<p>Does AU provide a list of recommended items to take for the dorm room? I want my S and I to start shopping little by little, and right now my mind’s a complete blank when it comes to starting a list. Do they tell you what furniture is provided in the dorm?</p>
<p>My S will be in Letts- which we didn’t see on the tour; it was one of the others we were shown around. </p>
<p>So, re: Letts- are the dorms carpeted?
Does anyone advise having a refrigerator and/or microwave in the dorm room?
What is provided in the communal lounge/kitchen by the college?
Is it up to the student to bring things for the kitchen?
Student toiletries are, I assume, kept in the dorm room?
Would you even consider taking an item like an Ipad? </p>
<p>My D was in Letts last year. Is your S in a triple or double? That will determine how much stuff he can bring. In my opinion, the less, the better. They provide bed, desk, bookcase/hutch, chair. And lots of storage (floor to ceiling). And it is carpeted. You will only need “the usual” - bedding, wastebasket, school supplies, etc. I dont’ know if guys use shower totes to carry their toiletries, but the girls do. Bring a long ethernet cable, even though there is wireless, because it is much faster. Go ahead and bring whatever computers, ipads, etc. you want - there is a lockable cabinet in the room (bring your own padlock). D really only locked up her items during holiday breaks.</p>
<p>We rented a fridge through the university - they deliver it to the room before you move in. You can also rent a combo fridge/microwave, but my D and her roommate didn’t like the idea of anyone cooking where they sleep. There are microwaves and ovens in the lounge, but no fridge. If your S plans on cooking, he will need to bring all of his own supplies.</p>
<p>My S is in a double, and yes, I can imagine, the less the better, lol!! He won’t want to take many things, unlike his younger sister who would be taking the kitchen sink if she could! Good tip about the ethernet cable- thanks!! Hadn’t thought about that. </p>
<p>I assume you send just one lot of bedlinen? Doubt my S will be changing the sheets too often, lol; what about towels- just one set? </p>
<p>Also- how do we find about renting the fridge? </p>
<p>We sent two sets of sheets so that my D could strip the bed and immediately make it, even if the washer/driers were being used by others. We ended up buying a dorm size fridge from Walmart. We ordered it online and had it shipped to AU once we knew her actual dorm and room assignment. We thought we would have to track down where they delivered over sized packages, but when we got to her room it was right there! </p>
<p>We priced rentals and a few other stores, and thought it was cost effective to just buy it. She can either sell it or hand down to younger sibs if she moves into an apt.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info! My son is staying at American while interning in DC. Any chance anyone can give me info on the kitchen facilities? He will be doing more cooking over the summer and is bringing his own pots etc. Any specific details we need to know? TIA.</p>
<p>Kitchens on main campus do not have refrigerators, however they do have a stove, oven, microwave, and sink. Usually people who bring their coffeemakers just leave them in the kitchen for communal use (this also goes for other kitchen items). There is a kitchen on every floor.</p>
<p>So to compare, the price for one year renting a fridge/freezer (no microwave) is $139 for one year. Of course they pick it up at the end of the year, so if you are flying that may be a consideration.
Without comparison shopping, at Walmart.com to buy a fridge/freezer runs from $94 for a pretty small one to $130 to $150 for a fair number of choices.<br>
I recommend communication with the new roommate and to ensure that there is only one person getting a fridge and deciding on a fair system.</p>
<p>I went on Craigslist and bought S a small fridge for $25. It won’t hold a lot, but it’ll definitely hold some milk and a few drinks and some food. Even has a very small freezer. There was a larger one available for $30, but it was too far away.
If he figures he needs a bigger one, we might look for that and put this one in our basement for the kids to have when friends are over.</p>
<p>Good idea @bhmomma, thanks. S knows who his roommate will be, and chose the room yesterday, so things seem to be moving along. Their first choice room was gone, so they chose one close to the lounge as they wanted an outside wall…I thought the lounge might be a little noisy but they are happy with it. They seemed more concerned about not being too close to the stairs, which seem to be the other side of the lounge, away from them…</p>
<p>All you really need is an ethernet cable and that is just to make it faster. There is wireless but in can be slow at times. Printer isn’t really necessary, each student is allotted a certain amount of print per semester. My D will not bring printer this year as last year it just took up space.</p>