Laptops, Dorm Room Decorating etc.

[Storm Bay]

Dd has seen one of the dorm rooms in the dorm where she's guaranteed a room because of her particular scholarship. It's painted an off-white type colour, so naturally needs colour. The beds are extra long twins, so naturally we don't own any of the right bedding. She can have a lamp that holds one bulb, and can't do anything like string up coloured lights (not that she thought of it.)

 

Where have you had good success in finding things for dorm rooms that are good quality and have colour? Also, and this is bonus, have any of you found anything made in the US or Canada for this?

 

She filled out her dorm info sheet for their roommate selection process and sent it in. She finished off her last 3 years of school in ps, so I would like to start shopping after she graduates and then does her first part of Orientation, which is in mid-June. Ideally they'll be able to get in touch with each other to decide which one will bring a small fridge and which one a small microwave. Do you know which brands are good for this? I don't like microwaves & don't have the space, so know little about buying them.

 

 

How about laptop suggestions? Does anyone know something that is very good? We don't own any laptops. She doesn't do gaming.

[Guest TishMoon]

Hi ! My nephew attends NC State, and we got him a bedding set thru them... it was VERY well priced, and 100% cotton. PBTeen has an area called PB Dorm, has a list you can reference. Their super cool fridge is awesome, small and keeps everything at an evenly cold temp. My nephew did not get a micro, just the fridge, and a smallish Black and Decker coffee pot... for the hot water, not coffee. =) They sell wall murals too, my dd has one and loves it, very lightweight and HUGE. Also, Macy's has great sales on their Tommy extra long bedding. Congrats on this new step in the journey ! :001_smile:

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

With regard to computers--one thing to keep in mind is checking out the packages the school offers directly. My niece bought her's through the school's approved computer connection (at her school via the campus bookstore) this proved to be a good choice the day her hard drive crashed and they were able to recover files and replace/repair damaged parts (the campus source had included a warranty). It may not be your best deal but be sure to include the campus "source" in your research.

 

Be sure you find out the dorm rules-many have rules about the percentage of wall space that may be covered, extension cords, etc. as part of their fire code.

[AK_Mom4]

Because DD is in college a million miles away, we bought all her bedding online and had it mailed directly to the dorm. We ordered sheets and a comforter from Bed Bath and Beyond - there were lots to choose from. DD picked colored zebra stripes, I think, because she had an all white dorm room too. We ordered everything else from Amazon to take advantage of the free shipping - towels, shower kit, laundry basket and supplies, and even school supplies like pens, lamps. powerstrips and notebooks. There were plenty of Made in USA options on both BBnB and Amazon.

 

She travelled with two saxophones, a laptop and one small suitcase full of clothes, so having everything available online was a huge bonus.

 

We bought DD a Dell Inspiron laptop - decent price and we have had good luck with these here at home. But there are lots to choose from.

[Gwen in VA]

Target and Bed, Bath, & Beyond are our two favorite stores for dorm stuff.

 

As far as a laptop goes, check with the college. Many colleges have certain system requirements for student computers (so the student can fully use the programs that the college uses). Make sure your student's laptop is compliant with those requirements.

 

Also, some colleges only provide tech support for certain computers. Check that out -- having a computer that the college will provide support for is a HUGE blessing! (Ask me why I say that -- dd's laptop was pretty unhappy her senior year, and the folks at the tech support center were absolutely amazing! And all the work was FREE!)

 

If the college offers a special computer deal, check it out. It is probably a reasonable option financially, and it will certainly be lower-stress than trying to set up a compliant computer on your own.

[history_junkie]

I got my stuff at Target and BBB. Watch out for things that are particularly "dorm" because I found that some things, particularly towels, were poor quality and I ended up replacing them. Target will have 2 main dorm sets, one more for girls, the other more for guys, and they will have lots of coordinating stuff in each color. I did get a lot of colorful bins and such there.

 

I second the suggestion of a mattress topper. They are worth their weight in gold!

[Storm Bay]

Thanks to all of you; I've taken notes on everything so that she and I can figure out where to look.

With regard to computers--one thing to keep in mind is checking out the packages the school offers directly.

 

As far as a laptop goes, check with the college. Many colleges have certain system requirements for student computers (so the student can fully use the programs that the college uses). Make sure your student's laptop is compliant with those requirements.

 

 

 

This is great advice, and we checked it out because during our tours we remembered hearing about this type of thing, but the univ she's going to doesn't sell that. They will help with software issues for no charge, but not hardware. I'm considering buying one of those plans where all hardware is covered for several years once we figure out what to buy, and see if she can get it repaired close by. She can use regular Microsoft Word, and their email & student site is set up so that it's accessible by any computer, which is very handy.

 

Dd will only be about 30-40 minutes away, so that makes things somewhat easier.:)

[Peach]

I would suggest also looking at her future courses, if she has some idea of her major, as they may require a certain type. For example, here the photography majors are required to have an Apple beginning their second year.

[Bang!Zoom!]

I was doing some reading the other day about "what is the one thing you most were glad you took to your dorm room" article the other day. Umbrella & First Aid/Med kit were mentioned as they were glad they had beyond the basics. Just thought it sort of fit in here. ;)

[AK_Mom4]

DD19 says it was the wireless router. They had high-speed internet access via a cable, but the public wifi was slow and over-loaded all the time. She plugged in her wireless router, set up her secured network and could work on her laptop anywhere in her room. Very nice!

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

DD19 says it was the wireless router. They had high-speed internet access via a cable, but the public wifi was slow and over-loaded all the time. She plugged in her wireless router, set up her secured network and could work on her laptop anywhere in her room. Very nice!

 

Do check before you invest though...some schools specifically exclude personal routers. I won't argue any logic behind it-just that I know it's banned in some dorms.

[Starr]

I saw some pretty scroungy looking mattresses. We got a mattress cover that zipped over the whole mattress, like a pillow case. We found sheets on sale at Pottery Barn Teen and TJMax. I didn't realize how many stores carry long twins.

[Storm Bay]

Thanks for all the additional info; I'll check on the router. I'm quite sure the departments don't care about the type as it's a state school, but I'll double check just in case. I suspect that it's mainly arts classes that would really want an Mac as I've heard many times it's better for music software, photography, etc. She's doing math & Spanish, so hopefully one PC will be good for both.

I saw some pretty scroungy looking mattresses. We got a mattress cover that zipped over the whole mattress, like a pillow case. We found sheets on sale at Pottery Barn Teen and TJMax. I didn't realize how many stores carry long twins.

 

 

Good idea. and thanks for confirming that; I'd thought of it once or twice. I'm first going to see if I can get a good allergy-barrier mattress cover for long twins, but suspect that my favourite company (Mission Allergy) isn't as likely to have them.