Hey,
I’m an exchange student who will be studying at your university for one semester [fall semester - 2016], and I have been assigned to live in FARRINGTON SQUARE with one roommate!
I have no problem with the building, but I have problem with living with one roommate, I want to live with at least two roommates.
I will be there for only one semester, so I need to make friends as soon as possible, and I don’t think living with only one roommate will help me to do that.
So, do I have any chance to change my room?
and is FARRINGTON SQUARE a good place to live in?
Welcome to Lehigh! The fall semester is a really fun time to be at Lehigh! There will be so many other new undergraduate and graduate students also looking for new friends. During the first week of school there will be a fair where you can sign up for all the different clubs available at Lehigh. Please make sure you go to this fair! Here is the list so you can start thinking about what interests you. I would recommend joining several clubs so you can try them out and see what groups feel right for you.
https://lehigh.collegiatelink.net/organizations
I understand your concern about making friends. My freshman year, many years ago, I lived in a dorm room with 2 other girls. The two other girls were much more alike. So they did more things together and became close friends. I ended up feeling left out even though I wouldn’t have wanted to be friends with either one of the girls. Based on my own personal experience I think Lehigh did the right thing putting you with one roommate. I really think there is more of a chance of you feeling excluded if there are three roommates. A dynamic of three friends can be pretty tricky.
My son had a great first year roommate that is still one of his best friends. When they assign roommates they actually put time and thought into the process. Please try to have an open mind about having only one roommate! They have had many experiences of exchange students and I know they will want to do everything they can to make sure you are happy.
What year are you? What is your major? What do you like to do? Why do we work on finding some clubs and organizations in the link I provided? We could even get you in contact with some of these groups now to help you quickly find friends when you arrive at Lehigh!
I know you are going to have a great semester!
Keep your door open, go to all the socializing activities no matter how 'corny ’ they seem to you, go to the activity fair and join several clubs.
Note that young Americans, compared to young people from other countries, have at 18 a very immature relationship to alcohol (closer to what 13-15 year olds have elsewhere) - they don’t know how to drink socially but rather binge (drink a lot, very quickly, = 4-5 glasses) to the point of throwing up everywhere. Their parties start very early compared to what takes place in Europe or South America, and mostly consist in absorbing alcohol , especially freshman year. As an exchange student, you may want to hang out with juniors and seniors, whose parties aren’t as immature.
You may want to buy and read the book _the naked roommate _ which is invaluable to understand campus life in the US.
Hi BinFad,
I wasn’t familiar with Farrington Square so I looked it up. Below is what I found out. My son spent a summer at another college in a set up very much like this and he loved it! i think you are really going to enjoy having all the furniture provided. That makes it really easy for someone coming in with limited stuff. So much is provided for you! And the building and the floors are co-ed! My son’s freshman year he had this great group of male and female friends.
http://www1.lehigh.edu/housing/buildings/farrington-square
Each apartment features single bedrooms as well as a living room furnished with a lounge chair, sofa, coffee table, end table, lamp and a TV cart. The kitchen includes a refrigerator/freezer, an oven and a range. A table and two chairs are provided in the dining area. Furniture in each bedroom includes a bed, desk, desk chair, bookshelf, dresser and a closet.
Laundry rooms, vending areas, and lounges are located throughout the complex. A TV lounge/game room is located at the east end of the complex. The Farrington Square complex also includes the Lehigh University Bookstore, an ice cream shop, campus market, bagel store and patio area.
BUILDING DETAILS
Co-ed building
Co-ed floors
Newest residence hall building
Parking garage attached
Host to retail space
Host to Bethlehem Farmers’ Market
The building also has a TV/game room! So you can hang out in the TV/game room and during the popular TV shows and sporting events I guarantee there will be a ton of kids in the room!!! Buy some microwave popcorn and bring a bag along to share with everyone - that is a great ice breaker!
Here are the businesses that are also in Farrington Square
https://financeadmin.lehigh.edu/content/shops-farrington-square
So it looks like the bookstore is in the building. And in the bookstore there is a Starbucks Coffee Shop. Every time we visited I spent a lot of time there. It was a fun place to hang out!
I think this is an excellent location for your dorm! People will be everywhere! If you have any other concerns you just ask! We are here to help you! Best! Kikkydee
hey @kikkydee,
I don’t even know how to thank you, you were very helpful.
Sorry for bothering you, but I have another question:
while exploring my Lehigh account, I clicked on “ACCOUNT SUMMARY BY TERM”
and this is what I found : http://e.top4top.net/p_200kbnf1.png
- The Education Ministry in my country is paying everything to Lehigh, so -From the pic- I just want to know if they already paid the room charges or not yet.
Thanx again…
Hi BinFahad,
You are absolutely not bothering me. It is my pleasure to help you. This is what the College Confidential website is all about. My son had a wonderful time at Lehigh and I love having the chance to give back to the University in anyway I can. It is really heart warming for me to help students on their journey to Lehigh. Please feel free to ask questions about anything!
You should email the Bursar’s Office and ask them.
Email: bursar@lehigh.edu
The mission of the Bursar’s Office is to obtain and process data necessary to provide accurate bills and information to students, parents, University departments, and outside companies, in order to efficiently collect and deposit the financial resources required to operate the University. These functions are accomplished while servicing the special needs of our customers within the framework of University policies and legal guidelines.
One thing you will need is very warm clothes for winter. The is a fantastic store close by (I think you can take the bus) that has the best winter clothing. I would recommend buying a warm coat, hat, gloves, water proof boots, a good sweater, Smart wool socks and long underwear. You can get everything at:
http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/1000001713?page=store-center-valley
Also, here is a great store that will everything you will need for your dorm room.
http://www.mystore411.com/store/view/564840/Bed-Bath-&-Beyond-Easton
I think you can order the items in advance and they will be waiting for you at the store. Here is there checklist of stuff you might need.
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/registry/CollegeChecklistPage
Keep in touch!!! I will be thinking of you!
Hey BinFahad,
I found this great page that has all sorts of questions and answers about dorm rooms. I started searching because I realized you might not know the size of sheets you will need for your bed. So as you can see below you will need to buy EXTRA long twin sheets.
What size sheets should I bring?
All mattresses are 36" wide and 80" long and take extra long twin sheets except for McClintic-Marshall (M&M) and a limited number of rooms in Dravo, which provides mattresses that are 36" wide and 75" long. Extra long sheets will fit these smaller mattresses as well.
