BrinlyNoya

Ok, so this is my second year of college, first year at a real school, first year living in a dorm, second time living away from home.

What the hell do I need to bring to the dorm!?! I'm a girl.. that may have some leeway on what you suggest.

I'm just pissed because I have a roommate and it will severely decrease the amount of time I have to.. do.. things...............

TIO

Have a look here for what other people had to say. I made a comprehensive list of things a bloke should bring there, but most of them apply to chicks as well. And there's heaps of other good advice, too.

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BrinlyNoya

hmm.. good advice, but you were really the only one to discuss what to bring into a dorm...

MikeyChalupa

Bring a sock to put over the door. That's the universal sign for "I'm getting some. Crash in the lounge tonight."

Your school's website should have something like a "Student Life" page that has a list of things to bring and, more importantly, NOT to bring. For example, when I was at Buffalo, space heaters, microwaves, hot plates, toaster ovens, and sterno burners (or any type of open flame, including incense or candles, although most RA's looked the other way on this) were not allowed in your room. They had a communal kitchen on each floor that had microwaves and stove/ovens. You COULD bring a little fridge, though. Most schools should have their dorm rooms wired for high-speed internet, so bring your comp. if you want. Buffalo's rooms were wired for cable, too.

The general rule of thumb is if you wouldn't put it in your bedroom back home (except the fridge), you shouldn't bring it to the dorms, and anything that could be a potential fire hazard is not allowed. Here's Buffalo's student life handbook in PDF format to provide a guideline but remember your school may be different. Go to your school's orientation, this information will undoubtedly be passed out the first day.

http://www.student-affairs.buffalo.e...resguide02.pdf

-Mikey

platypus

It's also the universal sign for, "Bust in the door for an exciting demonstration of coitus interruptus." Might not be as bad in a girls' dorm, but it was a cruel game in my dorm.

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Peetster

A small refrigerator
First aide kit (bandaides and stuff)
Pictures of people you love
Condoms
Stationairy, envelopes and stamps

onetime2

Small refrig
microwave
coffee maker (if so inclined)
alarm clock
tv/vcr
stereo/radio
computer
snack foods (you will make lots of friends, especially after partying)
quarters (for laundry)
laundry detergent/fabric softener/bleach
flip flops (for the shower, it can get kind of nasty walking to and from as well in the shower itself)
sheets/pillow/blanket

I'm sure there's more but that's all that's coming to mind right now. You can pretty much get the rest of the stuff you need while you're at school.

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remiel

by roommate do you mean someone who will be sharing your bedroom, or just someone who will be sharing your hall/flat?

if it's someone sharing your room then without sounding too paranoid, try not to bring stuff that you wouldn't mind someone else using. For example, if you bring your computer, realise that at some point probably your roommate will have to write up an essay on it (so hide your porn somewhere secure - just kidding). Most of the time if you respect their stuff, they will respect yours, but as a rule of thumb, don't get too agitated about them using your stereo or anything like that.

Of course, this can be taken to extremes. One of my friends once got home to find his roommate having sex in HIS bed (as in my friend's). When later asked why he hadn't used his own bed, the roomate sad 'the springs in my mattress squeak'. Needless to say he moved out fairly soon after.

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bizarrostormy1

I would try NOT to bring a TV, since that will only further decrease the amount of time you will have to do... things...

An old roommate of mine had class every day at 8am, but he would never go. He would just let his obnoxious alarm go off for ten minutes, and then he would turn on the TV and lay like a rotting steak in front of the Bloomburg Network stock updates for an hour. Also, I became really attached to TV shows that I had never seen before, but that would only play really late at night, because my other roommates were always awake and watching and insisted that I join.

TV + college = evil

TIO

Other things you need: A LOUD, ANNOYING alarm with NO SNOOZE FEATURE. If you have a snooze button, you'll use it 10 times and then realise you've missed the lecture. It also needs to be something that you can't possibly sleep through, no matter how hung over you are, or if you got to bed half an hour ago.

I don't know if I said it in the other thread, but have a bar fridge. Get one with a lock, so your roommate won't make off with all your stuff when she gets the munchies. Also, if you're allowed to drink in your dorm, it's considered good form to keep a few beers in said fridge for guests.

It sounds dumb, but make sure you don't forget all your toiletries and medications...you'd be amazed how many freshers forget to take their toothbrushes or shampoo to college. And also remember the stuff you don't use so often; you won't often need Panadol, but when you do need it the morning (afternoon, evening) after a kegger, you'll really need it, and you won't be up to walking to the campus pharmacy.

onetime2 mentioned a coffee maker...you can get a cheap dripolator for $10 or less, and my coffee maker is the only thing that gets me out of bed for early lectures.

Also, grab a bathrobe. They're a lot nicer to go to the bathroom and back in than a towel, and they're also nice and cozy in winter.

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neoinoakleys

lingerie and sex toys....:-) This is a staple for all female dorm dwellers...

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RoadRage

Listen to TIO.

Don't take family heirlooms or anything that you can't afford to have stolen, because stuff will be stolen. I doesn't matter if your roommate is your best friend from 15 years back, some stranger classmate of yours or theirs will pilfer something at some point.

Get out of the dorms ASAP. Off-campus is almost always cheaper even if you only half-know what you're doing.

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TIO

Maybe you're right about getting out, Rager, but I'd also highly recommend (to anyone at all) spending at least one semester in the dorms. Even if it's the worst 6 months of your life, it's the kind of experience you'll only have once in a lifetime, and odds are you'll love it.

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tj2001cobra

The dorm was probably the thing I liked most about school my freshman year. The food wasn't great, but I went to the University of Texas, along with 50 thousand other people. Talk about mass produced. Anyways, here is a list of things I would recommend. You will find that the other people in the dorm will have things you need and will normally share them with you. I made a lot of friends that I still keep in contact with.

Fridge - necessity for when you are sick of cafeteria food. Keep water, beer, etc.
Some type of stereo / jambox- you dont need anything big, because you wont be able to turn it up loud.
Fan - we didnt get to adjust the temp in our room. Nice to have when it was warm
Ear plugs - even girls snore; also, you might go to bed earlier than the roomie
Computer - bring it if you have one. It is easier to use than having to go to a lab somewhere
stuff for the walls - the room WILL be plain. It is really boring to look at a blank wall
If you havea community bathroom, bring a carrying device for your stuff.

There are alot of other obvious things, but the above listed things were most important to me.

Ganguro

also keep in mind that if you wanted to "do stuff" like touch yourself or whatever.. there ARE ways of being discreet without having to leave the room. Plus it makes for an exciting story for you and your roomate to tell people later on. Come on.. EVERYONE who lives in the dorm has at least one "i think my roommate was masterbating" or " i think i saw some chick/guy/goat giving my roommate head last night" story.

That's what dorm life is about.. inappropriate stories

JadziaDax

Make sure you are aware of the rules of the dorm before making your shopping list. Some dorms don't allow microwaves or hotplates.

Mine didn't allow microwaves, but mine fit so nicely under the bed, and then into the closet when they did dorm inspections. I was lucky enough not to have a roommate.

Also make sure you have enough bed linens, towels, and underware. A good robe also comes in handy. Oh, and something to carry your shampoo and soap to the showers.

Dorm life can be fun... and annoying at the same time.

Have fun.

BrinlyNoya

cool, this is totally what I was looking for!! I didn't even think about a bathrobe!!!

The_Dude

do you have a public bath or private bath? plan for whichever bath you will have.

i went and looked at the dorm i will be staying at and it looked like they have a place for posters and stuff of that sort. kinda like a posting board in the cramped place.

take some blankets. in my future dorm, it's freakin COLD AS HELL 24/7. i spent a couple of nights there for orientation and realized how cold it was. i'd have to take some tylenol cold medication when i go.

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Slims

Well, heres a brief list of some things you will need:

A shower caddy for all your soap/shampoo, etc.
Shower shoes. You couldn't pay me to walk into those bathrooms barefoot.
A printer for your computer.
A small tv with a vcr.
Clear plastic boxes that will fit under the bed.
A small coffee machine
A minifridge
A microwave (if you aren't allowed to have these things, just hide them in the closet)
Extension cords-you will need these too
Duct tape
Extra toothbrush for 'friend'
Good window fan with reversible flow direction--Dorms get fucking hot, and they are also good for sucking any 'smells' out of your room.
Extra pillows
Extra collapsible chairs
Sewing kit
Frisbee
Extra socks/underwear (you will rarely do laundry)
Coins for laundry


Oh, and instead of a sock over the door, it is much more subtle to put a little piece of duct tape over the lock when you are...busy. Random people won't notice or mess with you, and your roomate will have to physically remove the duct tape before getting into the room so it is a guaranteed to work signal.

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lady

a fan - the air in my dorm was brutally stale
umbrella
sports equipment
hangers

hmm, lemme think about this some more

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Sion

dorm life mostly SUCKS ASS. get out of the dorms ASAP.

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tj2001cobra

Hey Dude, which dorm are you going into? I lived at Moore-Hill in the hyphen.

As for dorm life, it's what you make of it. I had a blast, we had an awesome hall, and we all became friends. A good tip for making friends is to leave your door propped open when you are there and not needing privacy. An open door invites a lot of guests. People will walk by, say hi, and stop in to chat. I know it sounds goofy, but there is always someone there by themselves who is probably bored. No need to be bored by yourself.

Other things to bring - Something to cover the window if you like the room dark. The shade wont provide much shade. Also, if you want to keep things private, bring a lock box. Although it can be stolen and pried open, it will keep the honest people out.

spasblitz

All the stuff is covered above that you will need.....lets talk about the fun things you can do !

My dorm was shaped like a rectangle. Rooms along the edge and bathrooms/recroom/stairs etc. in the middle of the floor. The doors to the rooms were the perfect distance from the wall across so that you could place your back on the wall and push the bottom of the doors inward about an inch. Why would you want to do that you may be asking? Well....if there is someone in that room and you want to keep them in there for awhile, all you had to do was have someone slide a stack of pennies up the doorjam while you are pushing the door in and then release. PRESTO, they are locked solid in that room until someone removes the pennies

Very effective !!

Mael

when i lived in my frat, we called it "playing through." whenever we knew someone was having a random hookup (and occasionally hooking up with their SO), we'd get the master key or a roommate to unlock the door for us, throw a golf ball in the room, and then a bunch of us would waddle through the room with our pants around our ankles muttering "playing through, have you seen our ball? where's our ball? watch out for the sand trap! etc. etc."

yeah, we're asses.

BrinlyNoya

LOL that is awesome!!!! omg, I'm going to have to remember that!

I totally didn't even think about an umbrella or duct tape (and I call myself punk.. I'm ashamed of me... )

sandeep

just to add here, that i'll be moving into a dorm in a few weeks, so this thread, as well as that other one a while ago have been a big help.

thought i'd mention it, and say thanks as well

World's King

Leave the door and widows open when you change clothes.


*runs away*

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The_Dude

jester!

the largest dorm in the world!

and it's FREEZING in there. they turn the thermostat down so much.....

as for windows, we have a tiny peephole for windows. i dont know if it opens out or not.

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MacGnG

well all(most) of your clothes and stuff. micro and fridge, depends what they provide, lik ei didnt need to bring them cause we rented it thru school. like A LOT of things you think of you probly wont use but that happeneds. also you can probly deal with it if you forget something that not tooo important (buy it when u get up to school). also rememebr stuff for your desk, like hole puncher, etc. but wait till u get up to school , cause your room mate might have a buncha stuff u 2 can share.

dont really worry too much about a room mate i know a buncha ppl that had cool roomates (me and my roommate) and there was this girl i know her room mate was never there and went home all the time so you'll see when u get up there

just rememeber to have fun and be safe, but do your work first. dorms rock, drink beer! (bring an extra book bag if you have for this)

something from my school:
http://student.philau.edu/bommire2/s...ospective.html

nothingx

I couldn't possibly agree with this more. A television in your room will 100% guaranteed annoy the crap out of you sooner or later. I had a roommate that ate, slept, went to some classes, and watched television. When you're trying to read or something, there is nothing worse than that idiot box blarring into your eardrums. There is so much more to do at school than watch television.... do yourself a favor and leave it at home.

"Notice I said television, and not TV, because TV is a nickname, and nicknames are for friends, and televison is no friend of mine."

TIO

Mael, that's brilliant! I'm going to have to give playing through a shot some time!
:P

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BrinlyNoya

Is that a saying of yours or did you hear it from someone? I love it! I'm adding it to my quote book and would like to know the source!

Gertie

Make sure you bring a fan.

cheerios

hairbrush, shampoo, soap, shaving cream, razors, SHOWER SHOES!, health insurance card of some sort, that stuffed teddy you've had since 2nd grade (believe me, we ALL had something with us). books to read, HEADPHONES. Perfect soloution for that TV problem, provided you don't want to sleep. phone-card, diary, thumb tacks, go get a cork-board somewhere.
a small white-board fro the door. phone. answering machine. deoderant. book-bag. printer paper! Printer.
lots of patience. a sense of humor.
curling iron/primping supplies.
stuff to doll yourself up with, if you're so inclined.
storage. a small bookshelf.

bobsonite

Since you have a roommate, you're going to want a GOOD pair of headphones... trust me. Also a small whiteboard or something to write on for the outside of your door is essential. If people want to leave you messages they'll write them right on the door otherwise, and you'll have to scrub them off at the end of the year.

K-Wise

Dorms suck ass. I owe 3 fuckin grand before I can go back to ANY college cause I had to stay in a dorm.

Asta!!

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irieemon

condoms, a bong, and a toilet paper tube with dryer sheets in it to blow through

a2k

Arrive early to score the best bed.

BrinlyNoya

I really want to get there to super early to score the best bed.. but.. I'm a lazy fuckhead.. and KU has it set up where we get to go in alphabetical order.. my roomies last name is a B.. mine is an S.. I'm fucked.. unless she is more ofa lazyfuckhead than me!

Presently I have:
Sams Club Sized (SCS) case of water bottles
SCS box of instant rice (with seasonings! woopie!)
SCS box of gum (who doesn't want gum? Makes friends stick like gum to your shoe... right?)
SCS box of razors
SCS tubes of toothpaste
SCS bottles of Shampoo and Condition, and body soap
Xtra long twin sheets (2 sets.. in black and red.. sexy!)
black/white comforter
black desk lamp
computer/monitor/printer
Red Fisher Price organizer (Small) for my makeup :-P
Red Fisher Price organizer (Large) for my clothes that don't fit into the drawers provided
2 Sets of Red bath towels/ 2 sets of White bath towels
White Shower Caddy
Red (with black and white flowers on 'em) sandals that will be used as shower shoes
Picture of my Grams (who passed away 2 years ago) in a red picture frame
Cork Board- spray painted black (its neat, it has a lil picture frame in the middle. I put an old B&W photo of a christmas tree and presents.. it looks pretty.. lots of shiney things in it... mmm.. shiney..)
thumbtacks, for the board
Dry-Erase markers (there is a dry erase board already provided on the doors )
Brownish Red cup I got in japan to hold my writting utensils
Silver Stapler
White Trash Can
Dictionary
fabric softner and laundry detergant
LOTS AND LOTS OF MIDOL!! (tmi? haha)

TIO

You're still missing a pack of cards, a flashlight and a swiss army knife

*TIO bites his tongue hard to avoid making smart-alec coments about SCS boxes of rubbers*

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Strewth