My DD just found out she’s in FloMo Gavilán. Anyone know much about these dorms? I looked it up and read that they were an all frosh dorm. However, when I asked her she said it wasn’t. Any info or advice anyone can pass on?
Is she in SLE?
@cardinal2020mom - it appears that Gavilán is not part of SLE, so disregard that other post .
FloMo has some (maybe just one??) all-frosh dorms, but it appears that Gavilán is four-class. SLE is a specialized program for freshmen who are all housed in FLoMo. That’s why I asked the question above.
Did she request an all-frosh dorm? Unfortunately, students are not guaranteed the type of housing they prefer, and all-frosh dorms are the most popular and the most requested.
Thanks for your response @Hoggirl. No, she did not request SLE. She did get her first choice. I had read old info about it being frosh only. It is a 4 class house.
I am looking for the “this is info you can’t find online” type. The good, bad and ugly of it. Insider pointers.
@cardinal2020mom - no insider info to offer. Ds will be a junior in another dorm in FloMo this year. Good location.
@cardinal2020mom Any specifics you want to know? Here are some of the things that come to mind, but I’m not sure exactly what you’re looking for.
-The majority of frosh in Gavilan will be in one-room doubles. There will be a smattering of upperclassmen in singles and doubles in the same hallways of them, as well as her upperclassmen staff members and the two RFs overseeing the three dorms on the west half of Flomo.
-Flomo dining is known for it’s Sunday Indian food dinners. I recommend either arriving right when it opens at 5pm, or going elsewhere for Sunday dinners, since the line will be absurdly long soon after 5pm. Going much later could also avoid the line, but the dhall may run out of many of the options.
-Location is a mixed bag, and depends on who you ask. Pros: centralized location, right across from Tressider; downhill bike ride to classes; closest frosh living option to the row. Cons: Relatively insulated from the majority of the frosh at Stern and Wilbur, as well as the next-largest frosh contingent at Roble and Lag Court. She may want to make an effort to get to know other frosh from Stern/Wilbur and/or Roble/Lag, and spend some time socializing outside her Flomo home base.
-Mirlo, one of the other west Flomo dorms, is the traditional unofficial home to Kappa (an unhoused sorority, generally thought of as being fun-loving, “less traditional,” louder, and having lots of athletes). This may be a pro or con for your DD depending on her views and expectations of college.
-Encourage her to get to know her staff members, who will be invaluable sources of guidance and experience for literally everything. The non-staff upperclassmen can be great as well; unfortunately, many/most of them will not be interested in interacting that much with frosh, but there are always a few real gems in every four-class dorm.
Congrats to your DD on being accepted to (in my opinion) the best school in the world, and for making the wise decision to matriculate there. I hope she enjoys her last month of summer, and loves her four years on the Farm as much as I did.
@Era991 thank you for your detailed response. I really don’t have any specific questions because I am not sure where to begin. What you’ve given me is definitely more than I knew. She’s always been pretty good about consulting with school staff. I know she won’t hold back in that department.
She is looking forward to mingling with all the classes, not just frosh. I know there’s been communication on the FB page which makes her feel pretty comfortable that she’ll go in “knowing” kids.
Are the dorm rooms smaller than in other houses? Coming from across the country I’m wondering if we should keep what we bring to the dorm at a miminum and have her order whatever she needs later that week.
I really appreciate you taking the time to give me such detailed info. Thanks again, we also feel there is no better place. We hope Stanford meets and exceeds her expectations.
All the dorm rooms are pretty small! LOL. I LOVED having a mini fridge however. My parents bought it for me when we got to Stanford. 
I kept it all 4 years and my roomie and I shared the cost.
Yeah most of the frosh doubles are relatively small really. Flomo doubles generally are a tad larger and/or have a more favorable layout than the Wilbur/Stern dorms IMO, but smaller than the Lag triples and Roble quads.
I would recommend keeping the large items to a minimum until you gauge the room size in person; her room might actually be big enough for a saucer chair or extra furniture of similar size, depending on the bed/desk layout. I would also second the minifridge recommendation, but you’ll of course have to wait until move-in day since you can’t coordinate with your roommates (unless she’s one of the lucky few to get assigned a single).
Great details and suggestions from others above.
The dorms are pretty typical in Flomo compared to the rest of campus. Centrally located although not next to the all-frosh dorms which is where most of the parties will take place (in addition to the row of course). It will probably be a bit quieter than all-frosh experiences. Flomo dining is pretty good and Indian food is a must on Sundays although it does get crowded.
Would not recommend buying much before coming across the country. I moved from out-of-state and we just bought everything a few days before orientation in CA. There are tons of nearby stores (Walmarts, Bed Bath and Beyond, etc.). A printer isn’t really necessary since all dorms have “computer clusters” with relatively cheap printing (10 cents/page). I had a printer and found it was more hassle than it’s worth and pricier than using Stanford’s.
Most frosh split the fridge and microwave with a roommate if they choose to get them. Don’t buy in advance of meeting the roommate since having two fridges would be a bit silly. Furniture is also not really necessary. All dorms come with a bed, desk, chair, dresser/closet, bureau, etc. Some people choose to buy futons and squeeze them in but not a majority.
Thanks @Lagging. The plan is to get 95% of the stuff there. D feels she doesn’t need much. She’s even arguing having a throw pillow. I couldn’t remember the printer info, though I knew I had read it before. Glad she doesn’t have to worry about that either. Days are quickly passing by.
There is also the option of lofting the bed. My ds did this his freshman year and put his desk and dresser underneath. This gave him additional floor space for his full-sized keyboard that he took out there.
^ If your daughter is going to loft, make sure to have her get the materials from her housing office/RA as soon as they allow it. Materials are limited and it’s first-come-first-serve. They always run out.