<p>I have a couple of questions regarding what to bring to the dorm (I'm most likely going to John Jay) and which are actually useful... </p>
<p>1) Water Cooler...
I drink a LOT of water, especially hot water (yay for tea!), so I'd like to know if it's worth my time to bring one, or if there is an easily accessible source for water (filtered/hot)</p>
<p>2) Mini fridge
Would I need one if I'm on a meal plan? If so, how big? Is a freezer compartment necessary? (LATE NIGHT ICE CREAM XD)</p>
<p>3) Printer/Fax machine
Columbia's housing website suggests that I bring a printer with my computer. How accessible are the printing/faxing/photocopying facilities at Columbia and how expensive can they be? Moreover, is a fax machine even support by the dorm phone jacks?</p>
<p>I think that's it for now. I realize that my room will be like, TINY, so I obviously can't bring my whole house -__-''. Any comments/suggestions would be welcome!</p>
<p>1) Water Cooler...
absolutely no reason to bring this at all....bring a brita filter....when you want tea, fill a mug and microwave the water and voila! hot water</p>
<p>2) mini fridge
it is a good idea to have a fridge to store any types of drinks or leftovers blah blah. All mini fridges come with a freezer compartment but only ones bigger than 4 cu ft have freezers that are actually useable. Even though the "rule" is that u can't have a fridge as big as 4 cu ft it is never enforced so do yourself a favor and buy a bigger fridge if you can (if you live close by and wouldnt need to pay to store it over the summer for instance)....the big ones and small ones have the same footprint so you wouldnt be using up any more space. you can also rent fridges once you get to campus but they are all pretty small and very run down.</p>
<p>3) printer/fax machine
dont bring either of these. there are many printers all over campus and in dorms that are accesible 24/7....granted they arent the most reliable printers ever (though this has improved drastically over the last three years), but it is still basically free printing....having your own printer is both expensive and takes up tons of space. You get 100 black and white pages per week to print on university printers plus 100 pages per semester as "backup"....it is very rare that you will run out of printing quota any given week. And, yes you can print to the printers from your own computer. Fax machine is a big no-no...it isn't supported and i dont think in four years i've ever actually needed one.</p>
<p>One thing i DO suggest you bring is a scanner! Photocopying is not free so it is always better to scan stuff and then print it out. Also it is a lifesaver sometimes...very useful, highly recommended.</p>
<p>Re: Fridge - Get a Sanyo. the 3.5 cu ft ones are awesome.</p>
<p>And i'd like to second what Shraf said... bring a Brita. Don't bring a printer.</p>
<p>One thing you're probably not thinking about is a rug. If you're in John Jay, I forget whether it has carpeting, but whether it does or not you may want a little area rug. Also, if you're going to have a single, start thinking about wall decorations.</p>
<p>But definitely don't bring any other furniture. I had an extra fold-out table with me all 4 years and it made things kinda cramped at times.</p>
<p>ditto on fridge, brita filter, and printer. if you live in john jay, hartley is only a 30 second walk away which has nice fast (double-sided) printers</p>
<p>however, if you have the money/ability to transport, i know a few people that have completely thrown out all the provided furniture and brought their own beds/desks/wardrobes/etc. sometimes you can get a lot of space out of your own things...although, if you decide to do this, dont bring it on move-in day, wait a week or so since move-in day is hell.</p>
<p>
[quote]
3) printer/fax machine
dont bring either of these. there are many printers all over campus and in dorms that are accesible 24/7....granted they arent the most reliable printers ever (though this has improved drastically over the last three years), but it is still basically free printing....having your own printer is both expensive and takes up tons of space. You get 100 black and white pages per week to print on university printers plus 100 pages per semester as "backup"....it is very rare that you will run out of printing quota any given week. And, yes you can print to the printers from your own computer. Fax machine is a big no-no...it isn't supported and i dont think in four years i've ever actually needed one.
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<p>Disagree 100%. As you admit, they aren't reliable. You could need to print out your paper 10 minutes before class, and there's a long line to use the printers, or the paper is jammed, or the printer is out of toner, etc.</p>
<p>A printer is not expensive -- you can get a great one for $50-100. And it's well worth not having to deal with the hassle of dealing with the public printers.</p>
<p>A fax machine isn't a "big no-no." You just have to pay for an analog line or it simply won't work. I had a fax machine, as did a couple other people I knew.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Disagree 100%. As you admit, they aren't reliable. You could need to print out your paper 10 minutes before class, and there's a long line to use the printers, or the paper is jammed, or the printer is out of toner, etc.</p>
<p>A printer is not expensive -- you can get a great one for $50-100. And it's well worth not having to deal with the hassle of dealing with the public printers.
[/quote]
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<p>the expensive thing about printers isnt their upfront cost but their replacement cartriges....the only reason a printer might be useful is as a backup for emergencies but it all depends on what your budget looks like...</p>
<p>as for the reliability of the printers on campus....as i mentioned they have gotten alot better...they changed that horrible program that they were using for the computers that run the printers and they bought brand new printers which they put in some high density areas. Also, the way the printing is set up, you can very easily print to multiple printers at once so your document would be stored on all of the printers and then print it on the one that is working or that isnt being used. This is especially useful in areas with clusters of printers like computer labs in lerner or butler....when i am printing something a few minutes before class i tend to send it to a couple of lerner printers and use the one that is working the best or that is working or that isnt busy. Also, ignorance plays a HUGE role in the frustration stemming from the printers....if there is a paper jam its not very hard to open the printer door and fix it! and to restart the printer computer u press alt+cntrl+backspace.....if people did these two simple things rather than throwing up their hands in defeat when a printer screws up things would run alot more smoothly for them.....and its not like your personal printer will work flawlessly forever.</p>
<p>heyy i have a similar question about furniture. are we allowed to bring coffee makers/water heaters or is that against some fire code regulation.</p>
<p>coffee makers and water heaters are both not allowed but you can probably get away with having either, its not like anyone checks your dorm room at any point.</p>
<p>If I’m getting a fridge, should I buy it when I get to columbia, or could I buy it online and ship it to the address that they assigned us (when we look ourselves up in the directory)?</p>
<p>Is there anything else that I might need to ship instead of bringing in luggage from the airport?</p>
<p>I continue to recommend the 3.5 cu ft Sanyo model, as it fits neatly under a standard Columbia-issue desk. Options for getting it into your room include:</p>
<p>1) it shouldn’t be hard to find a fridge on craigslist as you move in.</p>
<p>2) Lots of people are selling stuff, there will be flyers all around campus. you’ll pay more for the convenience though, as it’s more of a seller’s market during move-in.</p>
<p>3) The shipping option is also fairly easy. But definitely call the mail room in Lerner, 212-854-0100, and ask (A) when, as an incoming freshman, they will hold packages for you, and (B) how large they can be. A fridge is probably going to be pushing their limits, if not over them. Of course, you also have the expense of shipping to factor into your purchase prices.</p>
<p>3.5 cu ft is way too small and you will be quickly disappointed. the fridge will stick with you for the next four years so you should get something that will handle increased use later on. get at least a 4.4 cu ft fridge. it’s true that it won’t fit under your desk but even in a JJ room you should have enough space for a fridge along with the rest of the furniture.</p>
<p>they have vacuums there. at the beginning of the year there’ll be one per floor or one per couple of floors but by the end of the year you might have to go searching for one. it’s probably a good idea to get a decent handheld to clean up little messes</p>