Horrible dorm assignment!

[Anonymous]

^^^Actually only 15% of Freshman get singles-probably the 15% that aren’t smart enough to ask for the medical accommodation for AC!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^^Actually only 15% of Freshman get singles-probably the 15% that aren’t smart enough to ask for the medical accommodation for AC!!

15% is a bizarre drop unless there’s other factors not accounted for. Last year was 25% according to HRL themselves. Mudd/Blaisdell has whole rows of single freshman dorm rooms. Where’d you get that figure?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1) Basements are cooler than the upper floors (heat rises), so your child is in the best position for a dorm without A/C.

2) California doesn't get that hot for very long as you enter into the school year -- especially at night (it will be cool).

3) There are thousands of schools that cost a lot of money that don't have A/C in their dorms -- your child will be fine. It may even teach them how to be a little bit resilient.

Inland CA definitely gets hotter and stays hotter longer than Coastal CA. The 5Cs are inland. However, it is still desert so cools down at night.

Even if true, that first month of college is an exciting time, and you won't be spending much time in your dorm when you are just starting out hopefully. It's very abnormal in the Inland Empire for it to be greater than 75ish at night, even sometimes with 100+ degree days. This week there's a high of 95 and low of 71 in the area.

This sounds like hell. I’m going against the masses and I’d get my kid an Airbnb for a month to sleep. He can hang out at the dorm during the day. He lucked out with the single though.

My son is prioritizing looking for places with singles and AC is not negotiable. We crossed off the list this month after visiting because of the dorms and the requirement to live in it freshman year.

An Airbnb is insane for cool nights. Were you not outside of your dorm during college?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Totally agree with the sentiment that a single is the way to go. I had a double in TN in the '90s, can't remember if we had AC, hated my roommate and was incredibly jealous of the people who had dared to request a single. Having a roommate is highly overrated.

To give you another perspective, my daughter will be a freshman at an Ivy this fall and was assigned a triple. No AC, high floor. Bummer but those are the breaks. And everyone does *not* in fact pay the same for housing; the annual fee for a triple is about $2K less than for a single. From student message boards, the going rate for someone to initiate a housing swap (their single for your double or triple) runs at least $2K, likely more like $4K.

DC just finished freshman year at Harvard in a suite. Her two roommates got there before us and she had to sleep in...the common room. No, not a room that was separate from their living area, she was in what was supposed to be the living space for a double suite. I was much more angry than she will ever be about it of course, but it is insane to me that the Harvard College can't afford enough beds for their relatively tiny class.

That happened to me 20 years ago! It was really unsettling year and sometimes remembering it still annoys me. Somehow they both claimed the closet in the bedroom so I had to ask for space for my hanging stuff as if 1/3rd of it shouldn’t have been mine. I was the non-prep school kid and had no idea how important it was to get there early and claim space. We were supposed to have two of us in the living area, but roommate #4 got cast in a tv show or movie (can’t remember which) a week before orientation so we never got a 4th.

I think that the housing crunch at Harvard and Yale from my experience is from people requesting and receiving what we called medical singles. In my era it was pretty strict and for things like religious observation, food allergies, complicated medical equipment. I think the rules are looser now and singles are allocated for students who request them if they have sleep apnea, anxiety, autism, etc. That probably puts more kids in fewer rooms.

And students going to Pomona realize how great it is to have AC so now so many are requesting medical exemptions for an air conditioned room. So the college has to have an official air conditioning accommodation policy. Despite what some poster keeps insisting, it is pretty miserable not to have air conditioning in the Inland Empire August-October and again in April-May, so plenty of students are requesting air conditioning.

Air Conditioning Policy and Procedures
Pomona College is committed to accommodating qualified students with disabilities who may require the installation and use of an AC unit in their on-campus residence hall assignment. Certain buildings have limitations as to where AC units can be safely installed in a room. Therefore, when an accommodation is granted for an air conditioner, the student will be assigned to a room where an AC unit has already been safely installed. The AC accommodation is met through either pre-installed AC window units or through a central AC system. Students may not bring their own AC unit due to strain on the College electric grid and other infrastructure concerns.

If a student prefers a different room that does not have a pre-installed AC window unit or a central AC system, they have the right to decline the housing placement offered and not make use of their AC accommodation.

By declining the offered placement, the student understands they voluntarily chose to forego their housing AC accommodations and will participate in room draw. Furthermore, the student understands that by choosing their own room assignment for 2024-2025, the room may or may not meet their approved housing accommodations.

Eh I attend. A lot of Freshman were lying and saying that they needed AC medically when they did not. Pomona responding to this was inevitable. I lived in the worst two dorms-Wig and Lyon, and the heat never effected me, since I just bought a fan. This policy is completely new, because it should be followed by people who really need AC, not just annoying first years who know nothing about living in Claremont.

So there you have it, OP. All your kid needs is a fan, as many have suggested all along.

(I recommend the WooZoo, for what it's worth)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1) Basements are cooler than the upper floors (heat rises), so your child is in the best position for a dorm without A/C.

2) California doesn't get that hot for very long as you enter into the school year -- especially at night (it will be cool).

3) There are thousands of schools that cost a lot of money that don't have A/C in their dorms -- your child will be fine. It may even teach them how to be a little bit resilient.

Inland CA definitely gets hotter and stays hotter longer than Coastal CA. The 5Cs are inland. However, it is still desert so cools down at night.

Even if true, that first month of college is an exciting time, and you won't be spending much time in your dorm when you are just starting out hopefully. It's very abnormal in the Inland Empire for it to be greater than 75ish at night, even sometimes with 100+ degree days. This week there's a high of 95 and low of 71 in the area.

This sounds like hell. I’m going against the masses and I’d get my kid an Airbnb for a month to sleep. He can hang out at the dorm during the day. He lucked out with the single though.

My son is prioritizing looking for places with singles and AC is not negotiable. We crossed off the list this month after visiting because of the dorms and the requirement to live in it freshman year.

Jesus Christ

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^^Actually only 15% of Freshman get singles-probably the 15% that aren’t smart enough to ask for the medical accommodation for AC!!

15% is a bizarre drop unless there’s other factors not accounted for. Last year was 25% according to HRL themselves. Mudd/Blaisdell has whole rows of single freshman dorm rooms. Where’d you get that figure?

That is really crazy for one of the very few dorms with AC to have all singles. Tone deaf and horrible!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is Southern CA folks so your blithe attitude about AC is unfounded. School can more than afford to provide it too. The basement part is what gets me the most-how a school of this caliber can get away with throwing kids in a dungeon and pretending that’s ok is beyond me!

My family lives in southern California and rarely uses their AC. How hot will it actually get?

My college in Missouri had dorms without ac. It was 90-98 degrees and humid the first month of school. Southern California is not only survivable but downright comfortable without ac.

[Anonymous]

Here you go, OP. This is what your student needs.
 
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/woozoo-compact-globe-oscillating-fan-w-remote-5-speed-white/6561953.p

They will be fine.

Handy website for comparing weather; scroll down to the chart that shows "Chance of Muggy Conditions" https://weatherspark.com/compare/y/1963~20957/Comparison-of-the-Average-Weather-in-Pomona-and-Washington-D.C.

[Anonymous]

Ah, a direct link to the muggy chart
https://weatherspark.com/compare/y/1963~20957/Comparison-of-the-Average-Weather-in-Pomona-and-Washington-D.C.#Figures-Humidity

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is Southern CA folks so your blithe attitude about AC is unfounded. School can more than afford to provide it too. The basement part is what gets me the most-how a school of this caliber can get away with throwing kids in a dungeon and pretending that’s ok is beyond me!

My family lives in southern California and rarely uses their AC. How hot will it actually get?

My college in Missouri had dorms without ac. It was 90-98 degrees and humid the first month of school. Southern California is not only survivable but downright comfortable without ac.

It actually gets quite hot in the Inland empire, I believe that’s been brought up numerous times to distinguish that area from the SoCal coast. The Valley also gets much hotter.

[Anonymous]

My freshman DC had a dorm room on the 4th floor at William and Mary without AC. Her roommate was also an alcoholic who regularly passed out or vomited on the floor. Needless to say, DC spent a lot of time in the common room and made lots of friends, quickly. She also ended up graduating with a 3.9 and going to the top graduate program in the country for her area of study.

It built character. And gave her great stories to tell for the rest of her life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Totally agree with the sentiment that a single is the way to go. I had a double in TN in the '90s, can't remember if we had AC, hated my roommate and was incredibly jealous of the people who had dared to request a single. Having a roommate is highly overrated.

To give you another perspective, my daughter will be a freshman at an Ivy this fall and was assigned a triple. No AC, high floor. Bummer but those are the breaks. And everyone does *not* in fact pay the same for housing; the annual fee for a triple is about $2K less than for a single. From student message boards, the going rate for someone to initiate a housing swap (their single for your double or triple) runs at least $2K, likely more like $4K.

DC just finished freshman year at Harvard in a suite. Her two roommates got there before us and she had to sleep in...the common room. No, not a room that was separate from their living area, she was in what was supposed to be the living space for a double suite. I was much more angry than she will ever be about it of course, but it is insane to me that the Harvard College can't afford enough beds for their relatively tiny class.

That happened to me 20 years ago! It was really unsettling year and sometimes remembering it still annoys me. Somehow they both claimed the closet in the bedroom so I had to ask for space for my hanging stuff as if 1/3rd of it shouldn’t have been mine. I was the non-prep school kid and had no idea how important it was to get there early and claim space. We were supposed to have two of us in the living area, but roommate #4 got cast in a tv show or movie (can’t remember which) a week before orientation so we never got a 4th.

I think that the housing crunch at Harvard and Yale from my experience is from people requesting and receiving what we called medical singles. In my era it was pretty strict and for things like religious observation, food allergies, complicated medical equipment. I think the rules are looser now and singles are allocated for students who request them if they have sleep apnea, anxiety, autism, etc. That probably puts more kids in fewer rooms.

And students going to Pomona realize how great it is to have AC so now so many are requesting medical exemptions for an air conditioned room. So the college has to have an official air conditioning accommodation policy. Despite what some poster keeps insisting, it is pretty miserable not to have air conditioning in the Inland Empire August-October and again in April-May, so plenty of students are requesting air conditioning.

Air Conditioning Policy and Procedures
Pomona College is committed to accommodating qualified students with disabilities who may require the installation and use of an AC unit in their on-campus residence hall assignment. Certain buildings have limitations as to where AC units can be safely installed in a room. Therefore, when an accommodation is granted for an air conditioner, the student will be assigned to a room where an AC unit has already been safely installed. The AC accommodation is met through either pre-installed AC window units or through a central AC system. Students may not bring their own AC unit due to strain on the College electric grid and other infrastructure concerns.

If a student prefers a different room that does not have a pre-installed AC window unit or a central AC system, they have the right to decline the housing placement offered and not make use of their AC accommodation.

By declining the offered placement, the student understands they voluntarily chose to forego their housing AC accommodations and will participate in room draw. Furthermore, the student understands that by choosing their own room assignment for 2024-2025, the room may or may not meet their approved housing accommodations.

How can this be? We’ve been assured in numerous posts that Pomona et al have no flaws.

[Anonymous]

Single dorm rooms is such a bad idea. You need to share space and make friends first year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is Southern CA folks so your blithe attitude about AC is unfounded. School can more than afford to provide it too. The basement part is what gets me the most-how a school of this caliber can get away with throwing kids in a dungeon and pretending that’s ok is beyond me!

My family lives in southern California and rarely uses their AC. How hot will it actually get?

My college in Missouri had dorms without ac. It was 90-98 degrees and humid the first month of school. Southern California is not only survivable but downright comfortable without ac.

It actually gets quite hot in the Inland empire, I believe that’s been brought up numerous times to distinguish that area from the SoCal coast. The Valley also gets much hotter.

Yet the Pomona student upthread survived with only a fan. Amazing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Totally agree with the sentiment that a single is the way to go. I had a double in TN in the '90s, can't remember if we had AC, hated my roommate and was incredibly jealous of the people who had dared to request a single. Having a roommate is highly overrated.

To give you another perspective, my daughter will be a freshman at an Ivy this fall and was assigned a triple. No AC, high floor. Bummer but those are the breaks. And everyone does *not* in fact pay the same for housing; the annual fee for a triple is about $2K less than for a single. From student message boards, the going rate for someone to initiate a housing swap (their single for your double or triple) runs at least $2K, likely more like $4K.

DC just finished freshman year at Harvard in a suite. Her two roommates got there before us and she had to sleep in...the common room. No, not a room that was separate from their living area, she was in what was supposed to be the living space for a double suite. I was much more angry than she will ever be about it of course, but it is insane to me that the Harvard College can't afford enough beds for their relatively tiny class.

That happened to me 20 years ago! It was really unsettling year and sometimes remembering it still annoys me. Somehow they both claimed the closet in the bedroom so I had to ask for space for my hanging stuff as if 1/3rd of it shouldn’t have been mine. I was the non-prep school kid and had no idea how important it was to get there early and claim space. We were supposed to have two of us in the living area, but roommate #4 got cast in a tv show or movie (can’t remember which) a week before orientation so we never got a 4th.

I think that the housing crunch at Harvard and Yale from my experience is from people requesting and receiving what we called medical singles. In my era it was pretty strict and for things like religious observation, food allergies, complicated medical equipment. I think the rules are looser now and singles are allocated for students who request them if they have sleep apnea, anxiety, autism, etc. That probably puts more kids in fewer rooms.

And students going to Pomona realize how great it is to have AC so now so many are requesting medical exemptions for an air conditioned room. So the college has to have an official air conditioning accommodation policy. Despite what some poster keeps insisting, it is pretty miserable not to have air conditioning in the Inland Empire August-October and again in April-May, so plenty of students are requesting air conditioning.

Air Conditioning Policy and Procedures
Pomona College is committed to accommodating qualified students with disabilities who may require the installation and use of an AC unit in their on-campus residence hall assignment. Certain buildings have limitations as to where AC units can be safely installed in a room. Therefore, when an accommodation is granted for an air conditioner, the student will be assigned to a room where an AC unit has already been safely installed. The AC accommodation is met through either pre-installed AC window units or through a central AC system. Students may not bring their own AC unit due to strain on the College electric grid and other infrastructure concerns.

If a student prefers a different room that does not have a pre-installed AC window unit or a central AC system, they have the right to decline the housing placement offered and not make use of their AC accommodation.

By declining the offered placement, the student understands they voluntarily chose to forego their housing AC accommodations and will participate in room draw. Furthermore, the student understands that by choosing their own room assignment for 2024-2025, the room may or may not meet their approved housing accommodations.

How can this be? We’ve been assured in numerous posts that Pomona et al have no flaws.

One of the biggest threads about Pomona on this forum is about its cs departments flaws. It’s also heavily criticized more than Williams (who has terrible dorm conditions) and Amherst.