You were assigned the Crockett apartment which is suite style. Bathrooms are cleaned once a week by the RPI staff.
Author: rachelblacker
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.
Im looking for a 2-person room, as an incoming freshman. Id like to live near the freshman population, in a very social environment (preferably an open-door policy with the dorms) where people typically don’t stay indoors all day. What would be your recommendation?
You just described something that is available in all of the freshman halls (though none have an open door policy). Sounds like you’ll be happy as much in one place as another.
I wish I had a different answer to your question, but that it the answer.
I am a coming freshman. I get a friend who is willing to live me. We are going to request each other as the roommate. However, on the form, we have the same ranking for first and second preferable room, but different ranking for the rest. Do we need to have totally the same ranking of preferences in order to live together for our first and second choices?(If, we get our third preference, we will go with it.) What is the probability to get in your first and second choices? Thank you so much.
Sure, it would make their lives easier if you had the same ranking of preferences, but they will prioritize your roommate preference over that. The probability of getting your first and second choices depends a lot on what those choices are – I do not have a statistic for you.
Good luck at RPI.
I was given conditional acceptance to RPI because I haven’t taken a high school level physics course, will I still be able to apply for a room the same time as everybody else? How is freshman housing decided. I really want a dorm in Barton.
I’m hesitant to give you a 100% answer because I’ve never heard of “conditional acceptance,” but congratulations!
If you have the housing form, you should send it in ASAP to get your preference. If I’m not mistaken, fully accepted students probably already have their housing preference forms, or will be getting them soon. Freshman housing is a first-come, first-served basis. You should call the Office of Residence Life to double check. Their number is 518-276-6284.
I’m an incoming freshman and won’t be able to visit before school starts in the fall and having trouble figuring out which hall to pick. Could you describe in a sentence or so the basic feeling or personality (if any) each of the five freshman dorms have. Also I’m a very social person and want a hall with a lot of friendly people. Thanks!
I was in the same position as an incoming freshman – in fact, that is the reason that I created this page.
Unfortunately, I can’t answer your question specifically. It just changes too much from year to year. Each hall creates a personality as the residents get to know each other – wherever you live, you will have no problem making friends. I know this answer may frustrate you, but there is no way for me to know what personality the Class of 2017 will bring to the different halls.
There is themed housing, that you may know about. This includes Wellness Housing (Bray), Vasudha Housing (Nason), Leadership Housing (Hall), Design and the Arts Housing (Cary). This just means that part of the hall (typically 1/6-1/3) is interested in having some focused programs about these topics.
Since Freshmen are the only ones guaranteed housing, I have two questions: (1) What is the off-campus housing situation like & (2) what are the chances that a student can stay on campus for all years?
Thanks for the questions! I’m not sure of the contract for students, but I believe that sophomores are also guaranteed housing, as they have to live on-campus (as of the incoming Class of 2013).
(1) There is a considerable amount of off-campus housing in the area. Many (maybe ~50% of the class) students opt to move off campus beginning their junior year. This housing is available through local landlords and is rented by students (graduate and undergraduate) as well as local members of the community who work in the area. Check out ResLife’s Off Campus page for more resources. Pay close attention to the link for “Jump Off Campus”
(2) If you wish, it is VERY possible to live on campus all four years. You may not get the housing that you prefer (which depends on how the lotteries unfold), but you can very easily live on campus all four years. Often times, you’ll get something in your top choices. Also, you can participate in CR2 after junior year, which means you sign to live in the same room for your senior year.
Are there elevators in all of the halls?
No, not nearly. The only halls with elevators are:
- Barton (freshmen)
- Blitman (upperclass)
- Polytech Apartments (upperclass)
I was curious to know about floor-baths on 3rd floor in Quad. In each stack, how many sink(s), toilet(s), and bath stalls available? Thx.
If you don’t know: two stacks are connected on the third floor. (i.e. Caldwell is connected to Church I). There is a bathroom at each end of this short “hall” Each bathroom has one or two sinks, a toilet, and a shower. There are only about 8-10 people who live up there, so I found it to work quite nicely.
I’m a rising sophomore hoping to live in the WNDS portion of campus, though I no longer have anyone to room with. I have a number between 450 and 500. Do you think there is a chance I can get into a room in that area?
Yes, there is a very good chance. There are more than 300 people who live in WNDS. Many sophomores prefer to live elsewhere on campus (Blitman, STACwyck, etc.) so the first 450-500 won’t all want WNDS.
Also, if someone else takes only half of a double in either of Nugent, Davison, or Warren, you will be one of few people interested in taking the other half.
On the reslife website, they don’t layout where each stack of quad is located along the line of each other. Do you have something that shows where each stack is? I just am curious for specific location! thanks!
I hope this works for you – just threw it together!
Any idea how many singles are in quad and maybe a guess at how quickly they will go? I know singles are popular and go quickly but it’d be nice to know /how/ quickly.
I think there are more than 100 singles in Quad. Almost all of the third floors are occupied by singles exclusively. There are 19 stacks (I think) and each has 5+ singles. So… math = ~ 100.
How quickly they’ll go? You can probably get one. I wouldn’t exactly call the Quad singles “popular”… Some people really prefer them, but a lot of older students enjoy apartment-style living and/or being off campus. I recall many singles being available when I wanted one in 2010-2011 and I didn’t have a great number.
Hey, so how exactly does this lottery thing work. If I have a low number and I want to live in Sharp, do I bring the other 5 girls with whom I want to room to the Room Selection Event ? Also how does it affect our ability to get the room if other girls have low lottery numbers ?
All 6 of you will attend the lottery at the time of the best (lowest) number. If any person cannot attend, they should complete a proxy form and send it with those who are attending.
Only the lowest number is important. If you have 1, and the others have 250+… you have 1 – that’s what matters. I will say that (historically), you will need to have number ~25 or lower to get into Sharp. Have a back-up plan!
How does the lottery numbers work for Sharp? Do you only get one room or can you get a suit?
Details about the lottery for rising sophomores can be found here. Hopefully that answers the first question.
With the lottery for Sharp (and other buildings in the same offering), you bring ALL of the people you want to live with in the suite to the lottery at the time of the lowest number of someone in your group. Each individual gets a room in the suite.
One person cannot get a suite. In fact, one person might not be able to occupy an individual room without a few others. The idea is that Sharp is for groups of students who want to live together.
Unless something has changed, this info is correct. You can always call ResLife during business hours – (518) 276-6284.
Hey, so I know that the Barton suite baths have someone who comes to clean it. Is this true for warren, nugent and/or davison halls? Or do you have to clean it yourself?
Most halls have a cleaning staff of some sort. With Warren, Nugent, Davison, and Sharp (WNDS), a cleaning staff person works daily to clean the building (lounges, floors, etc.) and will clean each room’s bathroom once per week.
Would you recommend living in the “B” RAHPS (as those are the only ones that are available through group commons)?
“B” RAHPS must be a new name for the ones below Bryckwyck; these are the ones that I live in. I would highly recommend it. I prefer RAHPs to STACwyck because you don’t have strangers living above/below you, so you can sleep when you want. The neighbors are either quiet (in our case) or the walls are more soundproof. It’s the farthest housing from campus (maybe second to Colonie). These RAHPs have all been renovated this past summer or will be this coming summer; this includes all new furniture, full painting, new flooring throughout. Really (despite their age and general low build quality) it’s a good place for a college student to live.
Also… you should go on the housing tour when they offer them. You would be able to walk through RAHPs and see it for yourself.
In what buildings (preferably on freshman hill) can sophomores have a triple?
It depends from year to year, but maybe Quad and BARH… there definitely aren’t a lot of opportunities. None on Freshman Hill, though. ResLife will have more information out soon, if you haven’t already received it.
You may look into an apartment style, where you would get a random 4th roommate.
Where can sophomores live that has a shared kitchen in each apartment?
1. Keep in mind that there are minor changes in the housing availability from year to year.
2. Historically, the 5 buildings of STACwyck and the 3 apartments in Crockett, Cary, and Bray are the options allocated to sophomores that have a kitchen in each apartment. STACwyck includes Thompson, Wiltisie, Rousseau, Williams, and McGiffert (Alpha Phi) with 12 apartments each.
Is there any upper class housing that let’s opposite genders live together? not like co-ed hall but like separate bedrooms in the same apartment of sharing area?
Beginning in Fall 2013, students can apply to have opposite genders (co-eds) sharing apartments. This program is not intended for couples, however.
I was just wondering if juniors and seniors could live in quad and what junior and senior on campus housing options were.
Housing shifts slightly from year to year, depending on class sizes and other decisions. This year (2012-2013), only freshmen and sophomores are living in the Quad.
Juniors and seniors have options to live in RAHPs (Rensselaer Apartment Housing Projects), Stacwyck (Apartments on Sunset Terrace), Blitman, Colonie, Polytechnic, North Hall, E-Complex, and Bryckwyck.
Does blitman have a different mattress size, i have read elsewhere but with different answers that they are wider than the normal xlongs.
Mmmm… no. The mattresses in Blitman are the standard twin XL.
Polytech has full-size mattresses.
RPI Rooms 