What to Bring: Part 2

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvey Mudd College
1

<p>So a while back I made a thread about what to bring. Besides the list provided by the site: Dorm</a> FAQS the suggests from the other thread included a fold-able chair, a little bit of cleaning supplies, water filter, formal clothes, door hangers, and quarters.</p>

<p>I still have a few questions on what to bring:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Is there anything you felt you forgot when you got there/ something you wish you had brought?</p></li>
<li><p>Are candles allowed? What about string lighting?</p></li>
<li><p>What kind of decorations did u bring for your room (I know this will vary for guys and girls)? Is there space for a beanbag/chair?</p></li>
<li><p>I understand the bathrooms are cleaned occasionally by the cleaning staff. What cleaning materials should be brought (someone mentioned clorox wipes/ standard spray cleaner) what about a miniature vacuum?</p></li>
<li><p>Is it common to bring your own printer?</p></li>
<li><p>What are the rules on the walls? Can we put thumbtacks in the walls? How can we put up posters and such?</p></li>
<li><p>What "for fun" items did u bring? I'm guessing some bring gaming consoles, sports balls, etc.?</p></li>
<li><p>What items did you find unnecessary that you brought and just ended up taking space?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Thats all I can think of for now.. please give any input you have on what to bring, even if it doesn't pertain to one of the questions I asked! Thanks :)</p>

2

<p>about the printer.
This is only from my high school dorm experience
Someone said that there are no printers in the dorms.
My first year of high school, I was in one of two dorms that did not have printers (and it got one a year later). It is quite a pain in the ass having to go to other buildings to go get the things you printed (and especially when one is out of paper) but it isn’t a huge deal.
But someone(I think it was geekmom) said that not many people bring printers (which was the same for my high school since printers are abundant) and if one does bring printers, a lot of people are going to ask you if they can print something really quick (cuz they don’t wanna walk to the other buildings even if it is right next by) and so your ink will run out quickly, which is also a pain cuz if you’re in the dorms, you would most likely be lazy to go buy ink. Also, if the printer has issues, most people probably won’t care to try to fix it and leave it as it is.</p>

<p>So, what am I gonna do? I’m not going to bring one.</p>

3

<p>Just picked up geek_son and all his stuff. He said that he’s going to pack about a third of it to take with him next year! I’m not sure what he’ll leave behind yet, but probably anything and everything decorative along with half the clothes, toiletries, and cleaning supplies. I think he asked me to send him two things during the whole school year – an umbrella and a first aid item for cold sores. He ran out of laundry soap once, too (as a mom, this makes me very happy :D).</p>

<p>I could be wrong, but AFAIK candles are not allowed. Check out thinkgeek.com or flashingblinkylights.com for some interesting glowy things that could substitute for candles.</p>

<p>Don’t bring a vacuum. If you keep your room tidy, it will periodically be vacuumed for you.</p>

<p>If you loft your bed on something other than your desk, you could fit a beanbag chair comfortably underneath it. You’ll probably spend more of your “hanging out” time in Platt or a dorm lounge, though. I wouldn’t bring a beanbag chair unless you have a favorite one you can’t part with.</p>

<p>Mudders have a history of scavenging old furniture, especially couches but also chairs. geek_son’s a little bummed that we apparently left behind the nice office chair he scored this year.</p>

<p>Tape and thumbtacks are a big deal at move-out time; you can get charged for those. Gaffer’s tape or that blue painter’s tape from the hardware store would be fine, as they’re designed to be removed without leaving a residue. In geek_son’s room, one wall was dominated by a white bulletin board (which was lined on the bottom by a row of grounded electrical outlets – awesome!). So that’s a place where you could hang posters or whatever with thumbtacks.</p>

<p>I think I mentioned over-the-door hooks last time – they can hang on the edge of the bed and provide a place to stash your laundry bag and/or your backpack.</p>

<p>Your favorite mode of self-propelled wheeled transport – skateboard, longboard, rollerblades, bicycle, unicycle – will get a lot of use. If you bring a bike or unicycle, bring a good lock and use it.</p>

<p>New frosh are expected to dress nicely for the roster signing. A couple of parties have a formalwear theme, and one has a “wild West” theme. You might want to bring appropriate clothes for these. And something black and dressy-looking if you’re involved in any music performance (band, choir). For the guys, that means black tux, white pleated wing-tip shirt, black bow tie, black shoes that aren’t high-tops or sandals. For the girls, there’s so much latitude it’s a little sad.</p>

<p>@maruhan, FWIW, geek<em>son’s roommate had a printer right in their room, but AFAIK geek</em>son never borrowed it. OTOH he did borrow his roomie’s stapler a few times.</p>

4

<p>by the way, when i was talking about people asking others to print, I was talking about my personal experience, not at mudd (just to avoid confusion :slight_smile: )
And yes, i was the one with the printer. So, I was basically talking about what happened to myself.</p>

<p>Oh, and I agree on first aid kits.
That was one of my biggest annoyances of dorm life. That I did not have any appropriate stuff for injuries. Not even band-aids. Band-aids and ointments should be pretty helpful.</p>

5

<ol>
<li><p>Are candles allowed? What about string lighting?
No candles but Christmas lights are OK.</p></li>
<li><p>What kind of decorations did u bring for your room (I know this will vary for guys and girls)? Is there space for a beanbag/chair?
A whiteboard is really helpful for working out problems on.</p></li>
<li><p>What are the rules on the walls? Can we put thumbtacks in the walls? How can we put up posters and such?
Echoing geek_mom - I had a giant bulletin board in my room/suite lounge.</p></li>
</ol>

6

<p>

Understood and taken in that light. I was sharing my one data point – a printer was right there in the dorm room, but he preferred to use the lab printers rather than borrow it. That may reflect the convenience of the lab printers and/or the culture at Mudd. Note that homework is a social activity at Mudd; you may do a lot of it in Platt, a suite or lounge, or some other shared space. So you may not be in your dorm room when you want to print something. :)</p>

<p>

That was what I thought too, but it looks like geek_son’s first aid kit came back unopened. He used Tylenol and the cold sore medicine, neither of which was part of the kit. I think a first aid kit is one of those things that are nice to have around just in case, but I suspect his “2/3 of stuff to leave at home” list will include the first aid kit. <em>shrug</em></p>

7

<p>Are “potentially” fire-hazardous cooking tools allowed in the rooms</p>

<p>for example,
microwave, rice-cooker, waffle maker, toaster, electric pot, electric stove, etc</p>

8

<p>Anything with an exposed heating element is not allowed (e.g., electric stove). Microwaves, no problem. Rice cookers, no problem. Not sure about toasters.</p>

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<p>Yeah, I was reading about this somewhere on Mudd’s site. Basically anything which does not have an exposed heating element is allowed, so newer waffle makers, sealed hotplates, etc., are okay. I don’t know about toasters but one of the dorm rooms I visited (spent a night in) had a toaster oven, so I’ll assume they’re allowed.</p>

10

<p>I’d recommend bringing a fridge, especially if you’re not going to be on the 16 meal plan. Having extra chairs/couches is nice, but you may not have enough space, especially if you live in an inner dorm and want to deloft your bed. </p>

<p>I would recommend waiting until you get your room assignments. Then you can ask your dorm proctor/mentors about what you can fit in your room. You can also coordinate with your roommate and suitemates. </p>

<p>As far as for fun items go…</p>

<p>Some people brought their N64/Rock Band etc. Some people can fit a couch and TV in their room, but others will just play them in the lounge, cuz every lounge has some sort of TV. There’s no need to go out and buy these things though if you don’t already have them.</p>

<p>If you like being outdoors, you might as well bring some basic equipment in case you ever go on a backpacking trip with delta-H or On the Loose (the 5C outdoors club). If you like skiing, there’s not much point bringing them fall semester because all the So Cal ski areas don’t have good snow until after December. </p>

<p>Overall, I’d recommend not bringing something unless you think you’re going to use it on a regular basis. Otherwise, it’ll just clutter your room.</p>

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<p>My son has a toaster. Some the dorm kitchens have them, so unless you are going to use it regularly, you might not want to clutter up your dorm space with your own.</p>