<p>Forgetmenots-thanks for the excellent, up-to-the-minute info! I like the fact that Mertz will be more mixed than usual with classes and so will my son.</p>
<p>Can you tell me if the rooms in Mertz have overhead lighting? Are most of the rooms carpeted and is there a pattern as to which rooms would not be carpeted? Also saw on the web site that most dorm rooms don’t have a bookshelf but may/not have a hutch over the desk. Any insight as to what’s in a typical Mertz double? Trying to cut down on things to bring. 
TIA</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure that all rooms in Mertz have their lighting affixed up high to the wall (not quite the ceiling, but overhead). All of the rooms are carpeted, as far as I know. </p>
<p>Mertz rooms have built-in shelving, attached to the walls. Some rooms do come with an extra stand-alone shelf, but not most rooms, since the built-in shelves are enough. One downside is that it’s hard to reach them if you’re short like me, haha, but otherwise it’s nice to not have another piece of furniture taking up space. Hutches are relatively uncommon (I’ve never had one in my three years, although I’ve occasionally seen them in other rooms), so I wouldn’t expect one.</p>
<p>What to expect in a Mertz room: A bedframe & mattress, a sizable closet, a dresser (usually when you move in the dresser is inside the closet: some people leave it there and some prefer to move it out), a desk, and a chair, along with the built-in shelving. I wouldn’t expect either a shelf or a hutch. You shouldn’t need extra furniture, although an extra desk lamp or something can be nice.</p>
<p>Oh, also, unlike other dorms, Mertz has a pretty wide shelf-like sill that comes out of the wall where the windows are (it’s where the heating units live) and runs along the whole length of the wall - it’s sort of hard to explain, but it’s really handy as extra shelf/storage/display space. : )</p>
<p>That shelf/sill that runs under the windows is a pretty good size shelf. For example, it’s deep enough for a standard small-size dorm fridge to go up on top of it. It’s really a lot like a “window seat” type of thing.</p>
<p>I don’t know if if every room is the same (3rd floor has dormers), but in many rooms, that shelf runs the entire width of the room.</p>
<p>BTW, Mertz has large amount of storage shelving in the basement, filled to the ceiling with boxes of student stuff. I would guess that half of the living Swarthmore alums probably still have a box of junk in Mertz basement from summer storage!</p>
<p>I saw that when I was helping my son once transport his stuff there. There should be a moratorium on how long someone can keep stuff there! And I wonder if my son has left some of his belongings there as well. Lots of stuff was missing (according to him) when he left Swarthmore after graduation weekend. :)</p>
<p>Thanks for all the info! I am trying to avoid bringing a pole lamp, but if you are sure that there’s overhead lighting, we’ll stick with just the desk lamp.</p>