helloworld0987

hi guys -
i'm starting to think about dorm shopping (STRESSFUL!) and i was wondering what i can expect to be included in my dorm. i.e., should i buy a desk lamp? how much extra clothes storage space do i need? from what i remember from admit weekend, everyone gets a desk, dresser and wardrobe/closet type thing. right? anything i'm forgetting? thanks!

floppy

you basically covered it all + a bed.

you don't really need extra closet space; the dresser + closet is a lot of room for clothes. you should get a desk lamp, though.

docketgold

You get a sizable desk, a bed of adjustable height, a three-drawer dresser, and a wardrobe the size of which depends on where you are living.

It does fit a fair amount of clothes, but a lot of people fill the space rather easily and need extra, so you might want to think about extra drawers of some sort, but I would hold off on getting those until you get to school as they're hard to transport.

You'll probably want a desk lamp so you won't have to have the lights on to study while your roommate sleeps (if you plan on studying in your room, that is).

superwizard

I would also advise you get some sheets (twin extra long) before they all run out. Also something I always forget: a laundry bag or something to haul your laundry from your room to the laundry room...

whylion

If you get a desk lamp make sure it doesn't have a halogen bulb. Halogen is forbidden! Also, we planned to buy a lot of stuff at Target and Ikea, but the local stores were sold out of the kind of stuff you need in dorms by the time we got there on freshman move in day (like bulletin boards and halogen free lamps).

docketgold

The stores around campus do get sold out of stuff really quickly for the first couple weekends of school. I only ever really go the the Target in Redwood City/Atherton, but I'm guessing there are a lot of people that go the the Walmart near San Antonio Rd. too. If they get sold out search for stores farther down the peninsula (I'd recommend south), and I bet you'll find some relatively close that are still in stock, especially ones near Santa Clara.

helloworld0987

haha righttt, the bed part is kind of important, woops. but great, thanks everyone!

pandapower

I'm hoping to get into Stanford, are the dorms like one room that you share with a roommate, I have only stayed at Texas Tech before this summer for a Student Council workshop and our rooms had two beds, two closets, a desk and a sink, plus there were community bathrooms/showers one on each side of the building.

docketgold

Depends on the dorm. As a freshman you'll almost certainly be sharing a room, but as an upperclassmen your choices are more varied. You're limited a fair amount by random chance though (the Draw), but if you're wedded to a particular type of room you can almost always find a way to make that happen.

smcsmc

This website has a good list of what is included in every dorm as well as recommended and banned items:
Guidelines for Packing