What should I bring to the dorms and how much? Especially the closets in the dorms. How big are the dorms in Segundo and Cuarto?
Closets vary from dorm to dorm. Some will have closets while others may have free standing wardrobes, so you need to wait until you get a housing assignment to determine the amount of closet space. Most beds are slightly elevated which could have dresser type drawers underneath or empty space for storage. My son was in Cuarto and had a full size closet with a few shelves to share with his roommate. We bought several rubbermaid bins for moving and storing clothes and misc items which could be pushed under the bed and placed in the closet.
Here is a list for help you get started, but more is not better.
Regarding the size of the dorms: Small regardless of which housing area it is. Don’t bring more than you need.
A short list of what you’d need (I’ll probably be missing some things, so don’t take this as a comprehensive list):
Daily clothes: Bring enough for two weeks if you can. Failing that, bring enough for a full week. You’ll want to minimize the amount of laundry you have to do, because the price adds up.
More formal clothes: You’ll want at least one business casual outfit for occasions when you need to dress up, but don’t need to be super formal. And you’ll want at least one more formal outfit, because you will run into at least one formal event whether you realize it now or not. I personally wore my business casual clothes fairly often towards the end (after getting decent ones and realizing I actually liked wearing them), though I only wore my dresses twice: Once for a dinner event, and once for commencement. Other people encounter more formal events more often though, so it’s better to be prepared.
Pajamas, or at least clothing you can use as pajamas: Self-explanatory, unless you prefer sleeping in what you wore that day.
Shoes: One day-to-day pair, one pair of shower flip flops for the dorms (these can be cheap ones if you’d prefer), one workout pair (assuming you plan on working out/running/whatever), and one nice pair to go along with your more formal clothes. Other than maybe a pair of boots and/or a pair of day-to-day sandals for different weather conditions (and that entirely depends on what you normally wear), you shouldn’t need more than that while in the dorms at least. If you’re really into shoes and want to have a ton of them, consider one of those over the door shoe rack things that I don’t know the name of so you can save space…or better yet, wait until you’re out of the dorms before you go crazy on shoes.
Outer wear: If possible, have a light, mid-weight, and heavier jacket/sweatshirt (depending on preferences) so you can adjust to whatever weather conditions Davis decides to throw at you that day; at least one of these should be able to withstand rain. At the very least, have a water-resistant or water-proof jacket for the rainy season. Jackets are kind of my thing, so I had like five or six while in the dorms that I wore for various reasons…but that was overkill and took up a good amount of closet space. I don’t recommend more than about three until you’re out of the dorms.
Computer: Self-explanatory. A laptop is more useful thanks to the portability, but if you want to bring a desktop there would be room for it.
Bedding: Self-explanatory. I believe the beds in all the dorms are twin xl. You could technically get this from the school I think, but you’ll save money getting it beforehand.
Hygiene and cosmetic products: Self-explanatory. If you happen to love makeup, try not to bring more than what you’ll wear for day-to-day purposes.
Bath/shower supplies: Body soap, shampoo and conditioner (assuming your hair is long enough to need it), towels (two or three should be okay for the dorms), a bath sponge, a robe if you don’t like immediately changing into your clothes after showering, razors.
Hairbrush and/or comb as needed: Self-explanatory. Travel-size is nice to save space, but not necessary.
Hair dryer: If needed
Something to hold laundry: Self-explanatory. I ended up getting a large rolling hamper that served me well over four years, but a standard laundry basket (or hell, even a designated cardboard box if you want) works just as well.
Laundry supplies: Self-explanatory
First aid kit: Because it doesn’t hurt to have one. You’ll thank yourself later when/if it’s needed. This can be a small travel one if you prefer.
Wall decorations: To your preference. If you want a bunch of posters or something, keep in mind that you’ll be sharing wall space with your roommate(s) and don’t bring too much.
Calendar: Size depends on preference. You want somewhere to at least write down important dates (exams, major assignments, appointments, etc).
Command strips and hooks: Useful for putting stuff up on the walls, and for having something to hang your keys or whatever else on.
Planner: So you can have all the important things in your calendar on-the-go and add as needed. I’d put important dates for each class in the planner once you get the syllabus so you can plan accordingly throughout the quarter.
General school supplies: Self-explanatory.
Medicines: Depending on what you need.
Cooking supplies: If you plan on cooking at all
Silverware, plates, bowls: Even if you don’t plan on cooking, it’s good to have something to eat on and with
Tupperware: If you plan on cooking, so you can store leftovers. Also good for storing food in general. Like, say, slipping food out of certain dining facilities in the dorm areas…
Basic food supplies: Basically enough so you can make a to-go lunch, have a basic meal if you don’t want to/can’t get to the DC, and have snacks. If you plan to actually cook, you can bring some staple ingredients if you want, or buy as needed. If you really like cooking, just remember that 1. You have the DC and 2. You won’t have a lot of space to store a ton of ingredients.
Ear plugs: If you’re sensitive to sound. If your roommates aren’t unnecessarily loud, you’ll have at least one loud floormate. Or maybe even someone above you that sounds like they’re having a dance party constantly with how loud and heavy their footsteps are. I personally had someone below me that sounded like they were running a dentist drill for a few hours each day. When they weren’t doing that, they were playing video games with the volume on max. Basically, the dorms are loud and it’s good to have the option to block out the sound if needed.
Sleep mask: If you’re sensitive to light. You may have a roommate that likes to come in at 3am during the week and turn all the lights on (not that I would know or anything…). Or maybe the morning light bothers you. Or maybe your roommate loves to stay up watching Netflix with their computer screen lighting up the whole room (again, not that I would know or anything…). Whatever the reason, it’s great for blocking out light.
TV: If you plan on watching it. Though personally I would recommend against it because it gets distracting. If you know you won’t get distracted from school though, by all means.
Video games: If you’re into that and plan on playing. Again though, I wouldn’t recommend it because it gets distracting. I basically dropped gaming for my four years because I knew I’d never get anything done if I kept up on it. But if you know for a fact you can manage your time well and not get so sucked into gaming that you skimp on school, by all means. I’d probably wait until at least second quarter though, so you know your habits better.
That’s what I can think of off the top of my head, though I’m sure I missed something.
Bonus: Things NOT to bring:
Vacuum: Your RA(s) will have one they can loan out to you.
Anything listed on the prohibited list for student housing: Self-explanatory. Though between you and me, it’s possible to have some of those if you’re sneaky about it (I personally had a hot air popcorn popper that I got away with using in my suite)…but it also takes up valuable space, so think twice before bringing prohibited items.
Furniture: Don’t worry, the dorms are furnished. This includes a desk and a computer chair.
Printer: There’s a computer room in each dorm area, and you get something like 200 prints each quarter. A printer takes up unnecessary space, plus you’re already paying for the dorm prints and you might as well get the most out of it. Trust me, you’ll wish you had those once you’re out of the dorms.
thank you so much! how are the bathrooms? is it like one bathroom for everyone or is it like a lot of stalls with shower heads?
Great post @PhantomVirgo
@litorodriguez, it depends on where you live.
Tercero had huge bathrooms and showers in the middle of the dorm floor.
Cuarto has some suite style rooms where you share the bathrooms in your suite.