<p>reading this I’m reminded that my s and d didn’t complain freshman year about lack of A/C in Virginia, old rundown dorm, no TV at all let alone cable, (they never watched for four years) a surprise triple because dorms were overbooked. they seemed to focus on all the positives and excitement of being at college. I hope I contributed to teaching them that…but who knows maybe they just were partying so they didn’t notice. ;)</p>
<p>If your kids (or adults you know) start whining about things show them this:
[First</a> World Problems - YouTube](<a href=“First World Problems - YouTube”>First World Problems - YouTube)</p>
<p>Most dorm rooms are small. A comforter not fitting right is a petty complaint. Many teens complain at college. If they need a different desk, they can buy one. If they want room service, not to be rude, but they are being ridiculous. If they want premium cable that isn’t available, they can use Netflix or similar services.</p>
<p>I guess you can look at this two ways:</p>
<p>First off, if my D complained about such petty things as the OP described, I would just roll my eyes. If she continued crabbing, we would have a “come to Jesus” talk about how fortunate she is to be going to her dream school.</p>
<p>Secondly, you could see it as, if this is the worst thing she has to complain about, things are going pretty good. She’s not crabbing about no friends, mean professors, impossible classes, kids getting mugged on the way home from the library. Those would be problems that I would actually worry/care about.</p>
<p>Of course, it helps that my D is, in fact, going to her dream school, and not likely to complain about little stuff like a comforter not fitting. If she did, I would offer to let her transfer to the college in our hometown–this would be a fate worse than death for her.</p>
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<p>Depends on the college dorm policies. Many dorm policies IME won’t allow someone to move out dorm provided desks/bookshelves so students are stuck with them for the semester/year. </p>
<p>Moreover, while many US dorms are small, they are still on average, far roomier than the 6-8 bunked person rooms to a small room equivalent to a small US double deals I’ve seen in overseas universities or what my older relatives and friends in grad school/work experienced during their undergrad years in such universities.</p>
<p>I’d consider this an opportunity for character building. </p>
<p>Some kids have gotten used to all the amenities provided by parents and then find out about the cold cruel world of not having premium cable, wifi and spacious private rooms. Let this be a motivation to do well in school so they can graduate and get a self-supporting job that will enable them to live in the manner to which they’d like to be accustomed!</p>
<p>Neither of my kids have had dorms with A/C, though both had basic cable and wifi. S1 never had TV in his dorm room; S2 bought one out of his own earnings. They didn’t have laptops, wireless in their rooms at home prior to college, and still don’t have TVs in their rooms at home.</p>
<p>The dorms they’ve lived in did not permit the removal of assigned furniture.</p>
<p>Is this a controversial problem? Heck no. Time for them to make the best of what’s been provided and be grateful they have parents who are willing to pay the housing bill.</p>
<p>Does anyone else think this post is… odd? Lots of typos… doesn’t seem like a parent post to me. And honestly, a parent already knows if their kid is a pain or not by the time they head to college. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>Well the profile does say age 25.</p>
<p>Perhaps you should add ‘check out the dorms’ into your list of things to consider when choosing a college.</p>
<h1>28–Interesting. If she’s 25, I wonder who, exactly, these “friends of her daughter’s” are.</h1>
<p>I’ve thought this post odd since I first read it. I did have one that refused to go to a college with community bathrooms and would only go if suite-style was available, but after that they were all so thrilled to leave home and go to college they wouldn’t have cared if they lived in a Yurt.</p>
<p>Well I mean it is their first time away from home; it is most likely because they are scared</p>
<p>I cannot imagine sending a kid away for the first time at age 18. Kids who don’t have experience at camp, or even a few nights at a friend’s house or on a youth group mission trip aren’t likely to be ready to move into a college dorm.</p>
<p>My daughter hated the food, especially the lack of fresh vegetables and fruit.</p>
<p>helpa1, perhaps, but the post is about complaining about creature comforts…things that most healthy people can adjust to and something that most young people won’t have in their life after being a kid in a family situation. Most kids understand that leaving home means it won’t be like home for better or for worse. That is different than being afraid. It’s possible that in the original post the student is afraid but is complaining about other things to cover up fear, but something tells me that is not the case. I could be wrong.</p>
<p>I don’t go to college until next year, but I really don’t think that I’ll be able to survive without HBO.</p>
<p>re: post no. 30.</p>
<p>Obviously, the poster has a 4yo and in typical cc fashion the dd’s friend has skipped 13 grades and gone straight to college.</p>
<p>My D spent one year in the dorm and her biggest problems were:
- A room mate who would use the Brita pitcher and “forget” to refill it ( never leave a singer without water!!)
- Lack of heat when it got really cold. It seemed that the heat “came on” in areas from the center of the campus and spreading outward and her dorm was on the furthest corner, so no heat until the last of October, which didn’t cut it. She was sleeping in her clothes and jacket!!</p>
<p>IMHO dorm living is overrated. I will ask my children to do it the first year so they can make some friends and settle in. After that, I have no problem with them moving off campus.</p>
<p>Seriously Massmomm? Millions of 18 year olds do it every year, not to mention the millions of 14 year olds that trot off to boarding school…my own son included.</p>