<p>Does anyone know if lofting the beds in the dorms is popular? I've heard it can create a lot more space but I'm not sure if it's common to do so at UD </p>
<p>When my daughter was in the dorms it was mostly male students she knew and very few of her female friends. I hae seen rooms where they did and it does add space to the room.</p>
<p>I understand that UD will be housing about 25% of freshman in triples this year (if the info reported on another thread is correct) as a lot more (17%) OOS students accepted admission than UD anticipated (they didn’t even take anyone off the wait list this year because of this). So I suspect there will be substantial amount of lofting as a result of this. With two bunk beds and a lofted bed in triples it may help give a little more space for another desk/dresser. For double rooms this certainly would provide more available space in the room. </p>
<p>My S was tripled his freshman year in Russell. There is no way to get 3 folks into the standard, 2 person, dorm room (in Russell anyway) without doing both the bunk bed & lofting option. If you are tripled, UD will do the heavy lifting to accomplish this. It will be a tight fit regardless of the bed configurations - especially with the additional desk and furniture. My S survived, but it was an experience he would not like to repeat.</p>
<p>Yeah I forgot about the tripling thing. UD charges outrageous R&B anyway. It is much cheaper to live off-campus… Plus they punish on-campus residents if you want to do winter or summer session. One of the reasons they can guarantee on-campus housing for all undergraduate students is because most move out as soon as they can. </p>
<p>my D’s room and board has been the same if not slightly higher off campus… I have found the R and B charges to be pretty much the same as most schools charge… nothing out of line or crazy at all. </p>
<p>when they are putting 3 people in a room, the price is absurd. I know they give a discount for that, but it is an insult. It is what you are getting for the money that is the insult. My D’s first residence hall didn’t have A/C and barely heated. They should not be charging according to what other schools charge, but for what they are offering. We saved alot going off campus, and she could do winter and summer sessions without having worry about housing or moving around campus.</p>
<p>I would generally agree that it appears to me that the rate reduction charge for each person in a triple is not proportionate to what it actually costs UD to house 3 students in a room verses 2 students (I mean the only significant costs are the additional furniture-they don’t provide maid service-OK they have to clean the communal bathrooms for more people and maybe there is the potential for more use damage to the rooms). I don’t know if RA’s get any type of additional compensation for more students on their floor-maybe they do. There may be some additional incidental costs for more students in a room (and therefore on the floor) but I doubt that the total costs really reflect the relatively small reduction in the charge for each person in the triple that is given (but I suspect UD has its own figures to support their decision - but I have never seen these published). </p>
<p>I know the Rodney dorms are old (and need to be retired) but at least these dorms are air conditioned, which is nice to have in Aug/Sept and April/May, and it does have a dining hall so you don’t have to walk far to eat. So at least keep these things in mind should you be placed in this complex. </p>
<p>I believe there are a number of variables that need to be taken into consideration when trying to compare living in a dorm verses living “off campus”. At UD the term “off campus” can be a misnomer as a number of apartment/townhouse complexes are actually within the campus or on its periphery. Some are in better locations to get to classrooms than many dorms. Obviously you will have a lot more space in an apartment but then in most cases you will have to sign a 12 month lease. Obviously this is OK if you plan on taking winter or summer classes at UD or decide to work in the area. I believe they do not charge additionally for a dorm room during the winter session (if you are paying for the fall and spring semesters) but you do have to purchase a meal plan.</p>
<p>The food cost is another highly variable issue when trying to compare the total food cost for the fall and spring semesters time frames combined. A lot would depend upon how much a person eats, what they like to eat, and where they prefer to eat. If the apartment has a kitchen (most do) and a student prepares at least some meals in the kitchen then IMHO it may be possible to save a small amount of money as compared to eating out at restaurants for every meal (unless all you want to eat is burgers/sandwiches). At least this was our D’s experience. But you probably are not going to save big bucks by doing this compared to the cost of a full meal plan. There are many other personal variables for this issue, too many to list them all. </p>
<p>My D’ could pay the rent of a full year in an off-campus apartment for the price of 2 semesters of on-campus. And she ate for less than the meal plan… of course she did not eat out every meal… very few meals. and being a female who is in shape she ate healthy. </p>
<p>But the big problem we had beyond the quality of the dorms was the need for year round housing. She did winter session. And she also interned and then worked for a research lab. UofD housing just does not work for students who want to study year round. Though she had issues with the summer course offerings and did some courses at Delaware Tech. </p>
<p>The Room and Board at UD is definitely more expensive than at comparable schools. My S is a rising sophomore and I’m doing the college search with D15 now and the only school I’ve found with higher R&B is Emerson. According to the College Board, UD is higher than: UM-College Park, Penn State-Main Campus, UVA, JMU, West Chester and Villanova. His dorm freshman year (Dickinson) is also the worst dorm and dorm room I’ve seen on any campus, EVER. So you’re paying more for much less. </p>
<p>At least the dorm quality will definately be improved by next year (I realize this doesn’t help much for this coming year). Two new dorms opened last year and next year the Academy Street Dining and Residence Halls will open and extensive renovations of the Harrington Complex will be completed. Dickinson and Rodney Complexes will be closed. All freshman will then be housed on the East Campus. The only “older” freshman dorm on the East campus will be Russell (along with some “special interest” housing). So there is at least some hope for better quality freshman housing in the future. What impact this will have on dorm rates remains to be seen. </p>
<p>I think with UofD they have a captive audience for on-campus housing with the financial aid students. So they really don’t have to be competitive with pricing. In-state students get a much better deal all around with UofD, they are virtually guaranteed acceptance, cheap tuition, and better aid packages. My daughter didn’t think the dining was worth it. They surcharge for the special meals, which is what they should be serving anyway. Too much of the taco and pizza type food, and not enough real protien. </p>
<p>so is it safe to say that next year and the year after they will not be doing triples like they did this year? this is one of D16 top schools when she graduates how I really don’t want to find out if we accept admissions over other schools that she is in a forced triple.</p>
<p>Obviously no one can predict the future with certainty but IMHO I do not believe UD would continue to maintain a 25% freshman rate in triples (assuming this 25% rate is accurate). As I mentioned in another thead in previous years I would estimate that about 5-7% of freshman have been in triples (but this is highly variable) each year. It will therefore be interesting to see what happens next year with the opening of the new/renovated dorms and the projected closing of Rodney and Dickinson. So at least you and your D have a year to see how UD adjusts to all these things. This will probably be a more accurate predictor for subsequent years. Good luck.</p>
<p>this year they had a higher than expected number of accpetances so the overall number of freshmen is about 300 over. This will lead to triples… plain and simple… there are always a few triples but this year there will be more. @airborne is your daughter still attending UD? a graduate? you certainly don’t seem to like the school very much. Overall the UD dorms, Dickenson is the only one I have experience with so far is not the greatest by far but I was so pleased my D that has grown up in a very pampered childhood turned down many of the boutique style housing and campuses to attend a school that can lead her where she needs to be. The opportunities that she has been offered from day one have been amazing. Job offers and soliciting from recruiters before she is even into the meat of her studies, etc… I’m glad things are not “perfect” with UD housing overall. Makes her appreciate the real world and gets her away from the McMansion lifestyle that will will not be able to afford on her own unless she works for it. </p>
<p>@lefty1 Not that I don’t like the school. First, there are plenty of cheerleaders for the schools on these sites, including the school’s own people, so there should be a voice a reason. And things are hardly perfect at UofD, yet they don’t seem to concede that they need to improve anything. I am not even talking about superficial issues. There are some pretty major things that UofD seems to gloss over. Career services for my D’s major is severely lacking. They just want turnout of “potential” employers at the job fairs, not employers who are actually hiring in her major. ( And this was a job fair specifically for her department ). JPmorgan was there, they don’t even hire in her major. </p>
<p>What’s your daughter’s major? </p>