Yes. Majority of triples will have a bunk bed arrangement for the two beds, and a lofted bed.
I was just wondering if all the doubles in Hall had bunk beds
They will not unless you specifically request lofted beds. Those request will go to a third party company who will set up lofted beds before you move in.
I am trying to buy a shower curtain (yes, I know they are included but I want a pretty one) for my dorm next year in Polytechnic. What length should I get? I see some are 70″ long but thats hardly six feet and I’m not sure if it will reach to the floor and keep the water where its supposed to be. If you have any idea, I’d much appreciate it!
The showers in Polytech are step in showers, not bathtubs so I will think like 7ft curtains? I’m not completely sure to be honest.
I know the laundry machines are free but do we need to bring our own detergent, fabric softener, etc. or is that provided? I remember hearing you need a certain type of detergent for the machines…
You should be purchasing and using high efficiency detergent. It will have a blue and silver “h.e” symbol on them.
Do people usually wear bathrobes or wrap towels around themselves when they go to the bathroom for a shower? Do they change in the bathroom or in their rooms?
I’ve seen people do both. People change into a towel or bathrobe in their room and then travel to the bathroom, while other people prefer to change in the shower stall.
Do the desks fit under lofted beds? I saw a picture of a triple in one of the freshmen five where that wasn’t the case but I wanted to make sure.
Yes, a desk will fit underneath a lofted bed.
But would you happen to know if it’d be better to purchase a laptop from RPI or to purchase a laptop on my own?
It’s really up to you and what you prefer for a computer. The RPI laptop program comes with a very robust warranty and has a lot of the software you might need already installed. But if you prefer a different manufacturer or OS, don’t be afraid to get something else.
Is each floor of Quad separated by gender? I noticed that there are people of different genders on my floor…
Quad is divided more by stacks and not floors. That being said, I believe each stack in Quad is not divided by gender, so you might see a mix of both.
First, have you heard of the Megabus and what do you think about it? Second, what do you think about the mobile computing package and would you recommend it?
Megabus is a great value if you need travel from Albany. I was able to ride Megabus back to NYC for $15 a ticket, which is extremely affordable. The bus also as AC outlets and wifi which is a plus.
It really depends on what major you are, and what type of computer you prefer. The warranty is great if you are clumsy and the laptop might have software that you will need. That being said, don’t force yourself to buy one just because it’s the RPI one. If you find a better value or use a Mac, choose what makes you happier.
I plan on using my iPhone. Do I need a phone for my room?
Each room comes with a phone with a specific RPI number. I’ve never seen anyone use it though.
One of the “what to bring lists” mentions vacuum, but another does not. Should I really bring a vacuum?
It’s really up to you. It’s handy to have if you ever spill something or the carpet is looking dirty, but I know many people have gotten away without bringing one at all.
What happens at RPI when there is heavy snow fall? Are classes canceled? And how often does this happen? Thank you
Snow is a regular and expected thing up in Troy during the winters. It has been rare for class to be cancelled unless for anything severe enough for it to be dangerous for professors to travel to campus. They did cancel classes in February 2014. If something like that does happen though, you will be notified through RPIAlerts.
I was just curious if you could bring your own mattress.
RPI supplies with you a mattress. Unless you find a place to store the extra mattress, I suggest that you do not bring your own.
But I am new to the Troy area; I’d like to know if there are local buses traveling from the Albany transportation center to the RPI campus. I was thinking to save money from taking taxi. Thank you
During major holidays, RPI offers free shuttle direct to Albany transportation centers. I believe you have to sign up a week in advance. There are also the CDTA buses that run throughout Troy and Albany.
For the NRB week are the events we registered for active throughout the entire week or just a day? What else takes place during NRB week?
The various NRB events you signed up for run either a day, or to a day and a half. NRB in itself is a week long celebration and will be filled with events to get you acquainted with RPI. This includes social events to meet people in your dorm, major, school, etc. and things like the welcome BBQ, and convocation.
Can you give me a comprehensive description of the rooms/furniture in quad? I’m living there next year and I’ve never actually been inside
I would suggest you first read this post and then browse the room photos for Quad. Pictures are worth a thousand words.
How are the bathrooms in the dorms?
Depending where you are living, you will have either a floor bathroom or suite bathroom. Both of them are decent and are cleaned regularly. I personally never had an issue with the floor bathroom.
Are you allowed to use risers to lift your bed (Assuming it is not already a bunk or loft)?
I believe you are allowed to use risers but I would not see the need. All the beds are adjustable and you can set them to be quite high. I think adding risers would just make it entirely too difficult to get onto your bed.
I’m an incoming freshman at RPI and I just got a bunch of information about linen packages that can be bought through the school. My question is, is it worth it to go with that company, or should I get sheets, etc separately?
I believe the linen packages are from a third party that partnered with RPI. I do not really see a real benefit of getting sheets from them if you have found better or cheaper ones elsewhere. I do recommend shopping around during the summer and saving those 20% off coupons from Bed, Bath, & Beyond. That saved me a whole bunch of money when I was shopping for linens.
I just got my housing assignment – it’s Crockett, an apartment-double. Does this mean that I’m living in a suite-style thing? Also, do you know if we get a suite/apartment if we have to clean our own bathrooms?
You were assigned the Crockett apartment which is suite style. Bathrooms are cleaned once a week by the RPI staff.
I was assigned Room 117 in Hall Hall and I see on the floor plan that it is only 168 sq. ft. as compared to all the other doubles that have 188 sq. ft. Any chance I can get one of the larger rooms? Do they switch after the assignments are made?
I believe you can ask to switch rooms after you have moved in and lived in your assigned room for a week or two. Then you have to give a logical and justifiable reason why you want to switch. I suggest you give the room a chance and see if the lack of the additional 20 sq. ft. really is an issue. I know people who have lived in rooms similar to yours and never had a problem.
Are there ever issues with there being parties in suite-style rooms (because of the common area), or are parties mostly at greek housing?
Let me phrase it like this. Even though rooms might be suite styled, there are RA’s on every floor and they do regular inspections of rooms. Greek housing is technically off-campus and have their own jurisdiction.
Will the dorm mattresses come with bed sheets? What are the dimensions of the bed?
Mattresses do not come with bed sheets so you will need to supply your own. They are twin extra long (38” x 80”).
I am an international student. This is my first time in America. Can you explain what is proper professor-student interaction in America? How do American students address their professors? How should the underclassmen treat the upperclassmen? Any more advice about American society would be so helpful! Thank you!!
Advice on all of American society could not fit within the scope of this single answer or even this whole website. What I can say is that in any institution of higher learning, there is a certain amount of respect expected from everyone generally. It’s small things like addressing a professor by “Professor (blank)” or not calling out in class, etc. It’s basic common sense. The upperclassmen are also a great resource on campus, so do not hesitate in asking for help or getting to know someone. You’ll just notice these things as you spend more time at RPI.
I’ve looked at the pictures of the BARH double you posted and there isn’t any carpeting. Is this true for all of BARH, or just some of the rooms?
Hi. I personally have not lived in BARH before but I did ask a friend who has. According to her, “In the C wing, the first floor rooms all had no carpet but the second and third floors did. In the A wing, the first floor rooms had carpet and so did the floor above it.”
Hope this helps!
What suggestions do you have on how to bring our luggages to campus? Will the luggages be able to fit on the RPI Shuttle we will take from the airport to the campus? Just a note, I will be bringing two luggages.
The RPI shuttle should be able to accommodate you and your luggage just fine! As for advice about packing, I just advise to really consider your limited space and how much you are bringing. Keep in mind too when packing, Walmart is just a bus ride away.
Do we get chose for bunk bed or normal twin size bed, or it’s just randomly selected when student arrives? Also, it states on RPI website that student get dorm key during student orientation? (or am I wrong?) Is that mean that the student and/or his/her parent stay in the student’s dorm for the night during the 2 day student orientation? or do we need stay in some hotels? Thanks!
For the freshmen five dorms (Cary, Crockett, Hall, Nason, and Bray), the beds will not be lofted. You can have them lofted if you choose, and can find the form to fill out on the ResLife website. As for Barton, all rooms are triples. One bed will be lofted, while the other two beds will be setup in a bunk bed style.
As for orientation, you will get a key to stay in a dorm for the night. You will most likely also have a roommate, so your parents will need to make arrangements to stay in a hotel.
Do you know the dimensions of a RHAPS B single?
RAHPs rooms range from 96 Sq. Ft. to 103 Sq. Ft. I unfortunately do not have more specific room dimensions, but you can look at floor plans here.
I am planning to buy stuff like clothes, towels, toothpaste, and school supplies when I move to RPI’s campus. Do students living on campus get discounts (from RPI’s bookstore, Walmart, etc.) for the stuff they need to buy for their rooms?
There will be “back-to-school” sales at places like Wal-Mart and probably the RPI Bookstore, but it won’t be just for students buying stuff for their rooms. It will be public sales/discounts, not a student discount.
What are the maximum dimensions of the refrigerator you can put in your residence hall? What is the usual price of this type of refrigerator?
Refrigerators are measured by volume. The maximum dimension allowed in a residence hall is 6 cubic feet.
You can look online (Sears and Bestbuy), but compact refrigerators range from about $130 (2.5 cubic feet) to $250 (4.5 cubic feet).
Just some questions about RAHPS. Do all of the rooms have new furniture? If not, is there going to be new furniture for all the remaining ones that didn’t get it for next semester? Just a question.
Any apartments in RAHPS B will have new or one year old furniture, I believe. The majority, if not all, of RAHPS (on the South side of the stadium) got new furniture about 2 years ago. Posted January 2013.
Do the dorms have free laundry services?
Hi, I’m going to be a sophomore transfer student. (1.) Will the school put me in separate transfer dorms or can I choose where I want to live? (2.) Also, will I be rooming with other transfer students? (3.) Do you happen to know which dorms have the most Asians?
1 & 2. There are no separate transfer dorms. You will be allowed to choose from the sophomore housing options (Warren, Nugent, Davison, Sharp, some RAHPs, some STACwyck, Blitman… I believe). You will live intermixed with the returning students.
3. I don’t really know, but one year Nugent had a concentration of Asian residents. You might think to contact groups like CASA (Chinese American Student Association) to see where the rising sophomores are living.
How likely are freshmen to get our 1st choice residence hall (the residence hall we put on the preference form)?
It is impossible for me to answer this. It depends on how high the demand is for your choice and when you submit your form. You’ll know in a few months… don’t sweat it.
Direct from ResLife: “Students will be assigned by the order in which they deposited with Rensselaer. If your roommate/s has an earlier deposit date than you, we will group you together and assign you based on the earliest deposits date of the group”
What is the difference between a suite bath, a floor bath, and a shared bath?
Suite bath and shared bath are names that I use to describe the same setup: a bathroom shared between a few rooms. Often it is between two bedrooms (so 4-6 people share it).
A floor bath is for a whole hallway of rooms (maybe 30 people…?). As you might guess, a floor bath is much larger.
1. What size is the bed? I see on the residence life list saying bring extra-long twin sheets,but isn’t these all single beds? 2. How is the garbage collection works? 3. What size is the window? Is there need for curtain?(most likely I am going to live in Cary/Freshman 5.) 4.Approximately, how much each is the bed, desk & chair cost? 5. Do students allow to nailing or gluing things on wall? Can we use hooks, or bring own shelf, mirror that need to hand on wall?
1. The bed is an extra-long twin bed. In the United States, a “twin” bed is a bed size for a single person. So, yes… extra-long twin sheets fit on a “single” bed.
2. You put your garbage and recycling either in small containers in the lounge spaces or you take it out to the nearby dumpster. The city collects the garbage from the dumpsters… you don’t have to worry about this.
3. The windows vary in size, but you are not allowed to have curtains anyway for fire code.
4. All of the furniture (bed, desk, chair, dresser, shelf) is included in the cost of the room. You cannot buy them separtely.
5. No, you cannot nail or glue things to the wall. You can use hooks and push-pins. A company called 3M makes a popular hook with a sticky back that can easily be removed at the end of the year.
I filled out and sent in the housing meal plan and roommate selection survey form. Do you know when I will find out who my roommate is and be able to contact them?
All incoming freshman get information about their roommates at the same time. It should happen in early July. Sit tight.
Would it be a good idea to bring a refrigerator to our dorms? Also, will we need to bring a water dispenser too? Will we be able to get bottled water on campus?
Whether or not you bring a mini-fridge to your dorm room is really about personal preference and your eating habits. Some people go to the dining hall or a local store/restaurant/on-campus-convenience-store/cafe every time they are hungry. Some people prefer to preserve some snack foods and drinks in a fridge in their room. I don’t know your style – I rarely used my mini-fridge freshman year.
A lot of students use Brita pitchers, but there are sinks and/or water fountains in every residence hall, if you’re fine with that.
Yes… you can get bottled water on campus. You can buy it at cafes (there are 4) or at Father’s, or a few other places. You can also pick it up with to-go meals at the dining halls. RPI is like a small city.
Are you allowed to go to the dining hall and take food to-go? For instance, am I allowed to go there, eat, and put more food in a lunch box and take it with me?
Short answer: no. You can take simple things like pieces of fruit and food that you’ve already eaten part of. There are also meals to go which allow you to get food at the entrance to take to with you. Imagine how difficult it would be to make money if people were coming to stock up on food once a day and taking multiple meals with them.
I am an athlete, and I like that BARH is close to ECAV. But, BARH is the farthest freshmen dorm from classes. How can I prevent arriving late to class if I live in BARH?
1. Leave on time to walk to class.
2. Use an alarm clock.
3. Really, this is a silly question… you need to be responsible for yourself in college. Make sure you’re up in time to get ready for your day, eat, and go to class. Whether you live in BARH or on Freshman Hill, you just need to figure out how long it takes you to get to class and leave with plenty of time.
What is the width of the standard desk (or all dimensions)?
Desks are 24” deep and 48” wide, usually.
Would you recommend freshmen to bring refrigerators and fans to their dorms? Also, does each dorm include a bed with mattress?
You can bring a refrigerator up to 6 cubic feet. If your hall doesn’t have AC, you may want a fan, but you’ll only need it for a few weeks at the beginning and a few weeks at the end of the year. Use this checklist from ResLife.
Yes, each resident gets a bed with a mattress.
If you had to choose your freshman dorm today, which would you pick?
Interesting & excellent question! I, personally, really enjoyed living in the Quad as a freshman. I liked the historic nature, the proximity to classes and Sage Dining Hall, and the presence of some upperclassmen. I would choose to live in the Quad (again), as a freshman. My second choice would probably be Blitman because I know that a lot of people that I am friends with today lived there, though, in truth my friends were in residence halls all over.
What’s this lottery policy about getting your dorms at RPI? I read on the Enrollment Guide site that RPI assigns the residence halls. So, does the lottery apply to freshmen? How does dorm lottery work?
The lottery process is for returning students (rising sophomores, juniors, seniors). Incoming freshmen do not have to worry about this. You should have received a housing preference form as an incoming freshman – this is a first forms received, first preference process.
RPI does not assign the halls. Students are entered in the lottery (you have to sign up for the lottery as an upperclass student). ResLife randomly assigns lottery numbers. Students choose their room based off of the numbers. This is a really simple breakdown of a more complicated process, but you do not need to worry about this for another year.
Do all the bunk beds have rails along the sides so we don’t fall off the bed? Is there a ladder in the room for the upper bunk bed? Also, how much weight can the upper bunk bed support? (I might be putting my laptop and schoolbag on the bed with me.) Much thanks!!
If the bunk bed does not have a rail, you can ask for one (at no cost). I wouldn’t be terribly worried about falling off, though; do you fall off your bed when it’s on the ground? Barton (which has a lot of lofted beds) has some beds with a railing and some without. Some students use a ladder and some students climb the end of the bed which has rungs.
I don’t know with certainty how much weight a bunked bed can hold, but I will say this: students sometimes hang out with 3-4 students sitting on the top bed. Some students also have significant others sleep overnight in the same bed. This is an engineering school – we aren’t going to put you in a bunk bed that can’t stably hold a student, a laptop, and a backpack…
What is the safety/security level like around and in the BARH residence halls? Because it is farther away from the other freshmen dorms, is it still within the RPI campus?
Yes, BARH is within the RPI campus. You can see this by looking at a map. You will be surrounded by the athletic facilities as well as quite close to a few fraternities, residential homes, and RPI’s apartment style housing options: RAHPs and STACwyck. It’s as safe as any other residence hall.
Do the girls at RPI share the same bathrooms with boys? Also, in sophomore-senior year at RPI, will there still be same-gender housing for girls?
No, girls do not share bathrooms with boys.
Yes, there will be same-gender housing available on campus throughout your term at RPI.
If we choose to use a refrigerator, fan, or other appliance in our residence hall, will the power expenses of the appliance be added unto our Room and Board expenses?
No, no utility (electricity, water, trash, etc.) bills are added onto the Room & Board charge. The price you saw is the price you pay and it includes all utilities.
In other words, you can use as much electricity as you’d like and you won’t pay anything more. Read about allowed appliances before you purchase something though. Many must have an automatic shutoff feature.
When RPI assigns us roommates, will they be same-gender roommates? (I am female). Thanks.
Yes, without a doubt. There is no coed living for freshmen. As a female, you will be assigned a female roommate(s).
Then what would the major differences amongst the dorms be? How do people choose their preferences?
All of the freshman residence halls have some amount of lounge/kitchen space, but it does vary.
- Quad – two double rooms share a suite bath. Rooms are irregularly shaped. VERY close to class. No long hallways – often quieter. Upperclassmen on the third floor. Close to Sage Dining Hall. A/C.
- Freshman Five (Bray, Cary, Nason, Crockett, Hall) – all very similar. Kind of plain-Jane rooms. Long hallways, lots of social-ness. Part of some of these halls is devoted to: Wellness Housing (Bray), Vasudha Housing (Nason), Leadership Housing (Hall), Design and the Arts Housing (Cary). Close to Commons Dining Hall. Community/floor style bathrooms.
- Barton – newest residence hall. A/C. Mostly triples. Close to Commons Dining Hall. Two triples share a suite bath in some cases. In other cases, there is a community/floor bathroom.
- BARH – very close to ECAV/athletic facilities. Similar plain-Jane as Freshman Five. I believe two doubles share a suite bathroom. Has BARH dining hall within. Farthest from classes. Lots of lounge space.
RPI Rooms 