I am going to preface this post by admitting my bias. Larch Hall was my freshman year dorm. Whenever you stay someplace, events, experiences, and people will completely bias you in one way or the other. Before I officially chose to attend Iowa State, I was told during a tour of the college that living in Maple-Willow-Larch would be one of the worst decisions I make. "It is a party dorm," I was told. While MWL can be seen as party dorms, I would also like to digress because any dorm can be one. If you aren't really a party person, MWL would suffice just as well. It all depends on the type of person you are. I happened to be a perfect mix: the first semester, I hardly went out; the second semester, went out a heckuva lot. Note that I am saying I went out. I never partied in Larch Hall. Regardless of whether you like to party or not, there is a multitude of reasons why you should select to live in MWL during your freshman year at Iowa State University.

1. The convenience to central campus

Maple, Willow, and Larch are right off the edge of central campus. There is nothing easier than getting to central campus from these dorms. You have many options: you can catch the Orange 23 bus, walk, or bike. It's that easy. Nothing is more than 10 minutes away from MWL (excluding other dorms, such as Wallace, Wilson, and the University-Schilletter Village Apartments). 

2. Bus Routes

As mentioned above, Orange 23 is the primary bus to get around central campus. It leaves from the commuter lot (near Jack Trice Stadium) and comes to Maple-Willow-Larch, then it takes you to the most of the primary buildings (Lagomarcino, Mackay, Parks Library, Carver Hall, Memorial Union, and Lied gym). Across the street on Lincoln Way, you can also catch the 3 Blue South (or North, depending on which side of the street you stand on) and 1 Red East (or West). 

3. Seasons Dining Hall

If you are lazy like me, you do not always feel like leaving your dorm to go get food. Most campuses set it up where you have to, but Iowa State (thankfully) allowed MWL to have a dining hall right downstairs. Seasons is one of the largest dining halls on campus, and it's definitely the most frequented, I would say.

4. East Side Store (C-Store)

If you are in need of a snack, a late night meal, toiletries, or a blue book, East Side is right downstairs. I love it because they accept dining dollars, meal plans (after 7:30 for Late Night), and regular cash or debit/credit cards. 

5. MWL Commons

If you need a easy, nice place to study, the MWL Commons will make you happy. While there could definitely be more space added, it is large enough for the typical school weeks (don't try to go there during Dead Week). There is also a computer lab that lets you print! I mean, this was a real benefit for the lazy student who didn't want to bus or walk to Parks Library. 

6. Lied Recreational Gym

Lied is a great gym for the athletic person; there are racquetball courts, basketball courts, ping-pong tables, fitness classes, a mini-track, workout machines, and a tennis court outside. Hello? This sounds like heaven, and it was considering it was really easy to get to. Finding the encouragement to trek across campus to State Gym was hard, so Lied made it harder to be lazy and make excuses for not working out. 

7. Convos 

Conversations is literally right across the street, and that's great for Late Night meal bundles. Instead of having to stick to food at the C-Store, you can branch out and go over to Convos for a nice meal (the chicken tenders were A1, and so were the quesadillas, jello, and puppy chow).