IME as a Harvard student, you draw lots for beds. If there is better closet space those with worse beds might get better closets. You agree to switch at least once mid-year. At mid-year everyone has gotten used to their space and generally don’t feel they need to switch after all.
For any who didn’t get the ceramic pineapple reference: http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/2011338-roommate-brought-22-pillows-4-lamps-7-towels-and-a-large-ceramic-pineapple-p6.html
@DeepBlue86 Thanks. I quoted the incorrect number of pillows in my post. There were 22!
LOL that pineapple thread was great.
Jumped on here because my S moves in tomorrow, no set times. Don’t know when roommate is going, and they don’t seem inclined to text about it - they need to bunk beds, flip a coin as to who goes where, and choose desk sides (one side is roomier than the other). So my thought was to show up, move stuff in, stay packed keeping placement neutral and unpack maybe closet stuff if they are not there. Sounds good after reading this.
Need to take some of the packing back with us because D moves the next day, by herself, and she needs the plastic containers! Good luck to all!
Bassed on this thread I encouraged D to message her roommate to give her a heads up that D will be moving in 2 days early and to ask if roommate had any preferences. She also said she would unpack but they could rearrange as needed when roommate arrived. Thanks for the tips!
^^Smart! Early arrivals should be prepared (or offer) to make changes when the roommate arrives. It’s inconvenient, for sure, but also not fair to the roommate if she doesn’t offer (which is also an acknowledgement that the system dealt her a better hand but that she’s decent enough to even it up.)
To everyone pondering how to do this right, this is setting the stage for a relationship you will have to have at some level for the next 9 months. To begin it as a thoughtful, respectful one will go a long way. Plenty of roommates simply co-exist without being friends but they can do this quite happily and comfortably if they are considerate. And this also translates into being able to talk about and resolve issues as they arise. Which they will…
It’s one thing to have a strategy for nabbing space in the overhead bins of a plane when you don’t expect to see anyone in the plane again, quite another to take advantage of your ability to arrive earlier than your roommates.
I’m looking forward to moving oldest S in next week. I’m pretty sure it will be carrying in a few boxes, maybe giving a few suggestions, and then him telling us where he wants to go eat. I seriously doubt much gets unpacked with us still there. Definitely no decorating.
It won’t necessarily be the same with his siblings, but with him it will be easy. And if there are roommate issues, he will tell me to stay out of it and let him handle it on his own. The kid drives me nuts sometimes, but those qualities will make this day at least go smoothly.
That’s what I’ve gotten from sophomore year on 
I only helped move her the first year - and they decided who got which room.
My DS will be rooming with his prior two roommates plus one additional student, all in singles in a suite. Yeah! I coming along to help him gather up and haul scattered belongs but will say nothing about room selection. I will bring plenty of common supplies and snacks to share. We live far away and the other parents were good to my DS at move out and I thInk we all want the best for them all. Nice kids.
Follow up…The 5 roommates worked it out for the first semester dorm housing Canaday. The two sharing have same schedule and will room together and will have to see what the second semester brings…Their set up is a common area and 4 same “closet” size bedrooms-3 single and 2 sharing bunk bed style–they put their desks and shelves in the common room. 
Thanks for the update.
This is common, particularly in suites where the sleeping area is postage stamp-sized.
I really should start handing out my business cards for this site during revisits. The number of vehicles that came loaded with sofas, upholstered chairs, mansion sized area rugs, etc. for new student check-in boggled the mind. I’ve consistently said on this site not to bring furniture until you’ve seen the space, and you won’t see the space until you move in. 8-}
Between BS and college, this year will be year #11 of move-in. Go early. It’s great to at least partly unpack when everyone’s not in the room at the same time, and there’s space to open your containers/suitcases/boxes.
Figure out what you need, what you left behind, and take some time to make a Target run. In general, most students will claim space/bed before roomies arrive no matter what the etiquette or written rules. Be gracious.
Don’t be surprised if athletes and Internationals arrive early and have already claimed their space/beds again, no matter what the written rules. Students who are allowed to arrive early for any reason move in early.
To be clear, the OP was asking about Harvard. Students who are allowed to arrive before move-in day usually move-in to a room different than their assigned dorm until move-in day. Even if they are lucky enough to get to move into their assigned space early, the written rules of claiming one’s permanent bed still apply.
It turned out the DS’s school had assigned suites to the students and each was given a key to the main door and to their own bedroom.
My daughter shares a quasi-on campus apartment with another person. They are assigned to their rooms. My DD happened to get the handicapped accessable room which is larger. The other person is mad about this (not at my DD)…but that she has to pay the same price for less room.
This is why I just want to put my D19 on a plane and have her arrive on her own. D said to me just last night that if the school she picks is within 7 hours driving then I have to drive her. With Amazon these days I just want to wait until she arrives rather than haul junk across the country.
We have to remember it wasn’t that long ago that if you were going away to college that you got on a bus or train with a couple of suitcases and somehow survived.
Or a plane. And that’s still the case for some of us.
Ya, we flew,across country with suitcases. When I went out for Parents Weekend, I rented a car and we bought a monitor, a comfy desk chair, and ordered a loveseat to be delivered. Also a room a/c. This was pre-Amazon days. Later on, son added some clothes for cool weather. He never wanted a room fridge or many of the items mentioned on CC.
In today’s world, he’d be ordering everything on-line, after he lived there for a month or 2 and knew what was really wanted and could fit.
Wow! My kid had no room for any of that (and AC not allowed).
She shared a dorm fridge with her roommate first year.
Son started college with just his laptop, so the larger monitor made sense. The beds were lofted, and there was space for the loveseat. It got used for 4 years, and was left for others. The window a/c was allowed. Son’s roommate was there when i brought it in. He was so happy, he did most of the installation. Four years later, sitting together at graduation, his parents, who couldn’t speak more than a few words of English, kept thanking me profusely for my son’s friendship.
Their dorm had a kitchen on each floor, so they didn’t want a fridge or any kitchen item. Unlike the girls I know, they didn’t ask for any $ for decorations.