The revamped residence halls, now also home to the new Residential College in the Arts and Humanities, still have the old-style brick exterior that looks appropriate nestled in the trees around the older northern side of campus.

The hall’s interior is masked by the building’s classic appearance, and makes for comfortable 21st century living, including the outrageously popular dining options.

There are likely several other residence halls and buildings around campus that would benefit from such cosmetic improvements.

In its first year, the new residential college houses about 120 students, which is great for some freshmen who are now part of a community of classmates with shared interests similar to Lyman Briggs and James Madison colleges.

Officials within the new college claim it has an entirely new curriculum with an advanced level of integration for students between academia and residence life.

The live-learn setup will give students the chance to connect with people from their classes on a regular basis to build stronger personal relationships and make communal studying easier.

The new space in Snyder-Phillips Hall also will give the students access to academic amenities like classroom space, language labs, practice rooms, galleries and informal learning spaces — when the construction is completed.

Such available in-hall accommodations will be quite appreciated when the snow starts to pile up in the winter. That should be perfect timing, since the work should be completed by January.

On the other hand, living in a residential college can potentially stifle the diversity a student can experience from attending classes in a nonresidential hall — students seeking to meet people with different interests and majors may have a harder time.

They also may end up suffering from a “bubble effect” from too much exposure to like-minded people.

However, there are plenty of people living in Snyder and Phillips halls and nearby in Mason and Abbot halls for the students to connect with.

Regardless of how the program works out in the end, it’s a big, forward-thinking step by MSU.

It gives students interested in arts and humanities a chance to really delve into the topics with state-of-the-art resources and all the benefits of a newly remodeled home away from home.