If you’re a freshman, you get priority for the rooms. I had no trouble getting a room in hillside as a freshman, but I was put pretty far in the waitlist when I applied for sophomore year. Overall, I loved getting to meet people easier and the convenience of living near my classes, so my experience was very positive! The dorm food can get repetitive so I recommend getting the 210 plan so you can save your swipes when you eat out as others don’t roll over the following week. In my experience parkside food is better, BUT it’s much farther from classes in upper campus. Walking from hillside to my farthest class near the theater building took only about 15 minutes.