Class of 2014: Freshman Blog

Water. Two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom combined into one useful little molecule.  Who could believe that such a simple little thing could come in so many forms?

Well, it is true my friends.  And here at Hopkins, we have many different ways in which this valuable liquid is dispensed for our personal drinking consumption.  Let us explore a few, and evaluate the effectiveness of each.  For my analysis, I have chosen several criteria:

-Coldness (nobody likes to drink from a warm water fountain)

-Style (how good does the fountain look?)

-Strength (what good is a weak little dribble coming out?)

-Overall Quality

Each will be ranked on a scale of 1-10, 1 being poor and 10 being amazing.  Let’s get started:

Hodson Hall

Hodson Hall Water Fountain

This water fountain is with out a doubt the shiniest I’ve seen, hence it got a good amount of style points.  Also, the duel fountain with one lowered for thirsty vertically-challenged people adds to the overall quality.  Unfortunately, the water from this fountain was warm–in fact, I’d be surprised if it was cooled off at all.  It also came out in a stream which was not very impressive, although it could have been worse.  The breakdown:

Coldness: 3/10 (poor)

Style: 9/10 (very good)

Strength: 7/10 (average)

Overall: 6/10 (poor)

Verdict: If you’re thirsty, go for it, but it won’t be that cool, refreshing taste you were hoping for.

Shaffer

Schaffer Water Fountain

This lovely little drinking fountain is on the first floor of Shaffer hall.  It again features a double fountain design, only not quite as shiny and sleek as the Hodson Hall one.  The water was pretty cold, but there was still room for improvement, and it gave off a strong stream.  But, the best part about this one is the spigot used for filling water bottles.  This is a feature unique to this fountain (that I’ve observed) but is one of the more useful attachments you could put on.  It eliminates the whole awkward tipping of the water bottle when you need a refill, and you can never quite reach the top because you have to keep it slightly tipped.  The breakdown:

Cold: 8/10 (good)

Style: 9/10 (very good)

Strength: 7.5/10 (average)

Overall: 8.5/10 (pretty good)

The verdict: This is a great choice for anyone who is thirsty, or if you need to fill up a water bottle.

AMR 1 Willard

AMR 1 Willard Water Fountain

A pretty standard water fountain, this one certainly lives up to its expectations–average.  It has an average design, the water is sort of cold, but not really that cold.  Its strength is reasonable as well, but nothing to write home about.  It does get the job done, however.  Often, I find myself filling up water bottles using this fountain, and it does the job however there is always a little bit left on top to be filled… kind of a buzzkill if you ask me.  The breakdown:

Coldness: 7/10 (average)

Style: 7/10 (average)

Strength: 7.5/10 (average)

Overall: 7.5/10 (yup…average)

The verdict: This water fountain gets the job done, but it pretty much ends there.  A water bottle filling spigot would be nice.

Krieger Hall

Krieger Water Fountain

This one was pretty good in that it was pretty cold and refreshing.  It is right in the middle of Krieger Hall, so it is pretty convenient.  Most everything else is nothing special…it looks like a standard water fountain and has a not so special flow about it, yet there is no doubt that it gets the job done.  The breakdown:

Coldness: 8.5/10 (good)

Strength: 7.5 (average)

Style: 7/10 (average)

Overall: 8/10 (good)

The verdict: I like to think of this as the “Connecticut” water fountain–everything is pretty average, except that it happens to be really cold.

Library A Level

Library A Level Water Fountain

This one is unique in that it is the only one which was built in to the wall.  All of the others were either in their own alcove areas or were just stuck out into the hallway, where as this one hides inside the wall as not to inconvenience anyone passing by.  It fared pretty well in every category, except I did note that the stream was a bit uneven.  The others had a nice steady one, however this one’s was a bit shakey and uneven in parts, causing a bit of splashing as I drank.  The breakdown:

Coldness: 8.5/10 (good)

Style: 9/10 (pretty good)

Strength: 7/10 (average, minus points for being a bit splashy)

Overall: 8/10 (good)

The verdict: A good choice for thirsty library goers, but take a step back before you drink to avoid any escaping droplets.

Hope you all enjoyed, thanks for reading!

-Nick

Current track:

Down and Out – Cam’ron ft. Kanye West