The Basic Stuff You Need to Know
Since every dorm is different, I can’t tell you exactly what you should bring with you or what your room will be like. However, once you decide on what school to attend, you can find out this information through your school’s website, by taking a campus tour, from the residence life literature your school may send, or by asking people who attend the school. So, first and foremost, make sure you get informed!
Size and Furnishings
How big are the dorms? While most dormitories are quite small, the sizes and shapes do vary. For instance, rooms on the corners of a building might be slightly larger than those on the sides. There may even be various types of rooms that you may be placed in. At my school, most freshmen are placed in open doubles (an open room for two people), but there are also split doubles (a room for two people with a dividing wall to separate the space) as well as triples (like an open double, but for three people). You should be aware of all the possibilities, but once you get your housing assignment, make sure you know the specifics about the dorm you will be living in.
What comes in the dorms? A bed, a desk, a dresser? Make sure you find out. Some dorms might have only two closets and no dressers, others might be the opposite. You don’t want to come without any clothes hangers and realize that you have no way to store you clothes. You might also want to know about any additional storage space for your canned goods and Easy Mac, so you know ahead of time where you’re going to store those kinds of goodies. Some other smaller things that might be important to you may be whether or not there is a mirror, if you can bunk the beds or not, or even if your desk has a corkboard on it. By knowing this kind of stuff ahead of time, you will know whether you will need to bring certain things or if some things you planned on bringing are even appropriate for the size of the room.
Appliances: What You Can and Can’t Bring
So you’re thinking you’re going to bring your fridge, your microwave, your multi-headed lamp – but wait. Are you allowed to bring all of those? Make sure you check your schools rules about appliances and electronics. Some schools have certain fire safety rules and do not allow microwaves or those “Medusa” lamps, so learn what you can and can’t have before making purchases or loading up the car and bringing everything.
Wireless or Not?
As a student, you’re going to need a computer, so most people bring a laptop with them to school, seeing as they are portable and more space-saving than desktop computers. While many campuses are becoming increasingly more wireless, you should check to see if the dormitories have Wi-Fi or not. You should also make sure that your computer is capable of picking up a wireless Internet signal. Another thing that might interest you is the possibility of wireless printing. Some printers now are wireless, so you can print from anywhere without connecting a cable from your computer to your printer. However, you should check to see if your school advises against that – because if you can print to it, many other people may be able to as well, and that’s your ink and your paper they’re using.
Other Things You Might Want to Know
- Flooring – Carpet, tile, or hardwood? This may seem minimal, but if you think your feet might be cold on a hard tile floor, you may want to know about it ahead of time so that you bring a rug with you.
- Heating and Air Conditioning – Will you be hot in the spring and freezing in the winter? If there is not A/C, you might want to bring a fan; cramped rooms can get hot fast. And if there’s no heating, you’ll want to bring extra blankets if you’re going to a colder climate.
- Bed Size – Most dorms have twin size beds, but you’ll want to know if they are regular or extra long. If it’s the latter, make sure you get extra long sheets – you don’t want your sheets not to fit!