There are about forty dorms on campus, filled with students of all ages, so students rarely talk about differences between individual buildings, more about differences in areas, and each tends to reflect certain characteristics that together define UMass. The campus is divided into six living areas - Southwest, Central, Northeast, Sylvan, Orchard Hill, and North. North features coed apartment-style living for upperclassmen. Sylvan is suite-style living where six students share three rooms and a common room. Southwest has the urban party atmosphere and houses the most students. Central and Northeast are what you'd expect to find at a New England college campus; kids sitting under trees, hanging out, brick buildings and lots of grassy areas. Orchard Hill sits on top of the campus, and while the hill is a bit of a hike - the area up there is the best for laying out on a sunny day or going sledding when the university gives students a snow day. Sylvan is the farthest from the goings-on at UMass and because of this, kids are usually there because of an unlucky housing lottery. However, some students do decide to make it home because it’s further from the party scene and therefore easier to get work done.
