<p>Hello everyone!</p>
<p>My name's Ian, and I'm a rising senior here at Earlham College. I've worked for admissions for two years, and I'll be returning for the fall as well. </p>
<p>I'm more than happy to answer any questions you might have!</p>
<p>And admissions didn't put me up to this - I just remembered about this forum from when I was a prospective student four years ago. :-)</p>
<p>Hmmmm, now where did I put that list of questions we need some answers for??? Let me remember what they were and I’m sure I’ll bug you a bit. :)</p>
<p>In April did you do tours? I think you might have been my family’s guide when we were there for admitted student day.</p>
<p>Sent from my SCH-I800 using CC</p>
<p>@earlhammom2016: I’ve been doing tours every month for two years now! It’s funny having some of the people I’ve given tours to start learning how to give tours from me :P</p>
<p>I’m wondering how most kids travel to and from Earlham to the East Coast, specifically New York. Do you have a sense of that? Thanks in advance…</p>
<p>Great question! We have a lot of students from the east coast. From what I understand, it is fairly easy to find a carpool to go to NYC, Philly, Boston etc., as long as you’re willing to pay for gas money. NYC and Philly in particular are popular destinations - I know at least 8 people that live in NYC proper (there are surely many more than that), and a fair few in the 'burbs. Alternatively, if you can find a ride to Cincinatti, Columbus, or Indy, Megabus is available and can take you places for cheap. Greyhound has just opened a station in Richmond, but that is more expensive. Finally, air travel from Dayton or Indy is pretty easy - there are occasional shuttles (though you usually have to pay for that service), and lots of friendly people, some of which will take you places for free! 
Dayton International is a great airport - fast, simple, and generally cheap, though this can change for flights in high demand.</p>
<p>Thanks for the quick and very helpful answer!</p>
<p>Usually I’m not THAT quick, but I do try to be helpful! :)</p>
<p>I have some questions regarding first year students, dorm move-in, etc. I’m helping a student move in from an area about a 16 hour drive from the campus. Some necessary items can be shipped, some can be picked up locally, and some will be brought. (most likely be car) Some organization issues still need to be figured out. Jump in with anything you may be able to help with! </p>
<p>Are there two first year dorm buildings or three? I’ve seen many references to just two but also a reference to a third one. Not going to go look it up right now but the two buildings we usually saw references to as first-year dorms have names that start with a B. The ‘maybe’ first year dorm name started with an H. When we did a campus tour a few months back (not a tour with you, sorry!), we were told there were two dorms for first-year students. </p>
<p>I have a kid who is thrilled about having kitchens on nearly every floor since cooking is a hobby. Any good tips/advice about using the kitchens? I dunno, maybe tips like don’t even think about setting your food down for 10 minutes or putting it in a shared kitchen fridge or that kind of advice! </p>
<p>Realizing that microwaves and all other items with a heating element are not allowed in dorm rooms, is it possible to have something like one of those single-serve coffee machines left out in the shared kitchen area? And knowing it would be used by whoever is interested in using it, is it wise to even have one there? (since they’re not the most inexpensive or especially the sturdiest pieces of kitchen equipment out there!) </p>
<p>Do most first-year dorm rooms have all moveable furniture or built-in furniture? I’ve heard some different dorm buildings have some built-in desks but not sure about the first-year dorms.</p>
<p>Do most (all?) dorm room beds on campus have adjustable heights? Can they be lofted? Or can the height only be changed by adding risers under the legs of the bed? </p>
<p>Since the dorm kitchens have full size refrigerators, do most roommates bring their own personal mini-fridge or just share a mini-fridge together? Is it wise to use the dorm kitchen fridges? Is it like so many office breakroom kitchens where your food mysteriously disappears because someone else was craving it?!</p>
<p>I’m sure we have other questions, I just can’t remember them right now. Thanks in advance to anyone who can help out!</p>
<p>Also, thanks for the Megabus tip. Wow, super cheap if you can make the right connections. And published trip times are much, much quicker than that bigger and more expensive nationwide bus service!</p>
<p>Wow, lots of great questions! :)</p>
<p>As far as moving in is concerned - every room is supplied with a bed, dresser, desk, and closet for each occupant. My advice is to bring what you can and ship what you can’t - Also, if you can get to campus maybe a half-day early, there are places to do some shopping. There is a Wal-Mart and some other stores where you can get pretty much anything you need. I saw in another thread a great recommendation - look around at your local Walmart and see what they have to offer, and make a checklist. Once you get to Earlham, you can just go and get the items on that list, since typically the stores have similar items across the entire chain. I don’t do much shopping in town (I live in Dayton, so I typically shop at home), but if you include the Dayton area, pretty much all major national chains are represented here.</p>
<p>As far as the dorms, that’s a very complicated question. Bundy and Barrett are the two dorms that are typically designated as for first-years. However, Hoerner is sometimes used as overflow, especially for transfer students and upperclassmen. I lived in Hoerner last year, and I absolutely love it - then again, it’s kind of a love it or hate it residence hall. If you want more information on the individual dorms and what they’re like, I can do that too :)</p>
<p>For the food thing… it really depends on the individual floor community. I’ve lived on floors where you wouldn’t want to leave food around, but I’ve also lived on floors where it was pretty safe. Dishes and cookware can be risky - or safe - as well. It really depends. I recommend having a fridge for the room, but it’s not a /necessity/. People come up with creative ways to keep their food from being stolen from the common fridges. Also, everyone has lockable cabinets, which is useful for dry foods and cookware.</p>
<p>Yes, yes, yes. Last year, first-floor Barrett had a communal toaster and teakettle. They never had any problems. Again, though, I can’t guarantee anything since every floor community has its own flavor based on the residents and their resident assistants. I’ve never seen communal appliances go missing… usually when stuff disappears it’s things like cooking pots or utensils. The first year area is really touch-and-go since it’s a LOT of kids living on their own (and rooming with people) for the first time in their lives. A lot of learning happens, which is good. Also, coffee machines, electric teakettles, and other things that heat without an exposed flame or heatsource are OK for rooms. I’m an RA and I had a teakettle in my room and it was fine. Just stay away from microwaves and candles and things. :P</p>
<p>Hoerner has fixed furniture, all the other buildings have moveable furniture.</p>
<p>Almost all of the beds can be lofted and have adjustable heights - there are a few exceptions but they are rare (probably 1/100 beds). You can also bunk them, though you’ll need to ask your RA or Area Director (AD) for the appropriate equipment. Get on that fast once you arrive - supplies can be limited. You /can/ use risers, but you have to get them approved by the AD first. They have had issues with “homemade” risers in the past breaking, which isn’t good.</p>
<p>The kitchens have full-size refrigerators. I’d say about half of the rooms have a mini-fridge, and if a room has a refrigerator, typically the residents are sharing it. Sharing, of course, is something for the residents to figure out for themselves. 
And going back to the food theft thing… There are a lot of creative ways to try to discourage theft. Sharpie-ing “I have mono” on the tupperware containers has been successful, as is bagging your items in opaque grocery bags. Usually floors have some food theft problems, but the degree really depends on the floor, like almost everything else.</p>
<p>Also for Megabus - book well in advance (preferably 2-3 months). The closer to the departure date, the higher the price goes. Once I got tickets to Chicago for $1.00. Pretty awesome. </p>
<p>Feel free to ask more! :D</p>
<p>woody, great info from ECAdmStudent. The only thing I’d add is that, although I think check-in time was designated as 8:00-2:00, you may want to be there much closer to 8 than to 2. It is a jam-packed day.</p>
<p>Also, be on the lookout for two very special “Welcomes” from Earlham, one as you drive onto campus, the other on the Heart.</p>
<p>Thanks, my kid has an earlier arrival day.</p>
<p>I mean my kid has an earlier move-in day and won’t be participating in the regular move-in day.</p>
<p>Wow–just found this thread. I just learned my son will be in Bundy–so happy! That was my Freshman dorm! in…the basement. Maybe not as happy! I posted about it on my FB wall since I have lots of friends that are familiar with EC of more recent years than I am…and there were mixed answers as to how pleasant the basement is. In 1978 it was where interesting characters who held cockroach races lived. What’s it like now? If you dare answer!</p>
<p>Bundy was renovated in '94, so the cockroaches are no longer a problem! The basement had some mold problems last year, but they fixed that in the Fall. Should be a pretty nice place to live :)</p>
<p>Jobiska, my D was in Bundy her first year, 2009-10. Her only issue was that it wasn’t air-conditioned at that time, although I think there were plans to get that fixed in the near future. If it still isn’t, then a fan will be a big help.</p>
<p>Bundy is probably not ever going to be fully air-conditioned, unfortunately. The basement is nice in that it tends to stay cooler than the upper floors, but LasMa is right - if you live in Hoerner or Bundy, fans are definitely worth the investment. If you don’t want to bring one from home, there’s a hardware store across the street from campus which sells window fans and desk fans.</p>
<p>Thanks, ECAdmStudent! Fans are definitely on the packing list. One of the pluses of making two trips (pre and post Wilderness) is not having to worry about room to pack stuff as much. Hey–maybe you know this–is there anywhere students can store musical instruments other than their rooms? My son (intended music comp major) already knows his advisor (the absolutely perfect choice among the music profs!) and has an email in to him about that, but I don’t think he’s heard back. It might affect just precisely how many guitars travel with us, heh heh…</p>
<p>My memory of Hoerner (end single, senior year–I wanted a single and wanted to be with the people on the hall, so that made the tiny size worth it) was that it was not hot but f-f-FREEZING in winter! But it was worth it for the peeps :-)</p>
<p>I’m gonna have a kid in Bundy too.</p>
<p>Actually, Hoerner has the opposite problem in the winter! I find that it’s too warm, since they use steam heating and it has two settings: On, or Off.</p>
<p>Ah, you’re probably talking about Forrest Tobey as the advisor? There might be options to store instruments, but I’m not sure, since I’m not a music major Most people keep them in their rooms.</p>