was painted different colors due to the fact each semester brings about a new theme with it. For the spring semester, their theme was Disney characters and as part of the theme each resident had their names placed on the door alongside a Disney character. I found this to be a great idea because it helps students remain happy and feel like an important part of their community; it brings about positivity that can possibly help out students during the semesters. The room itself was a decent size for two people to share and included a nice sized bed and desks as well. The first thing I saw was a counter with a sink and mirror which served as a beauty area or a bathroom area of sorts which then leads to the rest of the room. Each resident has their own desk, a closet, and drawer space for all of their belongings as well as being allowed to decorate their side of the room. For instance, Brittney’s roommate had science posters on her side while Brittney placed more personal things such as photos of her family and friends on her side. Being able to decorate the way students please is a good idea in my opinion because it allows for a more comfortable living situation away from home. Even though most students may become adjusted, there are those who struggle.They may feel homesick or have a hard time developing friendships which may lead to them ultimately leaving the college or just the dorms. Although some students may adjust in the same way as  others , they eventually find a way to settle in. The idea of moving into a dorm was tough for me to understand at first, but I eventually understood more as the tour progressed. As we moved through the rest of the room, the kitchen and bathroom were both brought into sight. While the kitchen was a good size, the bathroom was on the smaller side,however, it doesn’t seem to be an issue for Brittney and her roommates although they did wish the sink was in the bathroom instead of outside. I was able to take pictures of the room to further my site visit and from there we moved on the amenities included with the residency.

Before we visited the amenities, we briefly saw each floor of the building. It came to my attention that each floor had different themes as mentioned,but some also included lounges and each floor was plastered with posters regarding student life. What I liked in particular was that each poster was different and spoke on events occurring on campus while also focusing on bigger issues such as LGBTQ acceptance or global warming. Some posters also included the “quiet hours” for the floors while also notifying where the trash room or vending machines were. I also admired that the top two floors of the dorms were known as quiet floors in which noise was kept to a minimum for students who lived there allowing for better studies or just for personal comfort. After visiting the other floors, we made our way back to the first which included a gym, a laundry room, seminar room, and even a music room. We began in the gym which was small but included a decent amount of machinery and weights and still allowed for a good workout. Although only one person was in there at the time, I could imagine that more people are in there everyday while semesters in session. The seminar room was large and had multiple tables with seats all around and a few students were in there working. Brittney told me that the room is often used for studying and known as the quiet room and during regular days, you can find many students in there. I love that students have an area to study and be able to focus on their work without interruption. I then took a quick look into the music room which was a bright orange and included a piano, drums, and even microphones and stands.The laundry room was large and had many machines for students to use. At the time I visited, many students were washing clothes to prepare for their trips back home, including Brittney. These amenities are amazing in my opinion because each room served a purpose and allowed for students to be able to study, practice music, or just relax.

Overall I feel that dorming is better than I initially thought. Although they may be pricey and place students in financial binds, it can help them benefit in their school environment. Being able to live on campus allows for the worries of commuting to be erased, and it also allows for students to have an experience away from home. Students are able to express themselves, relax, and study in a comfortable setting thanks to not only the amenities included, but thanks to the rules enforced in the dorms. The Towers embody what dorms should represent while also giving students the opportunity to be comfortable and excel in a new area.

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