<p>My son’s dorm had the modular furniture. There may be different ways to arrange the units to maximize the available floor space – so make sure to look around in other rooms down the hall and ask the upperclassmen for advice BEFORE you move all of your stuff in. Our son and his roommate assumed that the furniture was set up in the most efficient layout, and did not discover until after everything was in the room that there was a better way to arrange the bed/desk units.</p>
<p>If you ahve modular, think about not lofting. I know the instinct for freshman is just to put the bed atop the desk/dresser, but this ends up being one of the worst ways to save space. Plus, climbing that high into bed every night gets a little annoying. Consider bunking the beds and then putting desks and dressers against the wall, keeps a lot more floor space.</p>
<p>“Consider bunking the beds and then putting desks and dressers against the wall, keeps a lot more floor space.”</p>
<p>If I’m not mistaken, “bunking” modular beds may give the person on the lower bunk the space he would get on a submarine. You really have to roll in and out. I think that our son’s room was set up that way when we got there, and it was obviously not going to work for his 6’ 5" self.<br>
The best suggestion I can give is to be prepared to move the furniture around a bit before deciding on the best placement, bring a tape measure, don’t hesitate to ask advice from the upper-classmen who are assisting with move-in, and don’t commit to a futon, sofa, or any other large item until after you see the space you have to work with.</p>
<p>From experience I know that you can stick modular furniture in rooms end to end in Keough, for example. If you can do this you can really maximize space and open up a significant portion of the room for a TV, sofa, stereo, etc… I lived in Keough for two semesters and actually had extra room to store bulky boxes and old books in a corner. I would just suggest you try different room configurations and choose the one that’s best for your son or daughter. But if you are in Keough or O’Neill and don’t think you can stick the furniture end to end, trust me, you can, it’s a tight fit but it works.</p>
<p>Have to agree w/claremarie–esp ask for help from the upperclassmen who will help with move-in. They are an excellent resource and are extremely helpful (at least they were from our experience!) Our student never had a problem with lofting (climbing up into bed)–nor did roommates. If your room configuration is small, it is always best to think vertical. And as a Senior in a single this fall, I suspect our student will be lofting again so that the futon/sofa & TV can be accomodated nicely!</p>
<p>A few things you should definitely bring: Clorox wipes, shower shoes, rain boots (for the girls), a wristlet (girls again- I’d recommend one that’s just big enough for your cell phone/ID), power strips/extension cords, duct tape, and a hot pot (I think they are illegal- but you should bring one anyway).</p>
<p>A Brita filter is really only needed if you’re really picky about water- in which case its much cheaper than an Evian habit. I used one freshman year, but since then, its pretty much just sat empty by the fridge (except when the filter is taken out and the pitcher is used for other beverages).</p>
<p>And keep in mind your room will be small, so bring less stuff than you think you need (especially t-shirts, you’ll acquire a ton of them in college). But even though the rooms are small, if you are creative, its sometimes possible to fit a lot in. My freshman dorm room was 10x15 and, by lofting both beds, squeezing both desks under one, and stacking our dressers, we managed to fit in a futon (under the other bed), a fridge, and a TV. But it was tight… Unfortunately, you can’t really do that with modular furniture since you’re stuck with the aforementioned bed over desk/wardrobe mess. And in some dorms, freshmen can’t loft. Lastly, keep in mind that some of the dorm blueprints online are not totally to scale… So you can’t really plan stuff out until you get on campus and see the room.</p>