Snell–Hitchcock is known for having a high level of community spirit and involvement, which are best displayed at the annual University of Chicago Scavenger Hunt.

As of 2015, the Snell–Hitchcock team has won 14 of the 29 hunts to date, and holds the longest winning streak (four years) in the history of the game.

It is built in a Collegiate Gothic style, like Snell and most of the University of Chicago's campus, but has many Prairie School elements, such as stone corn husks instead of gargoyles and flat-roofed instead of gabled dormers.

Section I is the farthest from the front desk of Hitchcock and each floor is mixed-sex with a shared bathroom.

The basement entrance to this section opens up into the common area that connects Snell and Hitchcock.

Section I was also home to noted astronomer, Emmy award winner, and Pulitzer and Hugo award-winning author Carl Sagan in the 1954–1955 academic year.

Section V is built above the Green Room, a large lounge, which is properly known as the Charles Hitchcock Memorial Library.

On the fourth floor is "The Ranch" (room 541), a sprawling single which extends across the north side of the section.

It overlooks the Regenstein Library and Ratner Athletic Center and on a clear day the Sears Tower can be seen in the distance.

Built in 1892, Snell is half the size of Hitchcock, housing approximately 50 residents on four floors.