The Gem

Appalling—the GEM is a parasite to Corvallis. Do not live here. For the absurdly high rent, which is constantly rising, you'll get dorm living with broken appliances, artifacts from previous tenants, lights that flicker or don't work at all, rooms that exceed 90*, lack of parking availability, and a suite of employees that could not care less about you or their employment. They care more about pestering you and forcing unnecessary meetings than doing their job; if you have an issue with your room, rent, or anything that they are responsible for, just give up due to this institution's dishonesty, lack of transparency, and accountability. This is by far the worst housing subsidiary of OSU, which is a damn shame given it is the best location. It's embarrassing for the school that they allow and enable vultures to take advantage of students this way. Go somewhere else, you'll pay less and have things real $1000+/m apartments have like in-unit laundry and square footage exceeding a closet.

Pros: - They're full apartments, even the studios. Private bathroom and private kitchen! (no dishwasher though) - Rent is not that bad considering all utilities are included. You also get free access to Xfinity on Campus. - Although people moan a lot about the heating/AC system, it's better than nothing and nice to have most of the time. - Free laundry and gym. - The location is nice, super easy to get to class. Cons: - Noise isolation isn't great, particularly out into the hallway. - The fire drills happen too often imo. - The building isn't as friendly as a true dorm, so keep that in mind. If you like privacy though, this is probably a pro. - Parking is through an OSU RA pass, which is like $350-400 yearly and only works for the apartment lot. - Not sure how other apts are but I don't have a full-size fridge or space for it. Just a half height under counter fridge. Overall, I'd recommend living here.