should we buy all of our stuff before or after orientation?

intelligentimp · 07-20-2009, 08:37 PM

since our housing assignments are temporary, should we buy all of our stuff(bed sheets, lamps, other random stuff) before orientation or after orientation? are there shopping groups to show prefrosh where to get stuff?

Is it advisable to have bed sheets (ordered from the residence hall linens program) delivered to our temporary dorms?

thank you!

molliebatmit · 07-20-2009, 08:47 PM

It's up to you. I bought all my stuff at home and brought it with me; it wasn't all that difficult to move from my temp room to my permanent room. (Of course, it would have been even less difficult if I hadn't had to move it at all.) There will be plenty of upperclassmen around, particularly IFC members, who will help you move, and they will have moving trucks and such as well as brawn.

There's a Target in Watertown (a few miles away) that usually runs a shuttle bus to and from MIT on a certain day for students to buy things. There are also a few other Targets that are moderately T-accessible, plus several other stores with dorm room furnishings (e.g. Bed Bath & Beyond near Fenway), but dragging all that stuff back to campus with you is not going to be a treat. I have a map of Boston-area stores and malls here.

Based on what I've heard, you're probably better off buying sheets and bringing them with you/having them delivered rather than using one of those linens programs.

Star* · 07-20-2009, 08:48 PM

I'd advise having bedsheets and stuff in your temp dorm because you are going to be living there for at least a week (more if you're doing an FPOP), but most other stuff (lamps and whatever else) should probably be bought after you have your permanent assignment. As for shopping groups, I don't think there's any official stuff organized, but you can organize a group of prefrosh and all go together. If you asked around, you'll probably even be able to find an upperclassmen in your dorm who's willing to help you.

PiperXP · 07-20-2009, 10:42 PM

Do you have a Bed, Bath, and Beyond in your area? You can pick items at home and pick them up on a set date after move date in the Boston area.

bluebird · 07-20-2009, 11:10 PM

Talking about dorm room stuff...

How cold does it get in Cambridge? Is a heavy weight down comforter needed or will medium weight do? Will the answer be different in different dorms (do some have better heating

For moving stuff between temp dorm and final dorm do you just put things in giant trash bags or are you bringing things in boxes to MIT and keeping the boxes for the final move?

Do people keep cooking supplies in their room or in the dorm kitchen (pots/pans, spices etc)?

molliebatmit · 07-21-2009, 07:58 AM

It gets a lot colder in Cambridge than it gets in the dorms.

The dorms in general are kept pretty warm, so you probably don't need a heavyweight down comforter, but if you get cold a lot it's probably worth having. (I am cold all the time, and I kept a space heater in my room to warm it when I woke up in the mornings. Friends of mine on the same floor kept a window cracked all through winter.)

If you're going to bring all of your stuff to your temp room, I'd suggest leaving most or all of it packed until you move to your final room -- no sense unpacking it, then having to repack and move. Try to pack the stuff you'll need for that first week in a suitcase or on top of a box or something.

I kept cooking supplies both in my room and in the kitchen, depending on how strongly adamant I was that my explicit permission was necessary to use them.

jessiehl · 07-21-2009, 10:00 AM

I would advise bringing as little with you as possible. You could buy it beforehand and have your parents ship it up later, if you want, but I personally think it's crazy to bring tons and tons of stuff to Orientation, even though there will be people to help you move.

I would, however, advise bringing bedsheets with you. You probably don't want to be sleeping on the bare mattress.

In addition to the other shopping places that people have suggested, the Cambridgeside Galleria (a mall) is within walking distance of campus (and there is also a shuttle that runs between it and campus). I bought some of my stuff there.

wildchartermage · 07-22-2009, 05:03 AM

Does MIT provides a lamp for each student? I seriously need it as I will come to MIT for FPOPs and there will be no one to wake me up on time (I use a lamp as my alarm clock)。

Also , is there a Kohl store near to MIT because I have a gift card and I want to use it?

Shouldn't there be a MIT-specific list of what to bring, so we all can know what to pack and what not to pack. The list of what to pack somwhere on CC forum is nice, but not MIT specific, such as do I need to bring cooking supplies, mini refrigerator, etc?

Star* · 07-22-2009, 05:24 AM

There is a ceiling light in each room, but you wont be supplied with your own lamp (although I don't understand how this would function as an alarm clock...).

In general, don't worry about things such as cooking supplies and mini fridges until you get your permanent room. First of all, its a pain to move stuff like that across campus if you end up changing dorms. Also, different living groups have different arrangements when it comes to kitchens / communal cooking supplies (probably why there isn't an MIT-specific list). When you have your permanent room you can then figure out what you need to get, and what communal stuff you can use.

wildchartermage · 07-22-2009, 05:29 AM

Alrighty, then it looks like I'll have to bring my own lamp. But there is a table provided so I can put a table lamp and my special machine I use that can make any lamp function as an alarm clock, right?

So, all I have to bring bedsheets and toiletries and other basic stuff. Anything else?

Star* · 07-22-2009, 05:52 AM

Yes, you will be provided with a desk and a dresser. I'm not sure if they will be right beside your bed, but its easy to move around furniture in your room as you see fit.

molliebatmit · 07-22-2009, 07:58 AM

The Kohl's stores in Boston are not very readily T-accessible. There's one in Medford, which is accessible by a bus from Wellington Station on the Orange line; there's one in Saugus, which is accessible by a bus from (I think) Malden Station on the Orange line; and there's one in Burlington, which is accessible by a rather long bus ride from Alewife Station on the Red line.

I don't think an MIT-specific list of things to bring is really necessary. There's not really anything special you need to bring to MIT that you wouldn't need to bring to other schools, except maybe cooking equipment if you end up in a dorm with kitchens.

sberlin · 07-22-2009, 01:50 PM

Actually, there is a pretty specific, long MIT packing list here:
MIT | Undergraduate Housing
Obviously some of it is outdated, but it seems helpful (though we won't want all of that AT orientation, but could ship/buy it later)

molliebatmit · 07-22-2009, 06:59 PM

Haha, but what on that list do you need to bring to MIT that you wouldn't need to bring to any other college?

jessiehl · 07-23-2009, 10:03 AM

That list is...interesting. I agree with most of it, but hardly anyone I knew had their own printer. Or an ironing board. Most people don't bother to bring a dead tree dictionary or thesaurus, they just look words up online.

And I've never seen *anybody* use a high school yearbook as a "conversation piece" (seriously, people have better things to talk about than HIGH SCHOOL). For that matter, I don't recall anybody bringing a high school yearbook.

I love how they list a VCR. We're rapidly approaching the point where the entering freshmen won't EVER have used VCRs.

Who bothers to wear flip-flops in the shower?

At least they listed duct tape!