Residency: Upperclassmen
Estimated yearly cost: $15,884 – $18,494
Low-cost rooms available: No
Commute to class: 10 minutes
Nearby subways: L, N, Q, R, 4, 5, 6
Shuttle: No

Carlyle Court — a unit of three towers housing about 750 mostly sophomore students — is conveniently across the street from Union Square. Tower One contains a spacious study lounge, Tower Two has an entertainment lounge with a flat-screen TV and pool table and Tower Three houses a practice room with a ballet bar and pianos. Each tower has washers and dryers in their basements, and each room includes a kitchen and private bathroom.

The towers mostly contain two-bedroom rooms with three or four people with a few one-bedrooms for two on each floor. In the quads, the “B” room tends to be more desirable because it has a door. Those in the “A” room — which is basically a living room connected to the kitchen and common area — often put up a curtain pretty quickly after the semester starts to avoid being looked at as soon as someone walk in.

The walk to Washington Square Park and the surrounding area is about 10 minutes, but Carlyle’s location in the heart of Union Square is extremely desirable for most students — nearby retail shops include American Eagle, Forever 21, DSW and Nordstrom Rack. Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods are a few blocks down 14th St. while the Union Square Greenmarket sets up shop across the street four days a week.

The biggest disadvantage of Carlyle is the walk to a dining hall — even the closest are at least five minutes away. It is especially frustrating when it gets freezing in the winter. Additionally, the best available dining hall, Palladium, is not open in the afternoon for lunch. However, the addition of a Starbucks right next door to Tower Three has can provide students with the boost and warmth they need to get to the dining hall and, more importantly, class.

Read the rest of the housing issue here.