When I first visited Washington University last August, I fell in love with the South 40. During my tour with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, I went through the whole rigmarole of seeing the best spots on campus. On college tours in general, I always felt skeptical, waiting for the cracks to develop, some ugly building or something odd about the student body that admissions brochures would prefer you not see.

When we got to the South 40, I was, of course, surprised to find myself staring at scenery lifted straight out of the Epcot theme park at Disney World. When the tour guide told our group that some of these hotels, known to the student body as dormitories, had bathrooms for each suite, I was absolutely sold. It wasn’t the food, the academics or the beautiful campus that sold me first; it was the appeal of “modern dorms.”

Fast forward to May of 2014: I was choosing my housing preference for freshman year. It didn’t take much debate to convince myself to select “modern double” as my top choice. I didn’t even know that much about residential life. Suite-style living was enough to satisfy me. Wash. U. students told me that traditional dorms built a stronger floor community over time, but that didn’t faze me at all. I now live on the third floor of Danforth House in a modern double (shout out to the William Greenleaf Elliot residential college!), and I wouldn’t change it for a thing.

As I have discovered in my first few weeks here, it’s not just the bathrooms that set modern dorms at Wash. U. apart. There are a variety of common spaces, the floors are spacious and the facilities are really nice. Traditional dorms just do not have the same spacious design or the visual appeal. Yes, socializing on the floor can be tricky at times, I still don’t know everyone’s name and I may or may not have met someone on my floor for the first time this week.

But in all honesty, it’s your choice if you want to be social or not. You just have to make more of an effort in a modern dorm. I’ve made it a nightly custom to travel to the other side of my floor (on the other side of the common room) to see my friends. Don’t forget that this is Wash. U., where the adjective “friendly” is an understatement. People keep their doors open enough that you can create a vibrant and friendly community on any dorm floor.

As I’ve discovered, modern dorms generally host the dorm parties, as Wesley Jenkins wrote in his article about traditional dorms last week. There is a tendency for things to get distracting here because there are always things going on, but I’ve found that the study rooms at either end of the Danforth hallways are a perfect place to get work done, and generally, I’m able to concentrate in my room. Also, what’s not to like about having a dorm that’s the center of attention? My friends are always willing to come here, and if I want to socialize, I always can.

But don’t modern dorms keep up the image that Wash. U. is spoiling us? I’ve heard the “Wash. U. dorm living is for princes and princesses” phrase so many times. Even my mom tried to pitch Wash. U. to me as a college with resort-style housing. She’s kind of right, but at a school where the total cost of living and tuition is almost $65,000, having top-notch dorms makes sense.

I have friends at equally prestigious universities living in absolutely awful dorms—there’s a stigma that a traditional-style freshman dorm is a necessary evil and a life experience. I think most parents and students would agree that if they are paying $10,000 for housing, they want the bang for their buck. In Danforth House, I feel like I’m getting what I am paying for. Yes, traditional dorms cost about $1,000 less for a modern double, which is a significant amount of money, but I think the difference in facilities is worth the rise in cost.

There’s a sense at Wash. U. that the school is committed to its students, and it shows in national college rankings. We have the highest quality of living, and we’re happy students, too. Traditional dorms may be a great place to live, but modern dorms bring the house down.