Has anyone felt disappointed by the dorm?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Realistically, it's only hot for the first month or so. And you really only need to be in the dorms for sleeping. You can study/eat in air conditioned spaces.

It would be very difficult to add air conditioning to some of the older, historic dorms. Window units would throw off the Gothic vibe.

In 1995 maybe. In 2023 and climate change, it’s not until November anywhere below New York .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like a college dorm to me. What 40 and 50 year old find intolerable, 19yo will adapt.

+1. It’s college not a resort. Parents these days …

But we pay so much, why hasn’t this been a priority? William and Mary has no ac in many dorms. It is an issue in such a humid climate. They have a 10 year plan to renovate but my DC will be long gone.

[Anonymous]

Does anyone use those bed lifters anymore? Those were a lifesaver for me throughout college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Realistically, it's only hot for the first month or so. And you really only need to be in the dorms for sleeping. You can study/eat in air conditioned spaces.

It would be very difficult to add air conditioning to some of the older, historic dorms. Window units would throw off the Gothic vibe.

In 1995 maybe. In 2023 and climate change, it’s not until November anywhere below New York .

Temps come down significantly in September. Even in swampy VA. Southern schools should all have a/c anyway. Plus, kids should avoid red states.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is no snowflake, and we are just an ordinary MC family. For the past 18 years they have had their own room and bathroom, a full-sized bed, and air conditioning. Now they are at a supposed to be "elite" college, sharing a tiny room that barely fits two twin beds and two small desks, using crappy drawers that were literally tucked in the tiny closet, having no A/C in the 90 degrees weather with a useless window that doesn't open (maybe because it's on the first floor), and trekking down to the communal bathrooms 100 ft down the hallway at night. The noise from the laundry room next door doesn't make it easy to get a good sleep. The tiny beds are awkwardly placed in the middle of the room, and I can definitely see DC rolling down the bed at night, but it's impossible to make both beds against a wall due to the size of the room. Overall, it's worse than a motel.

My kid is tired and excited right now and it hasn't hit them yet that they are going to need to fit in a fridge, a microwave, and storage for various supplies. I am sure they will figure it out by themselves later (or happily living in a chaos), but as a parent I am disappointed. Those Youtube dorm tours are so deceiving! I can only hope the education they are getting there will be worth it.

He got the worst dorm room! They don’t need a refrigerator or microwave. We never had food in our room circa 1990. I don’t know if students eat more or what but we managed with meal plans and occasional restaurants.

But the beds meeting in the middle of the room is unacceptable. It was probably a single room and they overbooked and stuck another bed in there. I would get pictures and let who is head of housing know.

Don't know where you went to college, but me and all my friends had fridges in our room in college, and the microwave was hidden in the closet for fire inspections since they were not "allowed". Fridge is a simple item to help make a dorm room seem more like home---thankfully companies now even deliver them each year to your dorm room, so no hauling them to/from storage/home each year.

[Anonymous]

My DS is in a forced triple. No one wanted top bunk so 2 kids bought those super expensive 20” risers. The beds *barely* fit in them (with help of mallet!) and I suspect we’ll never detach them. But honestly only way to make this living space work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe we need to define crappy.

old, worn down, musty, moldy, broken furniture, cracked walls

Who on earth would pay $80k for their kid to live in such a room?

IMO, small rooms is a given for most dorms. As long as it's clean and well kept, I have no problem with it. But, some of the stories I've heard... ew... especially the bathrooms.

Well, the less competitive schools usually have gorgeous dorms OP, and generous money packages - so have at it!

The "more competitive" schools cannot afford to install AC in dorms? Why did the tuition dollars in those 80K "more competitive" schools go? Financial aid?

Probably - the full freight families subsidize the financial aid eligible families. I thought everyone knows this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS is in a forced triple. No one wanted top bunk so 2 kids bought those super expensive 20” risers. The beds *barely* fit in them (with help of mallet!) and I suspect we’ll never detach them. But honestly only way to make this living space work.

I just read that these forced triples are not uncommon for freshmen at Boston College. BC, the $90k school where my kid plans to apply ED. That, and no AC, will be disappointing, as I withdraw $40k for his first semester-should he be accepted. Yes, our choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Realistically, it's only hot for the first month or so. And you really only need to be in the dorms for sleeping. You can study/eat in air conditioned spaces.

It would be very difficult to add air conditioning to some of the older, historic dorms. Window units would throw off the Gothic vibe.

In 1995 maybe. In 2023 and climate change, it’s not until November anywhere below New York .

Yes, over Covid we at Thanksgiving OUTSIDE in shorts.
We've attended holiday parties near Christmas eve time and it's 75 degrees.

First month, my a$$.

[Anonymous]

For the nice dorm coveters, Miami's new freshman dorms will be open next fall.

https://www.vmdo.com/university-of-miami-centennial-village.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has your kid never been to sleepaway camp? Some of those accommodations are really shabby and threadbare. I'm UMC and I say GOOD. It's a safe way for them to know they're starting to be on their own, and mommy and daddy aren't going to be there to make everything all nice.

Also, to worry about your college-age son rolling off his bed is a bit infantilizing.

Not a lot of families send their kids to sleepaway camp in this area. We're not in NY.

Disagree about sleepaway camp. Every single one of my DC’s friends spent 3-5 weeks each summer at sleepaway camp. It is really common in DC. - Private school parent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Realistically, it's only hot for the first month or so. And you really only need to be in the dorms for sleeping. You can study/eat in air conditioned spaces.

It would be very difficult to add air conditioning to some of the older, historic dorms. Window units would throw off the Gothic vibe.

In 1995 maybe. In 2023 and climate change, it’s not until November anywhere below New York .

Yes, over Covid we at Thanksgiving OUTSIDE in shorts.
We've attended holiday parties near Christmas eve time and it's 75 degrees.

First month, my a$$.

In DC, which is a swamp. I hope the schools around here have a/c.

[Anonymous]

Early move-in at UMD today. Confirmed that Ellicott Hall doesn't have A/C and is kind of a dump. Oh well. Hopefully just one year. It will build character.

[Anonymous]

Smart kids know not to request the southern exposure rooms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Early move-in at UMD today. Confirmed that Ellicott Hall doesn't have A/C and is kind of a dump. Oh well. Hopefully just one year. It will build character.

Not even 9 months!