I went to show some friends in another state where I lived, and saw the reviews on this place, so…read moreabsolutely had to add my own experience. Mostly just because I'm kind of confused! To be fair, the AI-ness of some of the responses doesn't really help, but! For anyone curious about this place, I've been living here since they first opened for rentals. About 2.5-ish years at the time of writing! I'd say I'm probably closer to rating it a 4+ than a solid 5, but given the amount of 1-stars, I'm rounding up instead of down. Hopefully I can answer some questions real quick. So: Pros, Cons, and Other™.
Pros:
- The Rooms
--- are very nice! Maybe I'm biased, because my first dorm was built in the 70s, but as far as dorms and apartments go, the rooms are generally clean and updated. Not entirely sure what someone else meant about everything being outdated? The AC/heating, yes, but the rest is quite nice. Overall: each bedroom has a walk-in closet, a private bathroom, and a Full XL bed with a desk. The living room area is roomy. The walls are not thin - not sure what people meant. They're not SOUNDPROOF, but as long as you/your neighbors aren't being extremely loud, they're way thicker than normal apartment walls; and they're very insulated, to the point it can be a problem in summer. Doors ARE self-locking; I've never had an issue with my key personally, but I can definitely understand frustrations. It does make me feel safe, though.
- Amenities
--- The pool is nice! It's really more a lounging thing for pool parties. The gym has some updated equipment, some treadmills/etc. It's not giant, but if you want something bigger, the UREC center is about a 5 minute walk down the street. The cafe Knead, on the first floor, is also phenomenal. The main lobby has a coffee machine that you can use whenever. There are several media rooms on the first floor that you can use for game nights with friends, etc.
- People
--- I did see this mentioned in all the other reviews, but the people who work the front desk are WONDERFUL. Every single one has been an absolute sweetheart. They bring treats by sometimes, and have little events! Not sure why everyone seems to be getting in arguments with the manager? I've only talked to him once in two years; I wouldn't call him warm and fluffy, but he was very professional.
- Pets
--- They're very good with pets here! There's a little dog park area out back. I've run into some bigger dogs in the hallways before, but they're never aggressive or anything. Always super sweet. I can only speak for the MU building, but I've never had any issues with other people's pets.
Cons
- Floor Plans/Space (?)
--- Not quite sure how to word this part, but the floor plans are a little off? Or rather, they're EXACT, to the point it makes them 'off'. It may be intentional? I'm not certain. For example: the doors in front of the laundry don't close, because the washer/dryer are the exact size of the closet; with the water pipes, they're too big, so the doors can't close.
- Water Heating
--- I've only ever lived in three apartments in my life, so it may just be a me thing. The shower here runs out of hot water in around 35-40 minutes or so, and gets ice cold at around ~45. Again, I probably just got spoiled by my last place (or should take shorter showers), but definitely worth noting. No baths, but oh well.
- General Heating, and Cooling
--- I don't know about the AC/Heater being 'smelly', but it's an on-floor radiator like at hotels. A little loud, not bad. Doesn't really reach the bedrooms, though. The bedrooms have small in-wall heaters that add warmth in the winter! But the AC is awful in the summer. For ref, I'm tiny and normally get cold super easily. I have to circulate air with tower fans into the bedrooms all day to have a CHANCE of not overheating at night in summer. The rooms are VERY insulated.
- Parking
--- If you live in the MU building, or are willing to walk a tiny bit, there IS always parking available in the big lot. If you don't, or have groceries/mobility issues/it's freezing out/etc, I can definitely see it being a much bigger issue. There's one parking 'lot' behind all the buildings that has two rows.
- Floor Shops
--- I think it's more Pullman's fault than the building's, but after two years, only Knead has fully moved into the retail spaces at the time of writing. It was sort of implied they would all be filled by the end of year one, but I'm getting the feeling there will still be openings by the time I finish my degree, haha. I'm sure it's frustrating for them, too, but worth noting.
Other™:
- A couple of last points:
--- Can't speak for other floors/buildings. But I've never had issues with trash/it being smelly in our hallway; they do trash pickups Sun-Thurs, and repeatedly remind people to not leave things out outside those hours, so I personally believe that part isn't the building's fault.
--- Close to campus AND the airport! Yay!
That's it- thanks for reading! :D