Stony Brook University has the largest campus of any SUNY school, and with that size comes many residents. On campus there is undergraduate housing and apartments. When freshmen apply for housing, they are divided into quads based on areas of interest called Undergraduate Colleges (UGCs). The purpose is to bring together students who share similar interests.

Megan Hertz, a senior business management major who interns in the Admissions office, described herself as someone who agrees with pro-quad equality, the idea that one quad is not better than the other.

“All the quads are generally the same,” she said. “While Roth does have air conditioning, it really doesn’t matter because wherever you go on campus you’re going to find amazing people as long as you put yourself out there and get involved.”

Hertz encourages freshmen students that they will be fine wherever they live as long as they have an open mind.

The UGC for Mendelsohn Quad, or “Mendy,” is Information Technology Studies (ITS), and the UGC for H Quad is Leadership and Service (LDS). Mendelsohn Quad and H Quad are near the stadium and the Stony Brook Union. These quads are both corridor style, which means approximately 36 residents live in double-occupancy bedrooms along a hallway, sharing a common bathroom, shower and lounge area.

“I like the pit area,” said Ahmed Enaitalla, a senior resident of Mendelsohn who is a double major in psychology and sociology. “It’s a great place to just hang out or play some sports when it’s nice out. The location to the academic buildings is also convenient, with the exception of Javits.”

Enaitalla also said that being close to the recreation center is definitely a plus.

“Community life is great,” said Hilton Au, a senior technological systems management major who has lived in H Quad’s Benedict, Langmuir and James colleges. “There are a lot of events and the RAs really try to involve everyone.”

Tabler Quad and Roth Quad are across the street from one another down Circle Road from Kelly and Roosevelt. The UGC for Tabler is Arts, Culture, and Humanities (ACH) and the UGC for Roth is Science and Society (SSO). Tabler and Roth both have suite-style dorms.

Tabler is known for musical performances at the Tabler Center for Arts, Culture, and Humanities (the TAC). The downstairs of the TAC is Tabler Café, which has a Dunkin’ Donuts and a large lounge area to meet up with friends.

Residents of Roth and Tabler are close to Red Mango, Starbucks and Wendy’s in the Roth Café. Roth Quad is known for the annual Roth Regatta in the spring, where clubs and UGCs race boats constructed from cardboard and tape.

Kelly Quad and Roosevelt Quad are located down the street from the Student Activities Center (the SAC) bus loop. The UGC for Kelly is Human Development (HDV), and the UGC for Roosevelt is Global Studies (GLS). The suite-style dorms in Kelly are composed of three double-occupancy bedrooms, a common room (like a living room), and a bathroom with two sinks and a shower.

Roosevelt is corridor style, and in each building there is a 24-hour lounge for students to hang out in whenever they want and shoot a game of pool. Living in Kelly or Roosevelt is convenient for students who use the Long Island Rail Road because the Railroad bus stops right at the intersection between the two quads. 

“You have to face the fact in Roosevelt that most of the buildings are old and the renovations can only do so much,” graduate student Errol Kupelian said regarding his undergraduate years spent in Roosevelt. “But the people there are surprisingly cultured and people from all walks of life tend to meet there.”

Lauterbur and Yang are the two newer buildings next to Roosevelt Quad and across the street from West Side Dining. Lauterbur is part of Kelly, while Yang is part of Roosevelt. Both are suite-style. 

Undergraduate students with U3 or U4 standing and graduate students are eligible to apply for housing in West Apartments. West Apartments and Schomburg Apartments are one- and two-bedroom apartments for couples and families, four- to six-bedroom apartments for undergraduate students, and three- and four-bedroom apartments for single graduate students and students in the Health Sciences Center. 

The apartments are located on the West Campus behind Kelly and Roosevelt Quads.

“West is a very different experience,” Kupelian said. “It promotes the opposite style of living as a corridor-style building. It’s much more private, but that’s good when you have a lot of work to do.”

When Kupelian became a graduate student, he was forced into West Apartments, but he said he would have preferred to remain in Roosevelt because the price is less expensive. 

The university broke ground on a new dorm building between Mendelsohn Quad and the Charles B. Wang Center in June that will add 759 beds to accommodate more students.

Correction: July 16, 2014

A previous version of this article stated that Lauterbur Hall is corridor-style. Lauterbur Hall consists of suite-style rooms.