Anonymous
08/20/2023 17:30
Subject: Has anyone felt disappointed by the dorm?
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.
Anonymous
08/20/2023 17:30
Subject: Has anyone felt disappointed by the dorm?
Anonymous wrote:
I'm a foreigner who has never had to live in a dorm (students either commute from home or rent apartments), and I do not encourage my kids to apply somewhere with a high risk of getting a tiny dysfunctional space. My oldest just moved into a nice single at GW... the doubles are a bit cramped, but the dorms are overall on the nicer side - renovated, A/C, amenities, etc. I am NOT paying these American prices for my kids to get poor quality sleep for 4 years. Comfort matters. And we live in a tiny, old house! But it's still comfortable and well laid-out.
I entirely reject the notion that discomfort is "part of the college experience". Not at those prices.
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
08/20/2023 17:27
Subject: Has anyone felt disappointed by the dorm?
Anonymous wrote:
I'm a foreigner who has never had to live in a dorm (students either commute from home or rent apartments), and I do not encourage my kids to apply somewhere with a high risk of getting a tiny dysfunctional space. My oldest just moved into a nice single at GW... the doubles are a bit cramped, but the dorms are overall on the nicer side - renovated, A/C, amenities, etc. I am NOT paying these American prices for my kids to get poor quality sleep for 4 years. Comfort matters. And we live in a tiny, old house! But it's still comfortable and well laid-out.
I entirely reject the notion that discomfort is "part of the college experience". Not at those prices.
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
08/20/2023 17:22
Subject: Has anyone felt disappointed by the dorm?
OP: It's good practice for when the college kids travel and stay in hostels! 10 ppl per room!
Anonymous
08/20/2023 17:21
Subject: Has anyone felt disappointed by the dorm?
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
08/20/2023 17:20
Subject: Has anyone felt disappointed by the dorm?
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
08/20/2023 17:14
Subject: Has anyone felt disappointed by the dorm?
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
08/20/2023 17:11
Subject: Has anyone felt disappointed by the dorm?
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.
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
08/20/2023 17:03
Subject: Has anyone felt disappointed by the dorm?
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.
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
08/20/2023 16:53
Subject: Has anyone felt disappointed by the dorm?
Did you not go to college?
Anonymous
08/20/2023 16:52
Subject: Has anyone felt disappointed by the dorm?
Anonymous wrote:
I'm a foreigner who has never had to live in a dorm (students either commute from home or rent apartments), and I do not encourage my kids to apply somewhere with a high risk of getting a tiny dysfunctional space. My oldest just moved into a nice single at GW... the doubles are a bit cramped, but the dorms are overall on the nicer side - renovated, A/C, amenities, etc. I am NOT paying these American prices for my kids to get poor quality sleep for 4 years. Comfort matters. And we live in a tiny, old house! But it's still comfortable and well laid-out.
I entirely reject the notion that discomfort is "part of the college experience". Not at those prices.
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
08/20/2023 16:51
Subject: Has anyone felt disappointed by the dorm?
Kids don't mind the accomodations because they are away from their parents!!
Anonymous
08/20/2023 16:48
Subject: Has anyone felt disappointed by the dorm?
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.
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
08/20/2023 16:48
Subject: Has anyone felt disappointed by the dorm?
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 …
Anonymous
08/20/2023 16:42
Subject: Re:Has anyone felt disappointed by the dorm?
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.