Whether you need your own space or are simply looking for that brotherly feel of a Frat house, FAU’s got options.

I’ve lived in about every dorm at FAU and just like everything else, they all have their advantages and pitfalls.

Here are three things you should know about each Boca campus dorm before making your final rooming decision.

Algonquin HallMore than just ‘tight’

– Cheapest dorm, at $2,260 for the entire school year

– Has that Frat house feel, and you’re close with everyone on your floor

– All rooms are singles – so no snoring, smelly roommates

As a freshman, I got stuck in Algonquin – or, as the people who live there say, “the Gonk.” At the time each bedroom was shared by two people and eight residents would share the bathroom.

Nowadays, the Gonk has all single bedrooms and only four people share a bathroom and it still has the brotherly feel between residents.

It smelled like burnt popcorn, and people were constantly shouting across the halls, but at least one serious perk about the Gonk is that each room is equipped with a “microfridge” – a refrigerator with a connected microwave on top.

If you’re looking for the kind of place where everyone knows everyone on a nickname basis, then the Gonk is where you need to be.

“I’m never leaving,” says Cory Collette, a business management senior. “I’m going to college forever and I’ll always be living in the Gonk.”

Heritage Park & Glades Park TowersSame on the outside, but different on the inside

– HPT is the closest dorm to the Breezeway

– GPT is the only all-freshman dorm and has an Outtakes in the lobby

– Both are the newest dorms on campus

These dorms are a little nicer because they are newer, and the bathrooms are bigger and cleaner than Algonquin.

In Heritage Park Towers (HPT) there are single and double rooms with adjoining bathrooms. But the singles are the exact imitations of jail cells, having just enough room to put a bed, desk, and a TV.

“The singles are really small because they have limited space due to the hallway in each suite,” senior business major Evans Scheller says. “And also because each single is like 10 by 10.”

HPT is also the closest dorm to the Breezeway and most of the classrooms, so if you like waking up five minutes before your class starts, this is the dorm for you.

One downside to HPT is the parking, because the closest parking lot to HPT is shared with Indian River Towers, which means the spots fill up pretty quickly.

Glades Park Towers (GPT) has a different parking story. A brand new parking lot was built this summer for residents only, and now students can park closer to the main entrance of GPT.

GPT is reserved for new freshmen only, which is good because they can get to know each other faster. GPT is also the newest dorm, finished in 2007.

Indian River Towers All the space you need

– Large common area in each suite

– Split bathrooms (shower on one side, toilet on toilet on the other)

– Closest dorm to a big parking lot

Indian River Towers (IRT) is exactly what college dorms should be like: spacious.

Each suite has four bedrooms, a living room and split bathrooms. This means that when someone is in the shower, you can still use the toilet – which is the smartest part of the design of these dorms, especially when you’re living with three other people.

The living room is also a nice addition. Instead of being stuck in your little room all the time, you can utilize the common room to hang out with friends and roommates.

The Student ApartmentsLiving on your own

– No need for meal plans since there’s a kitchen

– Two-story apartment for privacy

– Independence from resident assistants

These dorms are more like apartments since there are two stories and a kitchen in each suite.

There’s the single bedroom floor plan with four singles to share a kitchen and one bathroom. And then there’s also the studio floor plan, in which two people share a room and a kitchen.

The single floor plan is really cool because the kitchen and the living room are on the first floor and the bedrooms and bathroom are on the second floor. This means that if you have friends over for a party, your roommates won’t be mad at you for being loud since you’ll be separated by floors.

The best part of being in the Student Apartments is the lack of resident assistants (RAs). RAs don’t do rounds, and don’t really come around unless there is a problem – sweet freedom.

Still have questions? Contact the Housing Office at (561) 297-2880 or log on to the housing and residential life Web site.