Specifically, do all of the rooms on the 5th floor have dormer/slanted ceilings?
In the rooms with a slanted ceiling is it possible to raise the bed (not loft) or is the clearance too low with the ceiling?
Are male/female residents in separate wings or on the same hall?
It appears that the room sizes are not standard and vary. Where can we get the actual dimensions for a particular room and whether it has a closet or a wardrobe.
How is the electricity? I read that some of the dorms cannot handle the electrical needs of the combo microwave/fridge units and that the microwave becomes useless.
Any additional info on this dorm would be greatly appreciated.
I lived on the 4th floor of Clara Dickson during my freshman year, so I’ll try to answer some of your questions:
Some of the rooms on the 5th floor have slanted ceilings, but I'm not sure ALL of them do.
It is possible to raise the bed even with a slanted ceiling, the clearance should not be too low if the bed is not too close to a window.
Each floor is organized into two halves, 5 side and 6 side, divided by a shared central lounge/staircase. Each side is a winding hallway passing many rooms, with the halfway point on each side dividing up male and female students. On the 4th and 5th floors this halfway point is arbitrary, while large lounge areas act as these halfway points on the 2nd and 3rd floors.
Most singles along the hallway were like mine, approx. 100 sq. ft. (but don't quote me, this is just a general estimate). Singles near the ends/corners of hallways are more likely to have more room, approx. 120 sq. ft. All singles have walk-in closets that take up part of the room's space.
Doubles are twice as large as small singles, and triples are thrice the size. For their inhabitants, triples have 2 walk-in closets and a wardrobe.
Electricity at Clara Dickson is, how should I put it, limited? Microwaves, toasters, rice cookers and the like, most likely will not work in your room. However, you can use them with the outlets in the halls. A microfridge, a fan or two, a couple lamps; those types of appliances will be fine (maybe even a small coffeemaker if you're lucky). Electronics should also have no problem: desktop, laptop/phone chargers , smart companion, large flat-screen TV, etc. (but using all of them at once might be pushing it).
WARNING: Electrical capacity of each room should be about the same, regardless of how many people live there. Doubles/triples will be given the same amount of energy as a single, so electricity per person would be even more limited.
Other things:
There are radiator heaters in every room, but no AC. Your room might just be an oven during the first couple of weeks.
Each side of a floor has at least 1 kitchen and two bathrooms (1 male, 1 female). Most kitchens are quite small (maybe the size of a single), but 4th floor kitchens are considerably bigger. Bathrooms in the hallways are quite large, each having 5 - 7 toilet stalls, 6 - 9 sinks, and 5 - 7 shower stalls. Bathrooms in the lounges, as well as handicapped bathrooms, will be noticeably smaller. The bathrooms at Clara Dickson are kept moderately clean by custodial staff; I was quite impressed during my time there (originally, I expected much worse).
Each bedroom has a fire alarm, but no sprinklers in the room itself. Every closet has a sprinkler, though.
-The 1st floor is weird. It’s more of a basement floor, but there are students living there (just not many). It’s the floor for laundry, trash, and the loading dock. There are also administrative/custodial offices.
Move-in day will be tough. There is only one elevator for the whole building, and there will be at least 500 freshman living there. GOOD LUCK! :-bd
Thank you for your detailed reply, AL. This is really helpful. Can you give me an idea of the dimensions on the closet? I read somewhere that they are about 12 square feel but that can encompass any number of configurations which could significantly impact the usable space in the room.
Both of my kids lived at Dickson freshman year. The older one lived on the fifth floor and her roof was slanted, but it had a nice seat for the winder. It was very small, but enough room for her. She loved her room. The younger one had a handicap room on the first room and it was huge. We double hung their closets so they could get more clothes in. We also bought a wooden shelf with storage containers for shirts/underwear/socks/makeup…I wouldn’t buy a lot of closet organizer until you get there because almost all closets are different. You will have plenty of time after move in to get to BBB and target to get a lot of stuff. My daughter’s friend had her parents build her an Ikea closet, but she had a single at one of those newer buildings.
My older daughter had her own fridge in her room, but by the time my younger was a freshman they were banned. We rented a microwave fridge combo for my younger daughter.
Thank you, oldfort. Unfortunately, I have the last move-in slot, so I imagine the stores will be pretty picked over by th time I figure out what I need and can go shopping. I understand that the rooms aren’t uniform but can you give me an idea of the configuration of the closets (e.g., more rectangle or square, door near the entry to the room, how much space to maneuver inside the closet, existing shelfs, etc.) in your daughter’s rooms–particularly the 5th floor. Thanks.
As someone who has shopped at those stores after each move in (over 8 year period), I was always able to buy almost anything my kids needed for their rooms at BBB. Anything I couldn’t get I was able to purchase online to have it shipped to them within few days. It included a mattress because my kid didn’t like the one in her room. My kids also had the last move-in slot because of their last name.
I am also assigned to the 5th Floor of CDH. From what few pictures I could find, it appears that due to the dormer window and corresponding slanted ceiling, the wall on the window side sticks out past the window (1 foot or so?) eating up additional floor space. Additionally, due to the slanted ceiling, there really isn’t much you can do with furniture arrangement to maximize space. How much room is there from the foot of the bed to to the wall where the closet is (assuming the bed is placed closest to the window/slanted ceiling). I noticed on pictures from other floors that some students are able to put their dressers (30" wide) at the foot of their beds. I have run some numbers using the 9 x 12 dimensions I was given for the overall room size and the 12 ft closet dimensions and it doesn’t appear that there is much room between the end of the bed and the closet wall on the 5th floor rooms unless I am configuring this all wrong. The dormer really messes with the space… Am I correct regarding the lack of space between the end of the bed and the closet? Is it possible to put a mini fridge there?
When adding in the length of the bed on one side (with the protruding wall by the window on one end and closet on the other) and then on the opposing wall the length of the dresser and the desk plus the protruding wall by the window, everything is pretty tight. Is there even room for a rental mini fridge?
I have read that the closets are not uniform but any input on configuration would be appreciated. I am also traveling from a long distance (and coming without a car available to run to Target or BBB) and would like to ship what I can in advance and also avoid bring too much that I will have to dispose of when I arrive. I know that I can always order things on line, but my transition to college would be smoother and less stressful if I could at least have my room in order right away.
Also, I am assuming that that the 9 x 12 dimensions is for the entire room include the closet–as noted above. I read a post from a prior year where someone estimated the 9x12 to not include the closet and small walkway when entering the room next to the closet. It is confusing because the configuration in some of the pictures online with the bed at dresser side by side on the closet side of the room would seem to indicate that the closet isn’t included in the overall dimensions. Yet, I saw a picture of a 5th floor room where there appears to be no way the bed and dresser could be on the same side and in fact, there would be no room for a mini fridge, at all. I know that room sizes are not uniform but apparently the average single is 9x12. Are there some rooms that are smaller than 9x12?
Thanks of your patience not this long and confusing message. Any input anyone has about the 5th floor would be greatly appreciated.
Can anyone answer aburg’s questions? I am particularly interested in knowing how much space is available on the bed side of the room between the bed and the closet. Would a mini fridge fit here? Is there even space in these 5th floor dormer rooms for a rental mini fridge? As plotted out in aburg’s post it will be pretty tight just with the furniture provided. I saw in a post from an earlier thread that the 9x12 dimensions doesn’t include the closet space but AL’s post indicates that the closet (12 sq foot was what I was told my room contained) takes up part of that space which makes more sense when quoting room size.
My daughter had a fairly large mini fridge, one additional shelf from BBB, and some fraternity brothers were able to put a blow up plastic pool in her room as a prank during rush. She had a big wardrobe, accessories, shoes/boots (20+ pairs), and many bags. She was able to fit everything in. We double hung her closet and put storage bins under her bed. Her room was one of the smaller ones on the fifth floor, but it was big enough. We swapped her clothes for different seasons. If you live very far away, you could put your winter clothes in storage at a dry cleaner.
You could get things shipped to school (find out when it is earliest you could do that). The only thing is you would need to get it from the mail room to your dorm. There are taxis in Ithaca you could take when you want to shop. They would drop you off right by your dorm.