The 1Ls in Regent's are also too clique-based for my tastes, IMO. I always see the same people in the Lounge, studying together, eating together, and even sleeping together. I can walk in at any time of day and see the same five people near each other. The incestuousness is disgusting. I've stopped hanging out with the New Grad people for the same reason.
Live alone and meet a whole host of different people. If I could do it over, that's what I would have done. Apartments in Hyde Park are cheap and you'll be a much healthier person. It's even better if you have a long-term girlfriend or boyfriend to cook for you when you're bummed out or busy.
Just to add to this, you don't HAVE to socialize only with Regents people (or New Grad people, etc.). Only half of my friends lived in Regents last year, the others were all around Hyde Park, with a couple being in New Grad. This year, pretty much all have moved up north, but even still, it's not like you're limited to the people you live with or near.
Personally, Regents is expensive, but I liked the security factor (I live in a 1BR), accessibility to the school and downtown, and having classmates and friends near me without actually living with them. You can get that in other places in HP, including much cheaper and probably roomier grad apartments (maybe not the security so much, but everything else), but I'm an inherently lazy person