Distinctly Cottey: Suite Life, Your Second Family

Suite life at Cottey sets us apart even from four-year liberal arts colleges to which we're often compared. You'll live in one of our three residence halls, each having apartment-style suites that house 10 to 12 students each. Every suite includes single and double bedrooms, a living room, a large bathroom, and a kitchenette. Cottey's housing director works hard to create a "world within each hall," making sure your suite has a balanced geographic mix of students, and most often an international student as well.

Our students report that suite living helps foster "instant friendships" with suitemates. Many suites quickly become like a family, being supportive when someone is homesick, forming convenient study groups, and waiting until all are back home in the suite before going to dinner.

Once a year, each suite enjoys a getaway overnight at B.I.L. Hill and lodge, located just eight blocks from campus. The 33-acre wooded area was donated to the College in 1949 by the B.I.L.s, who built the lodge in 1966. B.I.L. is a favorite destination for various campus groups for a day or two of relaxation, recreation, and camaraderie. You can make a community dinner, enjoy a fire and make s'mores, play pool or board games, play piano or sing karaoke, or watch a movie. You might even catch a glimpse of the various wildlife on the grounds like deer, red fox, Canada geese, and a host of songbirds.

You'll also feel connected to the Cottey alumnae who lived in your suite in years past. Their memories, traditions, and "pass down" treasures will be a part of your experience. Some students continue family legacies by living in the same suite as their grandmother, aunt, or mother did in a previous generation.

Your suitemates will be alongside you as you begin an exciting college journey. If you're like most of our alumnae, those suitemates will be a part of your life journey for years to come.

"Cottey's suites offer students such great potential for personal growth and learning about themselves and others. It's a phenomenal opportunity for young women. They learn to get along with and work with people that they don't always agree with." — Helen Lodge, Cottey Housing Director

"I can't believe how many international friends I have now. I know if I were at a bigger university I wouldn't know this many students from other countries." — Cory Dack, Class of 2003, Minnesota