My son’s roommate was in priority housing and got the first signup time. There was nothing left as far as my son’s first choices. They ended up in Keathley Balcony dorms. I have been trying to find reviews with no luck but I see that the rooms are VERY tight. Not even room for a college trunk. They will have suitemates. I need some feedback on this housing please.
@AGMOM2021 if you are on FB, join the group of “Aggie moms/dads of current Texas A&M students”. Ask your question there. Lots of knowledgeable folks. Read the sticky at the top of the page. Be warmed. It is not a chatty group but an informational one, for initial posts.The comments in the posts can and do get chatty.
I looked on youtube and could not find anyone who made a video tour of a Balcony Hall but here is ResLife tour http://myatlascms.com/map/?id=427#!sv/131633
Here are the measurements http://reslife.tamu.edu/wp-content/uploads/SPECS_Keathley_Room_and_Furniture_Dimensions.pdf
layout http://reslife.tamu.edu/wp-content/uploads/FLOORPLAN_BALCONY_Double_Single.pdf
For my son’s room in Mosher, I bought stackable bins from the container store for his closet. These would work great under the bed. https://www.containerstore.com/s/college/storage-drawers/large-tint-stackable-drawer/12d?productId=10006900 These were great for towels, sheets, and are very roomy.
Our close friend’s son was in FHK (the common name for those three buildings) the K is for Keathley. So I’ve both been in them many times & heard all about them. Yes, they are some of the tightest quarters on campus similar to the Corps housing (so no, they are NOT alone). The furniture nor shelving moves - so no, you can’t re-configure.Check on the beds- they can’t be lofted- not the same beds as the commons & the shelves are right over your head or feet. There are no doors on the closets. They stacked the fridge, microwave & TV (perched one upon the other & a bungee cord to keep the TV in place. There is a sink on each side in the room and the bathroom is shared with the room next door (door on each side). Their method of making it work: extra stuff kept in the trunk of their cars, studying done primarily in the library (they have rooms you check out), don’t bring too much stuff - essentials only. Do not bring double of anything - there just isn’t room. That being said, they had the time of their lives in that hall! Still friends with the kids on their dorm floor. So don’t fret - they thought “oh my are we really going to be able to do this?!” on Day 1, but made such good friends because times are a little tougher than in some of the other dorms so they tend to stick together. My D hung out with their group & she too is still friends with all the FHK people that ‘adopted her’ - she was in the nearby modular which was not as ‘dorm oriented’. Their year, they always had a FHK table in Sbisa that they sat at for meals by choice. Academically, the four guys were in engineering, science, liberal arts/university honors (pre- dorm req) & engineering honors. All did fine - they did some studying in the room when needed (there are desks) but generally it was their social spot, the library was their study spot. Hope that helps!
Thank you so much for the info Thelma2! Great information.
AGmomx2 I appreciate the information. I was trying to figure out how and where they placed the TV…Can you give me more information about that. This room will be for 2 boys and mine is 6’2"S! I am 5’3" and I am claustrophobic looking at this room. I can’t imagine 2 big guys Lordy have mercy! Ha Ha. Thank you so much for the info.
They put it by the wall that juts out into the room near the sink. There is a plug nearby. TV was on a stand that they perched on the top. It doesn’t have to be that large of a screen to see it - basically it is like having it on the end of a twin bed as far as distance goes. They even brought a gaming system that they used on that TV. These were 2 big guys too, it’s a tight fit.
I lived in Keathley my freshman year and I seriously overpacked. Even then, Keathley was very roomy to accommodate all my things. The closet is small, but I used those large hanging box organizers for my closet and folded over 50 t-shirts per rack. The drawers are very deep and I stored a lot under my bed. I lofted it to the highest setting and it fit my 4.3 cubic foot mini fridge and some cabinets I ordered from Home Depot for food/towels/etc. The overhead storage holds a lot and we also used under the sink as a storage area with curtains to cover it (Along with curtains to cover the closets). Overall, it wasn’t as bad as you’d think and if you have questions let me know!