Is there anyone who has visited or currently lives in dorms with kitchenettes on each floor (Holland Hall, Forbes Hall, etc) who can tell me what they are like? What appliances are available? Are they regularly used by students? Are they cleaned by the staff? Are they generally a mess? Please add anything else you think would be relevant.
I’ll be in freshman housing this fall, and I’m trying to figure out the extent to which I’ll be able to cook.
Thanks!
Sorry I can’t help with the kitchenette info.
But you do know that as a freshman in residence hall you are required to have a meal plan, the minimum is Tier 2 with 100 swipes and I think $825 dining dollars, it’s about $2,000 a semester.
@mommdc I knew that we’re required to have a meal plan, but I didn’t know what the minimum was, so thanks for sharing that! I plan on getting one of the Tier 1, either 180 or 200 passes, but I want to know what my options are when I feel like cooking something instead of heading to the dining hall or eating out. (For ex, is there a coffee machine, or could I microwave some eggs, or even cook something on a stovetop/hotplate?)
Oh, don’t worry. My D and roommate have a microfridge and microwave in the room. They can make ramen noodles or warm up soup or ravioli. Her roommate already had the fridge and mw, but you can also rent them from the school. I think Nordenberg dorm provides them in each room. They brought a keurig as well and can make coffee.
They stayed in honors dorm, Sutherland. The Perch is the dining hall right in their dorm which is convenient. Towers has the Market dining hall.
My advice is to figure how many times a week you plan to eat in the dining hall and multiply by 15 weeks in the semester. I would get least amount needed of swipes and more dining dollars. The swipes cost about $12 each and you might not always want to eat at dining hall. Dining dollars are accepted at other campus eateries like Cathedral Cafe, William Pitt union, Einstein bagels I believe. There are also Pizza places, Panera Bread, Noodles and co and other places around Oakland where you could get inexpensive lunch sometimes.
@mommdc Thanks for the tips! I wasn’t sure if microfridges and microwaves were allowed in dorms (I’ve been trying to find dorm rules on the UPitt housing site), but now that I know I’ll more than likely be renting them if my roommate isn’t already bringing them from home. I’m hoping to be assigned to Holland, Forbes, or the Sutherland honors dorms. My only worry is that I’m going to grossly overestimate how many dining passes I’ll actually use and end up with a ridiculous amount at the end of the semester. I’ll see how it works out first semester and then base my second semester meal plan on that.
https://www.pc.pitt.edu/housing/halls/nordenberghall.php
yes, this description of Nordenberg hall mentions tv, microfridge and microwave in each room
If you are in a different dorm some students buy and bring the minifridge, mw. Upperclass housing often provides them so might not be worth it to buy. You can rent them for about $200 and they will set them up for you. You can split cost with a roommate.
https://www.pc.pitt.edu/publications.php
Your housing contract and the residential handbook should have information about what you are not allowed to bring, you can find them at the above link.
Beyond the microwave or fridge, there are no kitchenette facilities in sutherland or nordenberg - hotplates are prohibited in dorms as are coffee makers that have a hotplate element - keurigs dont so they are ok. My advice is to purchase lowest tier of dining with lowest # of swipes - more dining dollars. There are many places to get food off the dining halls/food courts on or near campus that are economical and good. But dont expect to cook anything on a stove until you move off campus.
You can change your meal plan in the first 2 weeks of semester. So see what your eating habits are the first week or so and adjust if needed.
I’ve heard many college students (not specifically at Pitt) complain that dining hall food, no matter how good, gets repetitive quickly. Thanks for all the info guys; I’ll probably end up taking a loooot less dining passes than I originally thought I would, and more dining dollars (and save money with a lower plan so I can eat out more). Might as well eat out as much as I can when I don’t have the option of cooking (not a hardship at all :]).
Holland has does have “kitchenettes” Basically they are just counter top and a sink. There are no appliances. It is basically a good place to wash you waterbottles/dishes. Hope that helps. My daughter lives in Holland now. If you have any questions, let me know.
How does she like Holland hall? It’s one of my top choices. Double, triple, or quad? Does she live with an LLC (how exactly do they work)?
She loves Holland. She is in a huge room. 2 walk in closets and a storage pantry behind the door. She is in a doubl and they did not bunk the beds. More then enough room 
She is not in a LLC. It seems all of her friends are fellow science majors and spend most of their time studying. It is a pretty serious study environment, even with out the llc. Holland has a great location. Close to everything. The main downside is there is no air conditioning, which was a big deal during the 1st three weeks of school this year. It was really hot. Any other specific questions?
@crelange Thanks for the info about the kitchenettes. I was hoping for a microwave, but I can always just rent that. It’s nice to see that your daughter likes Holland though, as it’s one of my top choices for housing. I’m hoping for a single; do you know what any of the singles are like? And how does she feel about the communal bathrooms in Holland?
I made a mistake!! The kitchenette does have a microwave. I forgot about that. I was thinking no stove/fridge.
She does not love communal bathrooms at all. She does not like wearing flip flops to shower. As far as Holland bathrooms. They are not as bad as I thought they would be. They are typical communal bathrooms. Cleaned daily except on the weekends. There is a bathtub that can be used as a shower. I would not think anyone would ever bathe in it…lol
Singles:
She said Holland singles are very nice. Not super small depending on which one you get.
Thank you! I’m pretty sure I’ll feel the same about communal bathrooms, but good to know that they’re not too bad.