Has anyone felt disappointed by the dorm?
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Anonymous
| Oh yeah first year move-in day is today at my DD‘s school and there’s definitely complaining on the parent FB about the teeny rooms (generally bedrooms that open out to a common room in suites, so there is more living space.) and it’s true. The rooms are teeny. But generally the kids are fine with it. It’s the parents -Moms- who aren’t. |
Anonymous
+1. It’s college not a resort. Parents these days … |
Anonymous
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Your kid has been spoiled, like most on this site. He will survive, and be better for the experience.
He certainly does not need a microwave (which would probably rarely get cleaned). The lounge probably has one. Help him focus on the positives. Freshmen always get the worst housing. It is bonding experience. |
Anonymous
| Kids don't mind the accomodations because they are away from their parents!! |
Anonymous
GW grad. Most of GW’s dorms are converted apartments or hotels, so most have private baths. My kids visited on admitted student days. Chose other schools and were surprised at how small the rooms were in comparison. GW shows of their dorms while many schools do not. A selling point for them. |
Anonymous
| Did you not go to college? |
Anonymous
Sounds like my room at an Ivy back in the day. I recall my mom trying to figure out who had taken out chest of drawers - there wasn’t one, no room. And it was fine, but I hear you. I don’t see why being uncomfortable with poor sleep needs to be part of the college experience. Mind you, that doesn’t mean luxury is needed either but some reasonable well kept accommodations and facilities would be nice. It seems hard to get a good sense of this in advance since most schools seem to have a variety of dorms where your child could be placed. |
Anonymous
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FFS, folks. Grow up.
During my entire freshman year, I lived in a single that was turned into a double. We had bunk beds. It was miserably cramped. The shower was disgusting. It was dark and your feet sunk into the rotting concrete when you stepped inside. It was in the basement of a century old dorm at a very prestigious liberal arts college. Why do your little snowflakes need their own room, their own bathroom, their nice comfy double bed, all the cozies and tidiness and oomphieness of home when they are in college?? This is real life. Mommy and Daddy are paying now, but not forever (unless you suck at parenting), so start getting used to some deprivations, kiddos. My kid's dorm room is so small, she is supposed to have bunk beds, but she refuses, so she and her roommate are working out a floor plan so they can squeeze two twin beds in their. One of them is going to put her desk in the hall because she doesn't study at a desk. Yeah, $80k for this!! Whine away, parents. This is college as it's always been and likely always will be. |
Anonymous
| Pro tip - the lower ranked schools we visited (and the one DD ended up at) had better dorms than the higher ranked schools. My theory is that they have to try harder to attract students, and it worked in our case. |
Anonymous
| Why are you making this into a problem? It's a right of passage, and you just need let go. Parents today are creating young adults that just cannot adapt. Life is going to come at them hard when mommy and daddy aren't there to fight their battles. |
Anonymous
| OP here. The ranting worked. I felt better knowing we are not alone in this. Thanks to everyone who chipped in. You all have a nice day! |
Anonymous
| OP: It's good practice for when the college kids travel and stay in hostels! 10 ppl per room! |
Anonymous
There are plenty of schools that don't require first years to live on campus and many students of all years commute, either from home or from an apartment off campus. If a spacious single with a private bathroom is a priority, you can focus on schools that allow your child to live at home or to rent an apt near campus. Many students do that, although for first years it's mostly about saving costs by commuting from home rather than getting a more comfortable environment. There are some social costs to commuting as a first year (and probably to having a single) if the majority of the first years live on campus and have roommates, and you might have to settle for a school that isn't your top choice academically, but people choose colleges for all sorts of reasons that others would consider less important. As you surely know if you are a foreigner, the U.S. has far more choices when it comes to higher education than anywhere else in the world. |
Anonymous
I'm not a foreigner. When i went to college it was cheaper to rent a room in a group house and cook my own food than to sign up for the crappy dorm and overpriced meal plan. So that is what I did . I got my own room in a 6-person house; it had 3 bathrooms, too. I never lived in a dorm, not even as a freshman. I walked/biked about 5 blocks to campus. |
Anonymous
| On one hand, yes, it’s part of the experience and complaining does no one any good. On the other - the prices that these universities charge is ridiculous for the housing stock and as a consumer, it’s normal to be peeved at that. |