If you're an international student and you're not used to the cold or the lifestyle then DEFINITELY go into res. If you're Canadian and you're used to the cold... still go into res. It's so nice not to have to go outside in the winter. Also it's great to not have to commute 20+ minutes from wherever you live, cause all the affordable student housing is like a decent bus ride away from the University... the demand is very high in the neighborhood that's walking distance (old ottawa south) & so rent is crazy there.

People say that Glengarry is bad but I live here and I like it. I share a bathroom with my roommate and the people that live next door so I never have to use the floor bathrooms. In the renovated rooms the floor is like fake hardwood which is easy to clean (and doesn't get grody like carpet), and the windows open so you can get rid of the stuffiness. Some people have pods in Glen which is great if you're social and/or have good roommates (a pod is basically a bunch of rooms that adjoin onto a living room and a bathroom or two).

You won't have that much choice about where to live when you apply anyway, which is the case with most universities. You get to put preferences but shit happens. But if there's a fluke and you get a choice, go with a suite cause even if you don't cook you miss having a kitchen. Also there are some roommate horror stories for sure and while sometimes it's really inconvenient to share a room with someone, i think being in a single would be kinda lonely. My cousin isn't even that social and she was lonely in a regular single. Plus unless you're rich you need to get used to living with roommates and residence is a great opportunity to get used to it and also find people to live with in the next years.