<p>Hi Pride_Surfer, It's great to hear you're getting excited about NCSU and that you'll be able to room with your preferred roommate.<br>
You will get stuff in the mail about different things for your dorm room that you can buy/rent through the university. Some of it is an OK deal and some is not. Check prices before you order.
While it's not necesary, S and his roommate got a rug for the middle of the floor. They were glad they got it, warmer in the winter, nice to have if you(or your friends) are sitting on the floor to play video games or watch TV. They bought it through the university and it was already in the room on move in day but I seem to recall I later saw the same type rug at Wal-Mart for much cheaper. </p>
<p>They also lofted their beds and put a small futon underneath one and the TV underneath the other. They rented the metal lofts through the university. This was a pretty good deal because building a loft yourself is a big pain and very heavy to lug up to the room and assemble/build. The rental ones were lightweight metal (also waiting in the room when we arrived) and are very easy to assemble. At the end of the year you just drop them off at a designated spot on campus instead of having to lug them home with you or find another way to dispose of them. If you don't want to loft, the beds can be bunked for more room.</p>
<p>The futon was very handy for when friends from other schools came to visit or even if another NCSU friend was over and didn't feel like walking back to his dorm when it was late/cold.
Besides the futon, they also had one of those cheap camp chairs that fold up for an extra place to sit (since their beds were up in the air).<br>
I think most of the rooms at State come with a refrig. and small microwave so you won't have to worry about that. S also had one of those foam mattress pad things for his bed. </p>
<p>They didn't bother with dishes/utensils. They just kept a supply of paper towels, plastic spoons/forks, and plastic cups (yes, they even ate cereal out of plastic cups!) on hand to use for heating up stuff in the microwave. That way they could just throw it away and never have to bother with dishes to wash(lazy boys). </p>
<p>Do you have a printer to go with your new laptop? You'll definitely need that. You'll think of all kinds of small stuff as the summer goes on. The good thing about being in the middle of Raleigh is that there are all kinds of stores not too far away. You can always pick up stuff that you forgot. </p>
<p>State has what they call C-stores in several locations around campus. They are pretty much like convenience stores. You can buy milk, snacks, soft drinks, frozen microwave food, etc. there. </p>
<p>When you sign up for your meal plan be sure and put some money in the All Campus Card Account. This will be connected to your student ID card and you can use it for stuff like vending machines, stuff in the bookstore or the c-stores and most importantly you can use it on the washers/dryers in the dorms to do your laundry...nothing worse than having a bunch of wet clothes and not enough quarters to get them dry!</p>
<p>Sorry I don't have any info. on the scholars/honors programs . S was invited to apply to those but had no interest.</p>