As I’m packing I keep coming back to this. I just wish I could see more of this room. D15, who never went to college, is astounded! She is a minimalist. She thinks we are going nuts w/S17 who isn’t bringing half what he needs (but is brining TONS of shorts and T shirts (mind you he is moving where it will get cold soon, he doesn’t get it).
I wish I could see the rest of this room! I’m looking forward to seeing S’s dorm. His roommate is a sophomore so has a clue at least.
This thread is cracking me up and freaking me out at the same time! D, a freshman, doesn’t leave for two weeks. We are flying to her college so did the BBB Pack and Store, but feel like she really doesn’t have much stuff, certainly no furniture. I think the biggest thing she will have is a fan. Unfortunately, though she signed up for a triple (walk in closet and own bath), the college is over enrolled so they made her room a quad! Two of her roommates went to h.s. Together and live about 7 hrs from the school, the other is from the East Coast like we are. There has been some communication to try and coordinate things like fridge, coffee maker, etc, but acc to D, the East Coast girl has been pretty much incommunicado so it’s making it hard to anticipate what each girl is bringing! D said the East Coast girl had requested a double in different dorm and seemed upset she didn’t get it, so I’m wondering if her family is trying to get a different room assignment. Since we have no idea how this added person will affect furniture and placement, we dont even know how much storage D will have (therefore, have not bought a laundry basket/bag/under bed storage bins).
I was chatting with a friend whose D has already moved in to her dorm at Georgia and the mother had a similar story to the OP about how much furniture, etc the roommate had, including a futon couch. The mom had made (or purchased?) monogrammed pillows for each girl and when my friend’s D put it on her bed, the mom had said “Oh, that’s not for you to use, it’s a decorative pillow for the couch.” Oops! I then had a quick laugh when my friend told me that the bookshelf she purchased turned out to be 135 pieces that he husband ended up having to put together in the hallway and took quite some time. All this makes me thankful we are flying to school and aren’t able to bring an overload of stuff.
That’s the hill I would have fought and died on as my son has terrible allergies. Shag carpets are, no offense to anyone, absolutely gross and unhealthy.
This was probably mostly mom and not the roommate (I hope). I have a good friend who loves to decorate and just takes over. When her daughter went to college she made cushions, pillows etc A lot of work… I asked her if her D had actually asked for any of it and don’t think I got a straight answer. At the time I was wondering if the roommate might have decor of her own.
When D moved to an apartment with 3 other girls she bought a hutch, couch, plants–just about everything. I tried to tell her that perhaps the girls would like to decorate on their own (including her own kid). She had already totally decorated her D’s room. Response was “can you bring this up for D in your car ?”.
Friend has great taste but when you visit you have to remove 20 pillows off the bed to have room to even sit. H and I joke about it all the time.
It freaks me out the think there are people in this world that think they are entitled to more than 1/2 the room space in a situation like this. I hope the kid is not as crazy as it sounds like the mother is!!
My son moves in on Friday. His roommate is already there and told him he brought a 50 in TV. I’m thinking the only place that will fit is across both of their dressers. Being a boy I doubt my son will care but trying to take someone’s desk is another story. Hope it all works out.
I was wondering if mom thought this was a chance to offload some furniture & items from her own house.
I haven’t read all the posts, the OP’s was shocking enough! Oh my!
Makes me wonder if schools need to come up with some sort of housing online form that the student must electronically sign agreeing to various things like: not moving roommates things, not using more than 50% of the floorspace (in a 2 person room), not using the roommate’s desk/drawers/chair, not using more than his/her assigned closet, and agree that you’ve explained this to anyone helping with move-in.
That said, when I read posts like this, I can’t help but wonder what goes on in these pushy-parents’ heads? Why would she think it’s even appropriate to use the roomie’s desk for her TV? Is this some sort of mental illness? I’m not kidding? The girl has a desk, yet momma didn’t think to use that desk for the TV…she wanted to use the roomie’s desk.
@zoosermom - I was totally grossed out by the carpets, too! During move in, my son broke a little jar my daughter used to hold bobby pins. The glass went everywhere and I’m not sure we got it out of the carpet!
You are a good woman, SuburbMom, because on the right day of the month, I would be the one needing bail money.
OMG, you changed your avatar! Hahaha!
And the posh throw, casually draped over the chair! LMAO!
@intparent - It’s all appears to be brand, spankin’ new. It’s really nice stuff.
@mom2collegekids - The RA said that the room contracts do state that each roommate gets 50%. They did offer a drawer/shelf in the various pieces of furniture, so I think in some way Momma felt like she was giving D half the room. I did try to explain to Momma that it felt like D was living in roommate’s room, and not like it was their room. But Momma actually was refusing to talk to me at that point. (Seriously. I tried to make small talk and she just stared straight ahead and refused to answer my questions. Dad didn’t, so we chatted for a while.) I think I mentioned it earlier, but the RA was willing to force roommate to only be allowed stuff on her side of the room. She clearly felt like D and I did that that was roommate’s stuff and not just room stuff.
I like the idea of tape down the middle.
I loved that my daughter’s school assigned the rooms in the suites. That way when D couldn’t move in until 5 pm, at least she wasn’t getting the ‘worst’ room. In fact, I think she got the best one.
Son’s schools has sent repeated social media msgs about how the WORST thing to bring is extra furniture for the room. It simply will not fit and the college issued furniture MUST remain in the room at all times. It’ll be interesting to see Saturday who thinks they’re “above” that.
@SuburbMom you have a great sense of humor about a crazy situation. After reading your thread, I gave thanks that my daughter’s move in was easy and that her roommate and her roommate’s parents are great folks. Each girl took exactly her 1/2 of the room. You should start a blog called Ceramic Pineapple. Maybe I missed it, but what school is your child attending? Maybe the roommate and her Mom have watched too many Southern Living and Pinterest videos.
My D insisted on bringing the bean bag chair her big brother had given her. To my surprise, she said she was glad she brought it, because it fit fine under her lofted bed and her friends liked having a place to sit when they visited her.
My son is staying in his room again this year in his frat house (umm. . . yuck. it’s cleaned by freshmen boys). IT WAS SO EASY. My D painted a life-size pinup girl with his school logo/clothing on holding frosty cold mug. His other decoration is the famous johnny cash middle finger poster. He made a tv holder out of barn wood (from the farm where we will see the eclipse!) He has 1 towel that he found in his car and i bought him a tube of new toothpaste. That was it! it’s easier as they get older.
@ OP - quite entertaining post. Hope the year goes well for them. (my avatar is my painted mailbox - christmas present from daughter. )
Didn’t read all the responses but this is one of the funniest posts I have ever read on CC. Someday you WILL laugh about this. WOW!!!
It never ceases to amaze me how ‘balls-y’ some parents/people are. I would have been so embarrassed to have even remotely done something like that.
Last year I worried for weeks that our son’s roommate was upset about the SIDE of the room he ended up with (long story and it worked out fine).
OP, is your avatar the desk!!! Ho lee h*** what is ALL that stuff?! My desk at home doesn’t look like that!!!
ETA: Just saw your post a couple of pages back. Thanks for explaining where they put the desk chair that came with the room. Can’t believe they thought it was OK to stow it under YOUR daughter’s bed.
I really hope this thread is just the beginning of a year-long epic thread detailing your D’s roommate’s college adventures. What’s next: reserving a permanent table in the dining hall? Perhaps she’ll have her parents buy honorarium seats in the school’s major classrooms, to ensure ideal seating for lectures. The CC Parents Forum needs to know!