<p>Hey there...in the final stages of preparation for my son's arrival at the U, and I was wondering if someone could either help me get a TRUE sense of the things he should have as an incoming freshman (either at Hecht or Stanford)...</p>
<p>For example:</p>
<ul>
<li>does it make sense to loft a bed?</li>
<li>is there cable in the room, and do many students have TV's in their room?</li>
<li>in addition to a fridge, should he have a microwave?</li>
</ul>
<p>Is there some kind of checklist or a good summary of the things that will make the most sense for him to have? I am sure that there are several good things for him to have that I can't think of right now that, after a few weeks, we'll say "why didn't we think of that?"</p>
<p>Also...for his weekly stipend, I was thinking of setting up a B of A account and doing dedicated weekly deposits on Friday...does that sound like it makes sense?</p>
<p>(As an aside, I was thinking $50/week...for the first year, I want him to focus on getting his work done and not feel the pressure of having to have a campus job right away...does that sound/seem reasonable?)</p>
<p>Welcome to the U. He will need an ethernet cable for times when the “cloud” isn’t working quite up to par, shower shoes, bathroom caddy, microwave depends on what he likes to snack on (lots of kids will have one, so if he doesn’t he can find someone who does), carpet for the room, lamp, school supplies, stock of toiletries, lots of shorts, workout clothing, perhaps a desk chair (the one they supply is not very comfy), bed pad, linens, towels, laundry supplies and basket, snacks, soda, water bottles, swimsuit, beach towel, tv, computer, and the list could go on and on. Cable is in the room.</p>
<p>I did a monthly deposit for spending money for both of my kids at the U. They never spent it and I ended up stopping those deposits in November…most everything they need is “included” at the U and they really didn’t need to spend much. Lots of free things and food are offered, as well as weekend trips/activities…I think you will find 50.00/wk is not necessary unless your student goes out drinking or majorly shopping. I’m sure other parents/students will chime in here. Most kids are on a budget, some are not, but most watch their expenses carefully.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply…how big of a rug will he need? And are the desk chairs really bad enough that getting him another one would make sense? (I might be able to grab an old one lying around my office)…</p>
<p>The size of the rug really depends on the students desires. My kids had 3 5x7’s…one for under the 2 beds that acted as a runner, and then 2 5x7’s next to each other that took up most of the room up to the closet areas…Got them at Walmart for about 20.00 each. They sell rugs on campus, more plush than ours, but they also tend to shed more and need more vacuuming. I think they sell different sizes on campus, but we drove down, so we stocked up ahead of time.
As for the chairs, if your student doesn’t use a desk to study, and would use the chair as a place to throw stuff on, then it isn’t important, but they are wooden sturdy chairs, just not comfy…my kids brought rolling desk chairs. I think Office Depot/Staples sells them in boxes for you to build or for 5 or 10.00 will build them for you.</p>
<p>2) Looking at the cattle-chute-like floor plan for the doubles at Hecht, and assuming the boys set their room up like that, where does the fridge usually go - underneath the window?</p>
<p>3) Are the closets big enough to put one of those low, three drawer plexi cabinet in them?</p>
<p>And, lastly, thoughts on having a TV in the room?</p>
<ul>
<li>without lofting the beds, where do kids put the TV’s?</li>
<li>do you have to pay for the cable hookup, and what is that cost?</li>
<li>if my son and his roommate do not do it, how many other do? What is the rough percentage of kids who have TV’s in their room at Hecht?</li>
</ul>
<p>I can only answer one of your questions. The beds are Twin XL. That means LONGER than a normal twin bed. So you need longer sheets, topper and mattress pad, marked Twin XL.</p>
<p>2- The fridge can go underneath a lofted bed, but most people who didn’t loft their beds placed the fridge either in-between the beds under the window, or by the door underneath the thermostat. </p>
<p>3- I’m not sure what you’re referring to.</p>
<p>Regarding your TV questions: 99% of rooms had TV’s when I was a freshman. They can be mounted on the walls (and there are companies on campus during move in that will mount them for you). Cable is provided in every room, no cost.</p>
<p>When my DS was a freshman in Stanford, they put the tv on his roommates chest of drawers since the cable plug was on his side of the room…I guess they both shared the mirror on my DS’ side. I never asked. When my DD was a freshman, her roommate purchased the tv on campus with Best Buy and had them install it on a wall mount.</p>
<p>Related to the people who do TV wall mounts at move in, can you grab someone to do it that day, or do you need to set it up beforehand? Do they supply the mounts or do I need to bring one?</p>
<p>And while they would like a huge TV, I was thinking a 32" would be big enough…yes?</p>
<p>I believe Best Buy only does the mounts if you buy the tv and mount from them that day on campus. They followed my DS roommate straight to the room to do the install that day. They sell 3 or 4 different choices on campus for tvs…the size was appropriate to the space, but not sure what size it actually was.</p>
<p>It can be for either. It’s the cable that lets you connect to internet without using WiFi, which is very handy considering UM’s WiFi bugs out a lot…</p>