The dorms at William and Mary are quite varied in terms of both their appearance and persona. Most relevant to freshman are the following dorms: Barrett, Botetourt Complex (includes 5 individual residences, all relatively similar in size and layout), DuPont, Hunt, Jefferson, Monroe, Taliaferro, and Yates.
Barrett is one of the nicer dorms on campus--recently renovated, with a grand ballroom-style staircase, not many students complain about getting chosen to live there. There are a few common rooms for residents to hang out in, all nicely furnished (some with televisions), and a large porch out back (complete with large porch swings) to enjoy during the warmer weather.
The Boutetourt Complex is sort of hidden away off of Ukrop Way (close to the dining hall that many upperclassmen/athletes frequent, the Caf, and the Rec Center). Because of its secluded nature, the residents there tend to form a very close-knit group (perhaps because nobody else knows who they are). The halls are not bad per se, but they are certainly more out of date than ones like Dupont, Barrett, and Monroe. Students that live in these halls typically opted into living in a smaller residential community, which is exactly what they'll get; the seemingly endless walk to classes gets shorter, but many of these friends will be cherished forever.
Dupont and Yates are both very large freshman halls (totaling about 250-275 students each), with Dupont being a more updated version of Yates right next to the Caf (Yates is across the street from the Caf). Both inspire a community experience, but more similar to that of a fraternity. People in these halls definitely have a reputation of being more extroverted; it's therefore no surprise (though perhaps an unfair stereotype), that residents in these halls seem more likely to join Greek life. Many students say that living in Yates or Dupont was one of the best parts of their freshman college experience, because of the intensely social nature of the halls.
Jefferson is the hall that many people sort of forget about--it doesn't have many stigmas attached to it, which isn't neccessarily a bad thing. It's on the larger side in terms of halls (nearly 200 residents), and has a nice central location near Old Campus, with easy access to the Sunken Garden and academic buildings. Jefferson is also extremely closely positioned to Monroe, another one of the nicer dorms to live in on campus. For the most part, Monroe is reserved for Monroe Scholars (high-testing academic freshman who accept a position in the program), but one might be lucky enough to enjoy some of its comforts as well. One of the chief benefits residents get to enjoy is the attic, a fully furnished game room, with projector. It serves as a central hang out spot for many students, and when getting to meet people freshman year, it's always nice to know someone in Monroe to enjoy the air-conditioned building (not present in all dorms).
Finally, Hunt and Taliaferro are two of the smallest dorms on campus (Taliaferro being the smallest freshman hall), but nicely situated in fairly central locations to Marketplace (another nice alternative dining option) and Colonial Williamsburg (for all those intense desires to see historical Virginia). Again, nice living environment for those seeking a tight-knit community, without some of the rowdiness that Yates and Dupont are known for.
All of the halls have some type of common area (some more distinct than others), and most have at least one kitchen, if not one of every floor for girls and boys. Students leaving their door open depends solely on the resident--I've known many students in all of the aforementioned halls, and some would leave doors open and unlocked for anyone to stop in and say hi, and others would leave it shut. It's just a matter of preference, not a reflection on the dorm itself.