Why spend high school incessantly studying, cramming for AP tests and stressing over the SATs? Answer: To have your own bathroom freshman year in college.

The in-room lavatory is only one of the perks students living in the freshman honors residence hall, Ken-nedy Hall, enjoy during their first year at NU. Kennedy was voted Best Freshman Housing by The News readers.

Housing over 200 honors students, the five-story buil-ding boasts suite-style accommodations. While most freshmen are in cramped doubles, many of the rooms in Kennedy have a spacious feel, featuring both a common area and a bathroom.

Located on Hemenway Street, Kennedy lies in close proximity to the dining halls and local convenience stores. With its back facing The Fenway, the booming voice of the Red Sox PA announcer is audible during the baseball season.

Since the hall is exclusively honors, the residents are bombarded with discounted cultural events around Boston and opportunities to get a leg up in the academic programs on campus. And for those who want to just hang out, the recreation room in the basement offers two pool tables, ping pong and foosball.

The aging gray building may suffer from slanted hallways and the occasional cockroach, but suite-style housing remains a welcome perk for freshmen at NU with an above-average SAT score.

– Staff writer Chris Sigmund