Davenport freshmen have a lot to be thankful for — a beautiful courtyard, the Davenport gnome, and a renovated college your senior year.

But high on the list of things to be thankful for is Welch, a palace of a dorm. Okay, so maybe it’s not palatial, but Welch is certainly one of the nicest freshman dorms. Suites have big common rooms and in-suite bathrooms. (But before you get too excited, be aware that in-suite bathrooms mean you have to clean them — or not clean them — yourselves.)

There are a fair number of singles in the suites, and these students have the luxury of privacy — but what they gain in privacy, they may give up in terms of space. Doubles are big enough to have beds that are not bunked — something you may not appreciate until you see bunked rooms.

The first floor has a hall that connects all three entryways. This means that some first floor rooms are doubles instead of suites. While these rooms don’t have their own common rooms, the first floor is the generally the social gathering place for the dorm. The lucky girls on the fourth floor have the coveted “princess suites,” two-story penthouses that will make your friends in Lanman-Wright cry.

The dorm was just renovated last summer, and the paint is fresh and the furniture new. Rooms come with shelves installed and have a huge amount of storage and closet space. Be careful not to too spoiled, though — you may be in for a shock when you have to move into sophomore housing in Davenport next year.

–Emily Anthes