<p>Almost time to pack. We'll be purchasing lots down in Miami, but it is hard to tell from the photos how much room there is in the closet and dresser? (My son will be in Hecht). Is there a need for the plastic storage boxes for clothes? Crates for the extras like DVD's and the like? I purchased the closet extenders to make a second row for hanging and I'm not even sure we'll need it. Seems like they'll be less to hang- few pants needed at UM, we'll make up in the amount of shorts. Should we bring up pants hangers with clips for the shorts or is the dresser big enough to handle everything????
Also, silly question... Do the kids need to purchase an agenda (like they give out in Middle and High School)? Should I buy one here? Do they use it our just use some sort of program o the computer?
Thanks for your help.</p>
<p>My S will be in Hecht also. It seems like the rooms are going to be tight based on the measurements. We just did the pack and hold at Bed Bath & Beyond, and did include some extra storage bins. S and RM plan to loft their beds, so hopefully there should be room for some extra storage (after they figure out where to put the TV)!</p>
<p>My s used the dresser and the shelf at the top of the closet for most of his clothes along with hanging some. We also bought the plastic set of stacking drawers and under the bed containers. He said he didn't really need those. The shoe and sweater organizers that hang from the closet rod come in handy. Since mostly what the kids need are shorts and t-shirts and a couple of sweatshirts and some jeans/pants, they can fit it all in. I imagine that girls may need some more storage space than the boys. We also bought a small 3 canvas drawer "dresser" that went under the window between the beds. The beds have a shelf that run along the inside by the wall....good for alarm clock, land phone, etc. The rooms are small but somehow it all fits in. If you find you need anything once you move in it's easy to pick extras up at BBB and target.</p>
<p>My s bought an agenda book at the UM bookstore.</p>
<p>Does anyone have any experience with the room sized rugs they sell on campus? do they cover most of the room if not all? I really want one of them cause the tiles are really depressing :) and I love walking over carpet :P</p>
<p>We bought one last year. They do not cover the closet area, but are nice to have.</p>
<p>My D was in Hecht last year, and had no problem with fitting her stuff in the room. I thought the closet was very big, and since the shirts and jeans didn't hang down too low, she had a lot of floor storage as well, for water, her hamper, etc. There was a 4-drawer dresser and the top drawer locked. There was a mirror over the dresser. The worst parts were that the furniture was bolted to the wall, so all electric cords could not be tucked behind and she couldn't use her laptop lock. Also, there are very few electric outlets. The cable connection was right next to one of the dressers, so that person had to sacrifice her dresser top. </p>
<p>The beds have a starnge kind of side compartment and padded side so that it looks like a sofa. Very hard to make the bed.</p>
<p>The bathrooms were immaculate and the whole dorm was very well kept. Everything is old, but the housekeeping department was wonderful.</p>
<p>i got a question what about if ur in pearson i know you have to keep everything clean but are there vacuums in the hall that we can all use or should we just buy our own?</p>
<p>My s will be in Mahoney, right next to Pearson. I'm not counting on any vacuums being available as we bought our own small vacuum last year when he was in Stanford.</p>
<p>They have vacuums for rent at the reception desk of each building. its free of charge unless of course u mess up the vacuum cleaner.
I read this on the UM site yesterday. However this was from the housing guide posted in the prospective students page, written in 2005 so the vacuums may or may not be available anymore.</p>
<p>fafnir605, I dont understand how come you couldnt use the laptop lock? Should I not buy one for D?
Does anyone know a lock that will work?</p>
<p>Hey btw, Bicycles.... are they worth having one on campus?
I dont mind buying one at all. But will I ever use it or its just a waste?</p>
<p>Thanks for all your responses but of course that leads to more questions..</p>
<p>If all the furniture is bolted to the walls, how do you loft your beds? The furniture is always along the sides of the rooms? Does not seem like a good idea.</p>
<p>Laptop lock... Why couldn't it be used? They require something non-movable to wind the cord around so why not the desk leg which can not be picked up or moved if the desk is bolted to the wall? Also, the security cable I purchased (at Circuit City) comes with a bracket to screw into something (desk side) if there is nothing secure to utilize. Any parents/students care to let us know about this. Thanks.</p>
<p>Cable- only 1 so one TV per room? </p>
<p>Internet cable or outlets? Two? One by each desk? I expect they need an Ethernet cable. How about wireless? Does it work in the dorm rooms?</p>
<p>Beds... Sounds like what I had in grad school but our beds pulled out from under the backrest/shelf unit so we could make them and also have the full size for sleeping. Do these beds pull out?</p>
<p>How many rooms per floor in the freshman towers (Hecht)? Only one bathrm per floor?</p>
<p>Thanks in advance for answering all the questions.</p>
<p>Bikes-Some kids have them but it's not an overwhelming biking school like UCDavis. You may want to wait and see when you get there.</p>
<p>Beds-They do move but not the other stuff including the storage thingy normally next to the bed. The lofts are constructed to fit the bedframe. All the furniture is 60's style modern-yuk. The bare room was a little shocking when S opened the door to move in (that furniture really stands out when the room is empty, it was not as noticeable when we had toured campus), but it comes together once the kids get all their stuff in and hang some posters.</p>
<p>Cable-1 tv connection and 1 landline connection per room-kids share. Bring some extension cords and power surge strips.</p>
<p>Internet-1 connection by each desk. UM requests that kids use ethernet cable connections in the dorms-more reliable. Buy a long cable if they want to use their laptop on their bed.</p>
<p>Bathrooms-1 per floor, several stalls and showers. S said never a problem with crowding, girls may be different. I think there are about 20 rooms per floor.</p>
<p>Laptop lock-S didn't use one.</p>
<p>The good thing is that anything you forget, can easily be found in the area and our experience has been that the stores near the school were very well stocked. Happy shopping!</p>
<p>Re: laptop lock ...There was no freestanding leg or brace to wrap the lock around. Since the desk was bolted to the wall, it didn't have to have the supports.</p>
<p>thanks everyone. So I guess there is no way to lock your laptop to the desk. One less thing for me to buy. LOL</p>
<p>The security cable comes with a bracket to screw into something.....</p>
<p>Also, I expect they need the lock for around campus when they have the computer with them- library???</p>
<p>Wow, seems like little room for lots of stuff. </p>
<p>I keep going back on another thread to room photos which are helpful. In case you haven't seen them, here they are. The thread is great too as it is pretty extensive.</p>
<p><a href="http://i10.tinypic.com/4ftl1jm.jpg%5B/url%5D">http://i10.tinypic.com/4ftl1jm.jpg</a></p>
<p><a href="http://i11.tinypic.com/2je4cgx.jpg%5B/url%5D">http://i11.tinypic.com/2je4cgx.jpg</a></p>
<p><a href="http://i13.tinypic.com/34fml9c.jpg%5B/url%5D">http://i13.tinypic.com/34fml9c.jpg</a></p>
<p>Where did u find those pics? I would love to find something similar of Mahoney/Pearson.</p>
<p>LadyConfused is a frequent poster on the UM threads and as a college student she has been providing lots of current info. She seems to know about EVERYTHING!! These were her pictures. Try this link if it works:
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=316412%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=316412</a></p>
<p>Maybe your son can Facebook Mahoney/Pearson residents for photos or try and google "images" of those dorms. Are those dorm rooms nicer than the Towers? (I hope so!!)</p>
<p>Can't believe we'll be there in less than a month!</p>
<p>Lily-
Found this on UM site although I guess you've seen it already and want real photos of the rooms but just in case:
<a href="http://www6.miami.edu/UMH/CDA/UMH_Main/0,1770,29532-1;29628-2;29623-2;29618-2;29610-3,00.html#plans%5B/url%5D">http://www6.miami.edu/UMH/CDA/UMH_Main/0,1770,29532-1;29628-2;29623-2;29618-2;29610-3,00.html#plans</a></p>
<p>Here's some more- pretty bare though as it is not lived in yet- scroll down the page and you get to see other things besides the room:
<a href="http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.rsmas.miami.edu/IAI/Inst2000/logistics/MRCdorm1_s.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.rsmas.miami.edu/IAI/Inst2000/logistics/logistpart.html&h=154&w=200&sz=18&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=z6bsFDoMetFgbM:&tbnh=80&tbnw=104&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmahoney%2Bmiami%2Bdorm%2Broom%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DG%5B/url%5D">http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.rsmas.miami.edu/IAI/Inst2000/logistics/MRCdorm1_s.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.rsmas.miami.edu/IAI/Inst2000/logistics/logistpart.html&h=154&w=200&sz=18&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=z6bsFDoMetFgbM:&tbnh=80&tbnw=104&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmahoney%2Bmiami%2Bdorm%2Broom%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DG</a></p>
<p>Couldn't find any others. Maybe start a new thread for current student to post some pictures of all the dorm rooms!!!</p>
<p>RE Hecht: The walls look like painted cinder blocks. Can't use thumb tacks? Any ideas other than the sticky blue stuff to hang fabric wall hangings?</p>