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When you go to Nationals does your team stay in hotels or the dorms? What do you think are the pros and cons of each option? If your team goes to Nationals frequently, how early in the year to your coaches make hotel reservations....FYI: all the near by hotels are already full.

We have gone with hotels for our 1st three trips to Nationals (in 2010 we were in a different hotel every night.) This time we are trying the dorms.

Usually when we go, we stay in the dorms, but this year, we are staying in a hotel--dunno why. Personally, I would prefer to stay at the dorms, if only because the chances of meeting other schools are increased, and, well, there are things about a dorm that a hotel can't replicate.
We make reservations as soon as we know that we won State. Which means mid-March or so.

We've always stayed in a hotel. I think the main reason we go that route is because we're a homeschooled team and usually most/all of the family members of the students come along.

When in a dorm, I thought it was nice because my team was more social... We spent some time in the student lounge, which was fun, and went to other peoples' rooms.

We have always stayed in nearby hotels, partly because as homeschoolers, we come as families. The hotels we stay at always have teams there we can talk to as well, like during breakfast. I would imagine the dorms are noisier.

A Person wrote:When in a dorm, I thought it was nice because my team was more social... We spent some time in the student lounge, which was fun, and went to other peoples' rooms.

nmsciencemom wrote:We have always stayed in nearby hotels, partly because as homeschoolers, we come as families. The hotels we stay at always have teams there we can talk to as well, like during breakfast. I would imagine the dorms are noisier.

Yeah, last year the dorms were a very social atmosphere - moderately noisy, with everyone making feverish last-minute preparations at ungodly late hours. Really, though, that atmosphere is what made it so much fun.

nmsciencemom wrote:We have always stayed in nearby hotels, partly because as homeschoolers, we come as families. The hotels we stay at always have teams there we can talk to as well, like during breakfast. I would imagine the dorms are noisier.

tornado guy wrote:We've always stayed in a hotel. I think the main reason we go that route is because we're a homeschooled team and usually most/all of the family members of the students come along.

I think we're going to go the hotel route, for the same reason.

Slarik wrote:

nmsciencemom wrote:We have always stayed in nearby hotels, partly because as homeschoolers, we come as families. The hotels we stay at always have teams there we can talk to as well, like during breakfast. I would imagine the dorms are noisier.

tornado guy wrote:We've always stayed in a hotel. I think the main reason we go that route is because we're a homeschooled team and usually most/all of the family members of the students come along.

I think we're going to go the hotel route, for the same reason.

We've always stayed in hotels, because for the last three years we had cars* at nationals and therefore could get to and from the campus easily (we drove from Atlanta to Augusta and just drove to Urbana-Champaign and Madison). Hotels are nice because of the perks they bring - for example, we had a pool (and therefore a pool party ) in our hotel in Augusta; they might also be nicer than dorms? - and because (I think, at least) you get to bond with your team. Parents and siblings can come too, which is always fun. The unfortunate downside is that you don't meet many people outside your team. [Note: I don't know what the dorms are like, so they might be the same way.]

* - I highly recommend cars, especially if the campus is large - last year, at Madison, the parents with our team had a makeshift 'chauffeur service' for students who had longish commutes. It was incredibly convenient to step out of Chem Lab and be immediately whisked off to Fossils.

Two years ago, in my sixth grade year, we stayed at dorms. We didn't like it that much, so last year, we stayed in a hotel. If we go this year, which will be tough, we will probably stay in a hotel.

My team has stayed in dorms every year we've gone to nationals. It's nice when you're around other social team who like to talk, but some of the teams like to keep to themselves. Personally, I love the dorms, and on Saturday night last year, we held a Science Prom for our juniors who were missing prom at home. We invited anyone we saw but only one other team came (Indiana?) Even though we aren't missing prom this year, we're planning on having another dance at the dorm this year.