Ok, I actually lived in Cumberland in the 80’s, but obviously it’s been seriously renovated and things have changed quite a bit since its now the Scholars community. My son lived in Chestertown as a freshman, so same community. The rooms are actually a relatively decent size at Maryland (unlike my D’s school which was insanely small, especially in comparison). I don’t think you really need to loft unless you want to add a couch for seating. However, since these days the dorms now have lounges, I’m not so sure you need to do that. You can always make that decision when you see the set up, and yes, loft kits are available, as are fridge rentals. http://reslife.umd.edu/movein/vendor/
As for fridges, that is your call whether you want to rent or buy (we bought before we knew about rental), but both my kids had their own fridges even though their roommates did also.
As for washing machines, I believe you can use your TerpExpress account to pay - I remember giving my son a roll of quarters and he said it wasn’t necessary. http://www.umdexplained.com/2015/08/doing-laundry-on-campus-at-umd.html
Both my kids enjoyed having black out curtains (cheapie ones from Target) because even though there are shades, they still let a little light in. So, for my son, the extra darkness was essential (he’s a sloth) and for my daughter, she liked the extra darkness but also the more homey look it created (even though diff school, it was also cinderblock walls). The only way to “install” curtains is a spring-loaded pressure rod which is also easily found at Target.
A carpet is nice to have because bare floors are cold. Got one on sale at BB &B that had a pattern so it was the only decoration in my son’s dorm room because he was not into hanging anything up, so with bare walls, the patterned rug and carpets were the only things that made the room more homey (it was not wall to wall). On the other hand, my daughter decorated her cage so beautifully it was very welcoming (she made an incredible display with photos, art and lights). A cheap stick or hand-held vacuum is a must if you have a carpet…
Cumberland is an awesome location, being across the street from Eppley Rec Center, and backing up to a field (called La Plata Beach) for frisbee and volleyball on one side, and having the Incon on the front (Cambridge Community) side. The Incon is the nickname for the convenience store, so-named because of the hours being inconvenient. However, I didn’t think they were that bad,http://www.umdexplained.com/2015/02/north-campus-snack-n-shop-incon-photo.html.
Scholars community hosts a lot of events, such as BBQ’s etc, so it will be a great experience.
Here is the link to the Cumberland Hall page http://reslife.umd.edu/halls/cambridge/cumberland/
Scroll to the very bottom of the page and you will see a “typical room layout” graphic and on the right, a “typical traditional floor”. Click on the room layout to see pics of how kids have set up and decorated their rooms, but more importantly, click on the traditional floor map. A window will open up and it will show you the actual floor layouts - use the drop down menu to pick the floor (so if room 2127 for example, select second floor from drop down menu, but if 4127, select fourth floor). You will be able to see the exact location of the room (proximity to bathrooms, elevators, etc) get a sense of room size (in comparison to others on the floor) and number of windows (so, for example, room 3112 has two windows, so you would need 2 sets of currents).
Hope that helps…let me know if you have any other questions…