<p>Once you get the room and your roommates, how you configure out the living space is entirely up to you. I do suggest contacting your roommates before arriving see who is arriving when (as those on the late DOC may be moving in before you arrive on move in day.</p>
<p>We live in NYC and roommate was from Ma. So they were both moving in on move in day. Before moving in they had blitzed each other, had a few IM chats and some live phone calls. They found that they had a lot in common (she really hit the jackpot in the roommate department because roommate is just amazing and they did become good friends) . We arrived first and D decided to wait for her roommate before staking out space. They were also able to contact (via Facebook) a person who lived in their dorm last year. What she told them they did was move all of the desk into the common area and used it as a study area. They also kept the refrigerator(s) the common room in order to free up space in the actual bedroom.</p>
<p>Once they both arrived on move in day, they decided to move the desks in the common area. This immediately freed up space in the bedroom. (Furniture for each student consists of bed, night table, desk, wardrobe). They moved each bed against its respective wall, opening up the floor space to walk. They sat the 2 night tables side by side in between the 2 beds. They raised the mattresses (from the beds I saw you do not have to purchase risers from the outside) to create storage space under the bed for their luggage etc. Everything worked out well for them.</p>
<p>In the 2nd bedroom in their suite roommate #1 moved in during the DOC trip. So when roommate #2 arrived move in day roommate #1 had all of her stuff set up (printer and the works) and was not amenable to moving her desk into the common room. The situation did create a power play between the 2 of them and not be outdone, roommate # 2 also wanted to keep her desk in the bedroom which really made the space tight. What ended up happening was roommate #2 kept the desk in the room, raised her mattress to the top position, but the mattress on the floor and slept under the bed. On the top spring, she sat her night table and miscellaneous stuff. The tone had been set and the roommates really are not close.</p>
<p>Ds friend lives in the River dorm in Hinman (see floor configuration)</p>
<p>They ended up in a 2 room double where one room is 9.8 x 11.4 and the other room was 9.8 x 6.5. The roommate moved in during the DOC and took the bigger room instead of trying to work something out when other roommate arrives. Needless to say the relationship started out on a win-lose footing and the roommates merely spent the whole year just co-existing with each other.</p>
<p>My suggestion would be when you find out your room/roommate situation look up your room configuration and talk to your roommmate.</p>
<p>Hey kids, being a veteran (albeit a long time ago) of many of the roomie problems you hear about - yes even in the 70s, even though coed dorms were unheard of, sexiles were not - I want to re-emphasize what Sybbie is saying - don't establish turf until the roomie gets there, or until you have had extensive pre-arrival conversation. It is a big issue at D'mouth, because the rooms are not a standard size (in my freshman dorm, it was just which side of the room do you want, you couldn't even bunk the beds) or configuration. DD will be on a late DOC trip most likely, so she is planning to take her stuff for the woods, a set of sheets and a blanket, a tape measure and a note pad with as many of her clothes as she can manage up on the airplane. Her Dad and I will bring the rest of her things, and she will begin making notes about what she wants to buy when we get there. We will go shopping in Concord the day before move-in, and she can strip the bed move-in morning, to start with a clean slate.
I wouldn't even suggest being a martyr and taking the smaller room, if you arrive first, it is better to wait a few hours and start on an even footing. If you have to be there 3 days, unpack some clothes, but for Heaven's sake wait on the semi-permanent stuff like a printer.</p>
<p>Since I'm an international student, I'll be arriving on 2nd/3rd September. I was thinking that this would put me at an advantage in choosing which room I get. But I guess I don't want to screw things up with my roomie from the start... I didn't consider that.</p>
<p>Dave, I would highly recommend doing all you can to contact your roommate before you leave - thank goodness for the Internet! Then, hopefully you guys can make some plans or accomodations prior to arrival - contacting an upperclassman through facebook or livejournal who is familiar with the floor, after you talk to your roomie, sounds like a great idea too. It is not at all unreasonable for you to say, hey, I need to arrive on the 2nd and I don't want to live out of a suitcase for 10 days, can we divide up some things, now?</p>
<p>
[quote]
I was thinking that this would put me at an advantage in choosing which room I get. But I guess I don't want to screw things up with my roomie from the start... I didn't consider that.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>There are some threads on the College Life forum about dealing with roommates, there is some food for thought there.</p>
<p>i just found out that im staying at east wheelock. but now im not sure if i want to do it (my parents made me apply and i thought that i could back out of it). is it possible to switch out for this coming fall?</p>
<p>And I believe on the mailing it says no room changes can be made because there is no room. I think it also says you can talk to them about it, but more than likely it wont happen. I think on the Facebook group for '12s people are trying to find other people to switch rooms with...</p>
<p>Make sure you know what you're getting into before you apply to live in EW. Seriously. If it is for you, then great. Just know that everytime someone asks you where on campus you live and you tell them EW, you're going to get that knowing "ohh....."</p>
<p>Living in EW can have perks (nice rooms, and I guess cool lectures if you're into that kind of stuff), but just make sure you're not going to regret it. Although it is just a stereotype and so not wholly accurate, EW's reputation tends to be seclusion, awkward anti-socialness, etc.</p>
<p>I don't mean to discourage anyone from being in EW, I'm just trying to make sure that you all don't have a wrong impression of it.</p>
<p>
[quote]
...attempting to mend the "awkward anti-socialness".
hopefully.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Many have tried. All have failed. Well...it seems to me that EW has its own brand of being social. You'll at least grow close to your floor/dorm mates.</p>
<p>After skimming the one-page printout detailing lectures and activities in the first-year East Wheelock program, and hearing from a '13 that the rooms were particularly nice, I said that I was interested in East Wheelock on my rooming questionnaire without doing further research–my own fault. I’m now terrified.
I get along well with everyone, but what I was hoping to pull together next year is a balance of friends/a community that values hard work and is passionate about being involved in the world BUT is socially adventurous–apparently this is anathema to East Wheelock. I’m all about going out on a limb and experiences, but I’m actually FRIGHTENED by what I have read–that East Wheelock is isolated from the hub of campus, that it is anti-social and cold, etc. I’m generally a really easy going person; I wasn’t out for the 5 star dorm room per-se, and if it meant a better location/more “balanced” company I would totally prefer a cramped room!
I feel like an idiot.</p>
<p>Should I contact ORL and ask if I can switch immediately, or should I roll with it? Again, I’m all about different experiences, but I don’t want to make it too, too hard on myself! Help!</p>
<p>I lived in EW freshman year and had a great time with it. I found the room nice, the snack bar convenient, and still had a large social circle (albeit mostly from organizations I’m involved in, but this is pretty normal). I also know there were some very social floors in EW last year, as there are every year. It has a bad rep around campus for being “anti-social” but when you push people about EWlockers they know, they seem to not often fit that stereotype. I really don’t know why the stereotype is so strongly propagated, but I would not worry about it. If you have real concerns feel free to PM me.</p>
<p>Ok, so I went to a sort of different highschool that involved traveling around to different countries. needless to say, I was not a bit part of my prematriculation process. If a form needed filling out, often I would be without electricity or internet or anything, so my mom would do it. I had no idea what I was doing when I filled out my form for housing application or whatever. When is asked if I wanted to apply to east wheelock, I had no idea what that meant, but I just checked yes because someone had told me they were really nice dorms. I did not fill out any application, or anything like that. I just got my housing assignment, and I am in east wheelock. Ive been doing some reading up on it, and I have no idea what to think. I am pretty outgoing and although not a like, massive partier, I do like to have fun. Is East Wheelock really that bad?</p>
<p>Your worries about EW and it’s “anti-social” environment are completely blown out of proportions. Your social life is what you make of it. Living in EW in no way inhibits your social life. If you are a naturally social person, you will be active around the school community, you will join clubs, and you will hang out with people and have a great time. Suppose you did not get EW and instead got Rivers and Choates, are you going to hang out in your dorm all the time? I hope not for your sake. Your dorm isn’t the end all be all of your Dartmouth social life.</p>
<p>I’ll be in Morton this coming year… very excited!</p>
<p>Anyway, I heard from a friend that EW dorms come with room cleaning services–is this true?? Additionally, does anyone know if the common rooms come with furniture, or will we have to bring futons/chairs/couches?</p>
<p>I lived in Morton freshman year… there was much fun to be had.
The custodians clean each bathroom once a week, but that’s the only cleaning service.</p>
<p>Each room contains (on a per-person basis; not limited to EW):</p>
there are thermostats in each room (multiple thermostats in suites)
large fluorescent lights in the ceiling of every room, so lack of lighting is not an issue
there are pull-down shades on every window, and they block light well
rooms are carpeted
there’s an ethernet cable jack and a phone jack in each room (multiple in common rooms)
microwaves are not allowed</p>
<p>Most people in suites put desks in their respective common rooms. ORL doesn’t provide any furniture above what I’ve listed above, unless I’ve forgotten something. Many people find it useful to bring futons/beanbag chairs/sphere chairs/etc. to fill space in common rooms. Bring a TV and a futon if you want your room to be the hangout space for your floor.</p>
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