Teeny Tiny Itsy Bitsy...dorm rooms... :-)

[Chris in VA]

Dd just got her dorm room assignment. It's 11'7" by a little over 12 ft. She can loft her bed, but the ceiling is only 9ft and it only lofts to 58". 

Discuss. 

[MarkT]

Can we ask how much they charge for that?

DS' is about 14' deep and 12' wide (estimated from actual room photo with two XL beds) and paying $8k per year for half of that room!

actual  17.5 x 11.5 

Edited August 12, 2018 by MarkT
updated room size

[Chris in VA]

I think our room is a little less than that $, but room and board is just over 10K. It just seems so small! (Hers is a double , also.)

[katilac]

College 1:  4-room suite with common area. Private bedroom 8' 6" x 12' 6"; the four rooms share a common area 17' 8" x 11' 8". Fridge, microwave, sofa, small table provided in common area. Beds can be lofted to 5 feet. 2 rooms share a bathroom. Cost for academic year about $6,500.

College 2: 2-bedroom suite with common area. Private bedroom, I don't have it exact but about 90 square feet. Common area, I don't have the size, but probably just a bit bigger than the bedrooms, sofa and small table provided. Beds can be lofted but I'm not sure how high. The two rooms share a bathroom. Cost for academic year about $7,000. 

Meal plan is separate. Both schools are in the southeast. 

[elegantlion]

I've stayed in a few dorms this summer for conferences. One was more like apartments with two-four people in a suite with private bedrooms, with 1-2 baths, full kitchen and washer and dryer. They're stunning and I would live there. The other was at a larger state university, they were older dorms. The rooms were standard concrete block walls, no AC, two beds in a room that was probably 12 x 14. The bath was shared between two rooms, one toilet, one shower, two sinks. The bathrooms had no way to lock them from the inside (only the outside), no door on the stall, no windows, and no vent fan at all. I didn't have to share a room, but the room was so stark, I felt claustrophobic all week. If I had been a student in a space like that, I would have slept there and that was it. I never looked up what they were charging for those dorms in particular, I was afraid to find out. 

[DawnM]

My oldest son's college bought out some apartments, they were 2 BRs and they made them into 4.  He does have his own room, but it is like 7x11, maybe even 7x10.  I should measure.   Retail price is $11K for the room.  His scholarship covers enough that we pay $7K.  That is for room only (no food).   Beds are un-loftable, but can be raised enough to put storage underneath.

Middle son is in a room as you described, with the bathroom down the hall.  He shares.  Room is $4,500/year.  That is full price, as his scholarship only gets applied to tuition.  He can loft his bed.

ETA:  We moved him from his summer dorm to his Fall dorm this past week.  Yowzas that room is tiny, old, no A/C, and yuck!  There are 2 twins in there, loftable.  The ONLY way they can access their desks is to loft their beds and put the desks underneath.  There is just NO ROOM!

 

Edited August 5, 2018 by DawnM
glaring error

[teachermom2834]

My second ds is moving into a double suite (basically a double room with a bathroom for just him and his roommate). The website lists the dimensions as 11'6" x 26'4" not including closet, hall, and bathroom. It is listed as 213 sq ft. ?????

It is expensive. $8700 for just the room without meal plan. The accommodations seem a little over the top to me. I'm in the camp that college students are supposed to be roughing it a little bit.

It seems awfully nice to me remembering my college dorm. My first ds was in the worst room on campus (literally there were only two of this particular size room on campus) his freshman year. There was room for his bed and his roommate's bed against one wall, dressers along the other, and room to walk. They did fine, though, and they saved a lot of money living in that cramped space. They always thought they got the good end of the deal financially. 

Come to think of it- dh and I had two kids living in a 450 sq ft apartment. LOL.

It ended up being just about the best financial deal ds had and we are happy with his choice. But already told him to be on the lookout for more affordable accommodations next year (off campus, cheaper dorm, RA position, etc.)

[Hilltopmom]

Ds ‘s school accepted way more students than they have room for and all freshman will be in triples... in rooms designed to be doubles. The building is only a few years old and everything is very nice but they will be very cramped- it’s not just the extra bed in there but one more dresser, desk, & an armoire to make up for no closet for the third student.  Bunker beds on one side of room, lofted bed on other with desk and dresser underneath.

Paying a fortune for it, I’m trying to block out exact numbers.

[TCB]

My dd's room is a single that costs around $6700 for the year. She is actually going into a double room that is being used as a single. At first we thought yaay because more room, but I guess they leave all the double furniture in there so not really more room. Her room and board is covered by a scholarship this year, which is why she was able to have a single room. I'm fairly sure it will be cheaper for her to try and share an apartment next year.

[Pawz4me]

3 hours ago, TCB said:

My dd's room is a single that costs around $6700 for the year. She is actually going into a double room that is being used as a single. At first we thought yaay because more room, but I guess they leave all the double furniture in there so not really more room. Her room and board is covered by a scholarship this year, which is why she was able to have a single room. I'm fairly sure it will be cheaper for her to try and share an apartment next year.

DS19 had a private dorm room last year, and yes . . they left all the furniture in there. The room was tiny. I don't know the exact dimensions but I'd guess 10x12 at the most. That's probably being way too generous. To me it was terribly claustrophobic with just DS and his very minimal stuff and the beds and desks for two. I can't imagine how two students managed to live in those rooms for two semesters without going nuts. I'm so glad that he's going to an off campus apartment this year. It will be a lot more expensive but probably worth it.

Edited August 1, 2018 by Pawz4me

[Bootsie]

23 hours ago, elegantlion said:

I've stayed in a few dorms this summer for conferences. One was more like apartments with two-four people in a suite with private bedrooms, with 1-2 baths, full kitchen and washer and dryer. They're stunning and I would live there. The other was at a larger state university, they were older dorms. The rooms were standard concrete block walls, no AC, two beds in a room that was probably 12 x 14. The bath was shared between two rooms, one toilet, one shower, two sinks. The bathrooms had no way to lock them from the inside (only the outside), no door on the stall, no windows, and no vent fan at all. I didn't have to share a room, but the room was so stark, I felt claustrophobic all week. If I had been a student in a space like that, I would have slept there and that was it. I never looked up what they were charging for those dorms in particular, I was afraid to find out. 

The older dorm room you describe sounds just like the dorm room I had as an undergrad.

[Bluegoat]

I think that my first residence room was about 10 x 10, with a bit out for closet, and the ones that were shared by two were only about 12 x 12.  Some singles were only about 8 x 10, and the biggest corner rooms given to single upper year kids were about 15 x 15.

I don't think anyone ever felt that was too small.  

[Momto6inIN]

Just for kicks, I googled my old college dorm room size (yes, they are the same exact dorm rooms, not remodeled, just newer furniture!) and it came up as 10'11" x 11'9" for a double. That does not include the closet space, which has the two 3' x 3' closets opening out towards each other right next to the doorway. Beds can be lofted up to 78". There is still one big bath/shower/sink room per floor.

We never felt cramped, it was a grand adventure and we loved it and still think of it fondly, much like I think about my first crappy apartment ?

[Farrar]

I'm also wondering what you all had for dorm rooms back in the day that this seems surprisingly small? My freshman room was a double and it was the size of the OP. No lofts. It was just big enough for both the twin beds and the little mini-desks. The closet was walk in. We'd take the phone in there for conversations, though after my first semester, my parents wouldn't spring for the phone plan again, so I remember I just went without.

[Chris in VA]

11 hours ago, Farrar said:

I'm also wondering what you all had for dorm rooms back in the day that this seems surprisingly small? My freshman room was a double and it was the size of the OP. No lofts. It was just big enough for both the twin beds and the little mini-desks. The closet was walk in. We'd take the phone in there for conversations, though after my first semester, my parents wouldn't spring for the phone plan again, so I remember I just went without.

This was my room freshman year. We had a bathroom for 16 people out the door, and then a study area/lounge. So 16 girls in a suite with 4 to a room, each room having the second room you see here and a lounge. 4 suites to a floor. 

[Farrar]

That sure would have been nice. I did manage to get a single after my first year... the one I had my final year was larger than the double I’d started with. But small, poorly designed spaces seemed par for the course. But maybe that’s only when you attend older LAC’s with dorms that are a century old?

[Miguelsmom]

My son's dorm "apartment" is 600 sq feet for 4 people. There's 2 bedrooms with dressers, closets, desks and bunk beds. They share a bathroom and washer/dryer. It was almost standing room only in their rooms. However I like that. It forces socialization. I just wish it wasn't about $6k a year.

 

His other option is a 11" x 15" shared room with a shared living room and bathroom, no washer dryer for $5k.

 

Edited August 4, 2018 by Miguelsmom

[RootAnn]

I looked it up:  I was in a double with the dimensions: 15'9"x12'10" including built in closets/drawers. Beds weren't loftable. Cinderblock walls, kinda stark, but lots of room down the middle for a small couch or beanbags.

Edited August 6, 2018 by RootAnn
eliminated redundancy

[KarenNC]

My dorm room for two years at a private school was a double, 11x15, not sure if that includes the two closets (3.5' x 2.25') and built in dressers, cinderblock. Built in 1961, renovated 2012. Furniture was a bed, desk, and chair each. No lofting of beds, had a sink in the room, traditional hall style double with a communal bathroom down the hall (several toilets and showers, one tub for about 20 girls). We didn't have a fridge in the room freshman year at least, and there was one microwave in the entire dorm in the dorm kitchen (which shows how old I am ? ). Laundry room for the dorm, and we hoarded quarters to do the laundry ? . The other two years I was in a triple (very large, a converted lounge). The room now costs $9,282 per year (does include a MicroFridge and laundry is included now).

My daughter's shared room (freshman this year at a different school, same state but a public school) is 11x14' 10", also cinderblock and opened in 1998, not sure if its been renovated since. Beds can be lofted either 3' or 6', no closets (two wardrobes in the room, 2'x 3' each, two dressers, also 2'x 3', dressers usually under the bed), no sinks in room. Other furniture -- beds, desks, and chairs. Communal bathroom down the hall, again for about 20 girls. Laundry room for the dorm, laundry is included in room rate. Students bring their own fridges and microwaves. It's $6,238 per year.

Edited August 5, 2018 by KarenNC

[GailV]

Dd will be in a double that is 12 x 15'7"   They can loft their beds to a height of 5'8". Cost of housing (not including meals) is about $6500 per year. Communal bathroom down the hall.

I started out in a room that was 11'6" by 16'4"  It was originally designed as a double, but they had an overflow of students, so turned 4 rooms into a "suite" by adding a door to the hallway and putting 10 people in 4 rooms, letting us sort ourselves out as to how we accomplished it.  I ended up being the third person in one of the rooms, thanks to be the last one of the 10 to arrive on campus. It was certainly ... cozy.

I assume most students do a lot to decorate their rooms, which makes them less claustrophobic.  If you're going to be there for months you hang stuff on the walls, put up fairy lights, drape fabric around the windows, add lots of personal touches, and generally make them "non-stark".

Dd's goal in life seems to be to live in one of those tiny Ikea showrooms, so it will be interesting to see what happens in this space.

 

[Chris in VA]

I spent some time looking at my old dorm rooms--and thinking of my old roomies. I am still friends with several of them. 

I'm getting all nostalgic as dd is going off to college! She leaves on the 21st. Oh! My heart is not ready! lol 

It'll be fine. 

[MarkT]

On ‎8‎/‎4‎/‎2018 at 9:16 AM, Chris in VA said:

This was my room freshman year. We had a bathroom for 16 people out the door, and then a study area/lounge. So 16 girls in a suite with 4 to a room, each room having the second room you see here and a lounge. 4 suites to a floor. 

Wow I'm jealous!

[Bluegoat]

On 8/4/2018 at 1:16 PM, Chris in VA said:

This was my room freshman year. We had a bathroom for 16 people out the door, and then a study area/lounge. So 16 girls in a suite with 4 to a room, each room having the second room you see here and a lounge. 4 suites to a floor. 

 

This is similar to the set up for the men's residences where I went, though they were more rectangular with an inner and outer room.  Back when they were built, the students would share the inner room for sleeping and the outer was a sitting room.  By the time I went there, they typically each took one room for themselves.  I always thought the old way seemed more civilized though. 

Four suits like that were on each floor of a staircase and shared one toilet and shower.  

[Chris in VA]

7 hours ago, Bluegoat said:

 

This is similar to the set up for the men's residences where I went, though they were more rectangular with an inner and outer room.  Back when they were built, the students would share the inner room for sleeping and the outer was a sitting room.  By the time I went there, they typically each took one room for themselves.  I always thought the old way seemed more civilized though. 

Four suits like that were on each floor of a staircase and shared one toilet and shower.  

It's a lot bigger-looking in the picture!  The twin bed bunk was about 38" wide, and the closet was about 2.5 ft deep--didn't leave as much room between the bed and closet as it looks in the picture. 

We didn't have a microfridge, either.

Many years later, they started putting only 8 in a suite (two in these rooms) but I checked the website and it's now back up to the way it was, and they charge more for the double vs the quad. 

My other room (for 3 years) was a double, and I felt it was small but roomy. 

[Wheres Toto]

These all seem positively spacious to me.  

My house is 750 square feet with bedrooms of 12 x 9.5, 9 x 9.5 and 8 x 8.   The younger two shared the "big" bedroom until oldest went away to college, then the girls had the big room whenever dd was home, and ds has the mid-size bedroom.

Maybe this is why dd always felt she had plenty of room when living on campus.  ?

 

[katilac]

55 minutes ago, Where's Toto? said:

My house is 750 square feet  

 

 

I'm sure that's a big part of it! My house is bigger than that and a 'typical' dorm room has less space than our bedrooms, but my kids have less of an adjustment to make than some of their friends . . . who are used to rooms considerably bigger than my master bedroom! 

[Selkie]

My boys had their college orientation a few weeks ago and there were a couple hundred other incoming freshmen at their session. The director of residence halls gave a talk about dorm living and she asked how many of the kids had ever shared a bedroom at home. Not a single kid raised a hand, which I thought was pretty amazing. My kids have their own rooms because we have three kids and a four bedroom house, but I didn't think sharing a room was that uncommon. 

[katilac]

4 hours ago, Selkie said:

 The director of residence halls gave a talk about dorm living and she asked how many of the kids had ever shared a bedroom at home. Not a single kid raised a hand  

 

 

Wow! I wouldn't expect that, either. 

We have an extra bedroom at home but my kids still shared a room for a long time. I took over the guest room as a craft room, and then I wanted them to have a playroom instead of two bedrooms. I don't actually think that having shared a room with a sibling is all that helpful when it comes to sharing with a stranger. 

[Chris in VA]

21 hours ago, Where's Toto? said:

These all seem positively spacious to me.  

My house is 750 square feet with bedrooms of 12 x 9.5, 9 x 9.5 and 8 x 8.   The younger two shared the "big" bedroom until oldest went away to college, then the girls had the big room whenever dd was home, and ds has the mid-size bedroom.

Maybe this is why dd always felt she had plenty of room when living on campus.  ?

 

That is a small space! But I do think more happens in a dorm room than in a bedroom; I see it as a living space and study space, and even a storage space, as well as a sleeping space. And yet, they really do have a whole campus to use!