<p>Last year (freshman), my son bought the fridge and the roomie bought the tv and I was fine with that. It was a flat screen, much nicer than any set in our house, so S was living large. :) </p>
<p>I know they had HBO for the first semester, which was a complete mistake as they were the ONLY room on the floor with it. That made them very popular (Sopranos, Entourage) but, alas, somebody in Res Life caught on it was gone from their tv after Spring Break. </p>
<p>Honestly, my son spends more time surfing on his laptop than watching tv. Anything he wants to watch on tv he can watch on his laptop, and he does. The tv was mostly used for video games and dvd watching.</p>
<p>I think banning tv as a possible distraction is a quaint relic of 90s parenting. :)</p>
<p>S's roommate took a 20" TV with DVD player. We provided the tv stand,lol.</p>
<p>They used it for movies and weekend football/basketball games. </p>
<p>They watched the Daily Show every night when they were going to sleep.</p>
<p>I'm positive they didn't spend hours vegging out alone in front of the TV. </p>
<p>Their room became a popular weekend gameday viewing spot with the big TV, futon and camp chairs. They made lots of friends on the hall that way.</p>
<p>As far as the space issue - we bought my D a tv tuner stick for her laptop - one end plugs in a USB port and the other into cable - she can watch TV and even pause a show and record. Before classes started she would also go out and sit in the common room & watch TV with others so it has not stopped her socialising. Since class started it sounds like she has noy had time for TV.</p>
<p>My D's five-floor dorm has only one TV for the entire building. That, plus the likelihood that she'll be a media studies major and the fact that the dorm rooms are cable ready, prompted us to spring for a TV/DVD combo. We've also agreed to let her continue her part of the family Netflix subscription -- although if her grades aren't up to snuff, that could change.</p>
<p>DD took the smallest color tv that was available at Target. It was fine. The screen on her computer was larger so that is what was used for movies. She said it was nice to occasionally watch a show. DS never brought a TV himself. One year a roommate brought a TV to the dorm, but they only watched baseball games on it. DS lived in an apartment for the last two years with no TV at all. He will not have a TV in his apartment this year (grad school) either.</p>
<p>
[quote]
TV tuner stick for the laptop? Can I ask where you got one of those and approximate price...? Just wondering...
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We got hers at circuit city because there was a coupon for it at the time so it cost $60 - normally they are $80. They have them at Amazon. Brand name is Hauppauge.</p>
<p>We left the decision up to all of our Ds. All chose to take a tv. None found it a distraction. All enjoy/enjoyed very busy and active lives in college. A tv, or not, wouldn't have changed that. </p>
<p>Do those of you who don't allow your kids to take a tv, forbid them to watch it at home?</p>
<p>Neither of my D's had TVs in their dorms and neither did their roommates. Neither wanted a TV and had they wanted one, I wouldn't have provided it for them since I think it's an unneeded distraction - especially since their HW load is huge (CS majors). Also, in a tripled double it would be kind of hard to find a spot for 1 to 3 TVs and there might just be additional contention as to who's watching what.</p>
<p>They could watch TV in the common lounge rooms that have them but I don't think they did very much. They could also watch DVDs occasionally on their laptops. Nowadays, some TV shows can be seen on the laptop as well since a number of networks have them available for streaming for free. If one really wanted to they could get a TV tuner for their laptop or desktop and watch TV on it but neither of my D's have done that.</p>
<p>I suggest no TV initially. Let them figure it out later if they feel they can't live without it.</p>
<p>Daughter won a small TV at her after prom raffle....is taking it with her although it's not even out of the box. (she rarely watches TV) Weather channel is great for planning outfits. Still doubt it's on often.</p>
<p>In my day, we had to have a TV in the room.....had to watch Luke and Laura!!!</p>
<p>PMcMScot, LOL!! Re: post #21--That's me a "quaint relic" just tryin' to do the right thing!! Definitely a relic as I have survived the passage of significant time!! Guess old habits die hard! </p>
<p>My son watches no TV, but used to watch old Star Treks on DVDs with us. He brought his Wii to college but no TV. His roommate didn't bring a TV either (though he was showing his Mom what was available on Cable so perhaps that will change!). There's a TV in the lounge. I like the idea of sharing the Wii in the lounge.</p>
<p>My D has never watched alot of tv at home, but yes, in the evening if she has time she enjoys sitting down and watching 1/2 hour or so before bed. Just like music or reading, I think tv is an ok way to unwind for a bit and in fact is one of those things that can make the room feel more like "home". </p>
<p>I wouldn't spend a fortune on one, but think it's a nice thing to have...</p>
<p>Hey, I'm right there with you, Rutgersmama! LOL. Seriously, though, if our kids want a distraction, they'll find one -- tv or no tv. And it's not tv that's keeping me from starting dinner right now! :)</p>
<p>S is a news junkie, like his mom, and that's what he mostly watches on tv. And, yes, I'm including the Daily Show and Colbert Report in that category!</p>
<p>S said that they never watched the tv in the common room, preferring instead to meet up in friends' rooms to watch a game, movie, whatever.</p>
<p>My son (college soph) bought a tv with his own money and is planning on taking it to college. Last year he and his friends often watched dvd's in his room and football on weekends. Having a tv is like a social magnet sometimes. The kids like to watch it in small groups. He'll be in a single this year but I don't anticipate him watching it alot.</p>
<p>My daughter never had one her whole four years of college and never wanted one.</p>
<p>momray, lol at Luke and Laura. We made every effort to not have a class that met at 3:00 so as not to miss General Hospital. Everybody watched it, even some of the guys. </p>
<p>When I graduated and got a job working third shift (nursing), I would set the alarm clock to wake up at 3p.m. so I could see GH.</p>
<p>My daughter, who always has a few favorite shows that she watches regularly, will not be taking a TV (and 2 of her favorites, Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars, were canceled). There's a way to hook up your computer in the dorm room so that it gets TV signals -- I'm sure she'll do that, because we're not buying her a TV, and she's too frugal to buy herself one. I don't know if the roommate is bringing one.</p>
<p>I'm sure she'll watch TV if there's any group viewings -- she likes the Daily Show and SNL, for example, and I'm sure other college kids do too. I know she's bringing some DVDs with her. If she needs to catch up, she can rent/buy the season DVD and do it that way.</p>
<p>S's RM supplied the TV freshman year. Both are OOS students (different states), so enjoyed the chance to watch some college games that were not necessarily the common choice in the commons room. I think a fair number of DVD s were watched with other friends.</p>
<p>This year, S chose to buy a TV (summer earnings), as RM has pledged a frat and S will have a different RM. He bought a better TV than any we have at home....hope he enjoys the ramen!!(JK)</p>
<p>Any way, he did quite well last year in a very rigorous program, so I have no worries about the distraction.</p>
<p>D's roommates brought the TV last year. New roomies this year and D is bringing the TV to put in the common room. It will mostly be for movies (watching on laptop gets old), new Project Runway season, and later, American Idol. She also likes the sound of voices in the background when she studies in her room and roomies are all out -- reminds her of home, drowns out noise from outside, doesn't feel so alone, etc.</p>