As a sophomore, whenever people ask where I live on campus, they're always shocked when I answer with the fact that I live in Baker, which is one of the oldest dorms, doesn't have air conditioning, and has far too many cockroach threats for the average college student's comfort level. You don't need to be sorry for me because of this because I love my dorm.
I know that I live in one of the oldest dorms on campus. I know that I have fewer amenities than the new dorms on North Campus. But Baker has a lot of character, it's easily identified, and all the newer dorms look the same. With the cockroaches, almost every dorm on campus has them; that's something that isn't just contained to one dorm or one spot on campus. I have been lucky enough to have never seen one alive, and I hope that I never do. While cockroaches are a part of the character that Baker has, it also has so much more to offer.
Also, one of the things that I get out of living in Baker is its location. Living on South Campus is so convenient. I'm not in the College of Business, nor the College of Engineering, so I don't have to worry about how far away my classes might be; most of them are right on the Oval. So not only is everything on campus pretty close, but I'm within walking distance of the Short North, and therefore closer to all of the events that happen in Columbus around the downtown area.
"But you don't have air conditioning!" or "Any place where you need more than one fan is too much for me" are things that I hear frequently. I know that living without air conditioning is rough; I live in it, but it's not as bad as everyone makes it out to be.
Living in Ohio during the summer is bad, so the first month can be pretty bad, but after that, I wouldn't want the air conditioning if I had it. And yes, I have a lot of fans in my room, but that's because it doesn't hurt to have the extra fans on for air flow on the really hot days. Not having air conditioning isn't something that ruins my day because I've gotten used to it, and not having it isn't something that affected my day for the most part.
The community in Baker is amazing. My Scholars' group operates out of the building, so almost all of the first years in the program and a lot of upperclassmen live in the same building. The people who work at the front desk are people that I'm either friends with, or they're people that I've seen around at different events; they're not just a random group of people. I have friends who've moved out of Baker, and they miss it and want to come over and visit my room, just to be in Baker for a little bit again.
I love Baker. It has been my home away from home for two years, and I'm glad that I've had the opportunity to meet the people who live there. You don't need to feel sorry for me because I live in the "worst" dorm on campus. I'm sorry that you can't see past the way that it looks from the outside.