During their freshman year, most Mississippi State University students must live in one of the many dorms on campus. Those who sign up for housing in early May can usually choose their dorm — or, if you are part of a scholarship program like Luckyday Scholars or the Shackouls Honor College, you may be pre-assigned to a program-specific dorm. However, If you are like me and you do not sign up for housing until the very last minute, you are more likely than not to be assigned to a random dorm. While the dorms themselves do not make that much of an impact, the areas in which they reside do.

Most housing falls into two areas: the north and south campus, with some categorized as “central” campus (they are still located heavily to either side). Prior to moving onto campus, many freshmen may think there is no significant difference in living on either side. However, as a current freshman and resident of the north side of campus, I can confidently say that is far from the truth.

The north campus holds MSU Shackouls Honors College’s Zacharias Village, a construction of four dorms built to house a combined 1,200 MSU students. Dorms in Zacharias Village include Griffis Hall, Hurst Hall, Nunnelee Hall and Ruby Hall. The other two dorms on the north side, Deavenport Hall and Dogwood Hall, make up an area called Victory Park, built to house a total of 650 students. Victory Park is also where most of MSU’s student-athletes who live on campus reside.

All of the northside dormitories are considered “new construction,” meaning they were built more recently and feature a more private living style compared to traditional halls. This may seem tempting to prospective freshmen, but as someone who has been a resident of the north side for the past couple of months, I can say that this is almost the only redeeming quality of this area of campus.

The north campus is also home to MSU’s gym, the Joe Frank Sanderson Center. Our university’s many stadiums are also nearby. While this is convenient for those who wish to walk to the gym and various games, I think the large majority of students, outside of athletes, do not fall into this category of interest.

So, what does this side of campus offer for those not interested in athletics? Well, the honors courtyard is home to a 24-hour Maroon Market, a commodity for night owls in need of a quick snack or late-night study energy. Northside campus also has a very visually pleasing arrangement of buildings and plant life. Besides this, there is nothing much left to say.

The south side of campus is home to five dormitories collectively called South Point. Moseley Hall, Magnolia Hall and Oak Hall are classified as new construction.  Creswell Hall and Hathorn Hall are traditional. Hathorn is also currently home to those a part of the Luckyday Scholars program. While the north side has more new-constructions dorms, South Point has more to offer freshmen. 

First, South Point is closer to one of the only available dining halls this year, Fresh Food Company, more commonly called Fresh. While Perry Cafeteria is closed for construction, most north side residents have to brace for a walk across campus to Fresh — or try their hand at the two temporary Perry Cafeteria alternatives: Perry-to-Go and the Perry Food Truck, both of which only offer a limited range of food. South Point does not have this problem, as most dorms in this area are a short walk from Fresh.

For freshmen specifically, South Point is closer to most classes they will have to take. Many freshmen take prerequisite classes — most of which are held in McComas Hall, Allen Hall, Hand Chemical Lab and McCool Hall. While there is a bit of distance to these halls from both sides of campus, South Point is much closer to each by a landslide.

When talking about the different areas to live on campus, one cannot forget the central campus. These dorms include Sessums Hall, Critz Hall, McKee Hall, Hull Hall — all of which are pushed heavily towards the north side — and Herbert Hall, which is placed mostly near the center of campus. All of these dorms are traditional and closer to the most necessary points on campus, but they are mainly still skewed towards the north and face the same issue regarding proximity to Fresh Food Company. 

While these issues are currently prevalent, the construction of Azalea Hall holds promise to fix my issues with the north side of campus. Azalea Hall, set to open for in Fall 2025, will be a much larger dormitory that focuses on a more private living alternative for students.

Each student in this hall will have their own private dorm. While this in itself is enough to bring the north side of campus to the level of the south side, the dorm will also feature its own dining hall. This will decrease the number of north-side residents who need to walk across campus to Fresh.

Azalea Hall will also feature food lockers and contactless pickup for up-delivery orders. Finally, it will also be home to our second 24-hour Maroon Market — a closer walk for those who do not live in Zacharias Village. The construction of Azalea brings hope that both sides of campus can finally be restored to the same level of convenience and livability.