When my husband and I moved to Boulder, we applied to live at family housing because it is for married couples and graduate students, and we figured it would be a quiet place.
Our apartment is in Smiley Court and it is surely the worst place I have ever lived. The walls are so thin that I can hear my upstairs neighbor even when he is just talking at a normal noise level. But usually it is much worse. We hear loud bass from the upstairs apartment almost always, to the extent that our kitchen appliances vibrate and shake. When the upstairs people walk into their kitchen, it is so loud that it sounds like the walls will cave in.
Our neighbor wakes us up between 5-7 am almost every morning, playing video games and shouting, and since we go to bed late, we have been getting only 4-6 hours of sleep a night.
The walls are made of concrete blocks and there are fire sprinkler pipes throughout the apartment, so it looks like a dump even on the inside.
We had to get a furnished one, because it was the only thing available, and the furniture is horrible. The bed is a double, and not big enough for my husband and I, plus it is made out of something that is not like a mattress at all, and I was experiencing bad neck and back pain. Now we are sleeping on the floor in the living room on an air mattress. The chairs, couch, and table are incredibly old and uncomfortable.
If you are a smoker, you have to walk to designated smoking areas, which can be quite far away.
The resident manager is very nice, but the employees in the office are rude and unhelpful.
On the plus side, if you live next to or under someone who is quiet, this would be a nice place to stay. It is very close to campus and the rate is affordable when compared with the going rates in Boulder. We would have liked to stay here if we had an unfurnished apartment on the top floor, but the office employees will not let us switch. When we told them about our problems with the place (we have been putting up with it for a year and half, but finally decided to try and switch apartments), they didn't care or try to help, but just gave us the 45 day notice form, so we could just move out.
Live here if you want to try your luck not living near someone who parties all the time. Make sure your apartment is unfurnished!

Your thoughts? Post a response to this review. Display my response: with my username anonymously Responses appear below reviews and one response per user is permitted.

   Free estimates on moving trucks      Find apartment share/roommates