Bunk beds in Barton can be raised and lowered with a system of notches along the bedposts. At the highest notch, the bottom bed should handle anything 27” tall or less.
Author: rachelblacker
Do you think it would be advisable to get a printer, and do most people do that or just use the credit and public printers?
I would say confidently that most freshman rooms have a printer. One of the two (or three) roommates typically brings one. That being said, I’m sure that the use of these varies. I am a rising senior; I had a deskjet printer that I used some freshman year, but ink is expensive. Over the years, I have found it easier (and generally more convenient) to just use the campus printers.
If you’re unsure, I would wait until you arrive to get a printer. You can always buy one later; it may be harder to buy one and return it after finding that you don’t use it.
Last thing: a lot of this depends on what you are studying (major) and how you study (study habits). Some students print all of their notes or have a lot of assignments that require printing.
Can one bunk the beds in doubles in Bray Hall? If so, how does one do it? My roommate and I are considering doing so, instead of paying for lofts.
I understand that you were being proper, but it might be difficult for one to bunk the beds. I imagine it would take at least two people. :p
Yes, you can do it. The beds are made to do this – they are not simply resting on one another. That’s all I know.
How “movable” are the dressers in the Freshman Five? I’m in a triple in Cary, and didn’t really like the setup too much. Is there anyway to rearrange the room?
The furniture along the walls where you enter (the same wall as the door) is not movable at all. It’s built into the room. You will be able to move your bed, your desk, and of course the shelf on the desk.
Sorry, bud. Good luck arranging it in a desirable way!
Do all quad stock kitchens have fridges? It just says that the corner ones have large refrigerators but nothing about the others…
The other ones do not have fridges.
No matter where in Quad you live, you will have card access to the corner stacks if you need to store things in the big fridges. That said, it won’t necessarily be most convenient for regular usage.
Do the kitchens have coffe makers?
Short and simple: nope. Sorry!
You’ll have to get your own coffeemaker, no matter where you live. But if you have a meal plan, dining halls have (what I believe to be) a decent selection of coffee! I’m not a coffee drinker.
Also, remember that any small appliances in dorm rooms must have an automatic shut off feature.
A freshman from China asking: are the beddings ready in freshmen 5? Should I bring any of the pillows, quilts, sheets, mats or even mattresses?
Great question, mostly because it’s you’ll be at a loss if you don’t have the right answer.
NONE of the residence hall beds on campus come with bedding. Every bed comes with a mattress (size is twin extra long: 38” x 80”), but nothing more than the mattress. You will need to bring (or purchase when you arrive to Troy) sheets, pillow(s), quilts/comforter, and a mattress pad.
What are the pros and cons of lofting your bed in a double? Bray specifically, if the hall matters.
The hall doesn’t matter much.
Pros:
- More space in the room
- You can put your desk and other stuff under your bed
Cons:
- You have to literally climb into bed. Easy for some. Hard for others.
- You’re sleeping higher… it can be warmer/hot in the winter.
- Yes, it’s possible to fall out of bed. If you don’t follow out of your bed on a normal frame, you probably won’t fall out of a lofted bed. I think it comes with a rail.
- It costs about $150.
Have a double in Cary. Can the shelf above the desk be removed and used elsewhere in the room? I’m thinking of putting the desk by the window but don’t want to block the view.
Yes. The shelves above the desks on campus are a separate piece and can be removed.
Hi, I’m a chemical engineering major. Do you know if buying the school laptop is necessary or if I could just get a mac? I was originally planning on getting a mac but now I’m not so sure because of programs and such. Thanks!
Ah, the ever-unanswered laptop question… I’ll try to summarize the arguments, but it is very much a decision you have to make yourself.
Pros of the school laptop program:
- A great computer at a reasonable cost
- Programs you will “need” are already installed
- EXCELLENT service on campus and a great warranty
- It’s what you know and love.
- You like it better.
- It’s just as good for regular computing, maybe better.
The general dilemma of getting a Mac:
If you get a Mac, you’ll need to make sure you have all of the right programs. To be frank, the school computer comes with more programs than most students (98%, I’d say) will ever need. Rarely have I needed many of the technical programs on the laptop, but you will NEED to use some of them from time to time. With a Mac, you’ll be responsible for buying/supplying these programs, though you can get them (at a cost) through the campus computer store.
Personally, I have the school laptop and it has served me well for the last three years. Sure, it’s ugly compared to a Mac, and Windows is only starting to compare to Mac in terms of OS, but it gets the job done. I’m going to have the fan replaced when I return in August, and that will be free… so that’s nice. BUT… I did buy a MacBook Air last week, which I plan to carry to class and to most of my daily computing from. It’s lighter, the flash memory is excellent, and the battery lasts much longer.
Really, I can’t make the decision for you. If you’re a Mac user, you’ll probably be happier to have a Mac and occasionally deal with the minor issue of dual booting to a Windows partition and acquiring some needed software.
Does Bray have indoor bike racks? I intend on bringing my bike to Rensselaer, but I’m not sure what I’m going to do with it in the winter…
Yes, Bray does have an indoor bike room.
Is there space underneath the beds in Polytech? Also are you able to move the beds?
There is no accessible space under the beds in Polytech. One might call the frame “enclosed.”
The beds can be moved, yes. I will say, though, that the arrangement the furniture is in is probably the most efficient use of the space.
What size bed comes in the Bryckwyck apartments?
You’ll have to call the Office of Residence Education during business hours to get a certain answer, but I only know of full beds being in Polytech. All the other beds I know of on campus are twin-XL.
That beings said, this area has historically been for graduate students and faculty/staff, so it’s quite likely that they are full mattresses.
In short: call ResEd.
Do singles in Nugent have a shelf built into the wall like the doubles do?
Short answer: no. You’re either in 215, 311, 315, or 415.
311 has a vertical chest of drawers (about 5’ tall) and a large closet with double sliding doors. Additionally there is a desk, bed, and some shelves below the large window.
The X15’s have a bed, desk, and a built in closet (but still a piece of furniture). The closet is half hanging space. The other half is split into drawers and a cabinet.
Hopefully this makes sense, but there is no large shelf piece diving the rooms as the doubles have.
I’m going to be attending RPI this coming fall, and I was wondering if there was a way to get the RPI linen ordering guys to ship the stuff I ordered to the dorm I’m staying in, rather than to my house (I live in California and the extra packing would be a pain). Thanks for your help!
Unfortunately, I don’t know who you mean by the “RPI linen ordering guys.” I kind of remember an offer when I was a freshman to buy linens, but I don’t remember details. That being said, this is a question better directed to them (the “linen ordering guys”).
I do know that big box stores like Bed, Bath, & Beyond will allow you to shop in any store or online and have all of your chosen products prepared for pick-up at a store near your school (RPI). If you go this way with some of your stuff, you don’t pay for the shipping, you just need to go out to the store nearest RPI (in nearby Colonie, 15 minutes drive) and pick it up.
Regarding Warren – does the attached bathrooms need shower curtains? Bath mats?
All residence hall bathrooms are equipped with shower curtains. If you so desire, you are permitted to put your own up, but the original does need to be in the room when you move out. From my experience, the shower curtains are in great shape; they are often replaced annually.
Regarding bath mats – in Warren, you almost definitely need to bring your own. Some halls with floor baths may have rubber mats to prevent slipping on the larger surfaces, but I’m not certain on that either.
Are all the rooms in Bray carpet?
Yes.
What does a triple in BARH look like? It is one of the rooms on the outer sides so it looks bigger than the ones in the middle, but is it like one bunkbed and one single bed. Have people ever complained about being cramped? Also is there a cleaning service for the bathrooms?
What does a triple in BARH look like? I honestly don’t know, and they are quite rare. I’m confident that it would, in fact, be one set of bunked beds and one single bed. For a more certain answer, you can contact the Office of Residential Education.
Have people ever complained about being cramped? Ever…? in the history of BARH triples? It’s probably happened, yes… but you’re not living in a closet. You’ll make the space work – that’s part of what college is about.
Is there a cleaning service for the bathrooms? Yes. RPI has a department called Environmental and Site Services. Each building has at least one cleaning person assigned to it. This staff person will clean the bathrooms (usually once a week) and maintain the common living spaces, like hallways, lounges, kitchens, etc. You are still responsible for keeping things tidy and not making huge messes – it’s not a maid service. [Some people prefer to clean their own bathroom. If this is the case, you can just ask your cleaning person not to clean your bathroom, but you do need to do it. If you don’t, you can be fined.]
What are the dimensions of the beds in the freshman dorms?
The beds in freshman residence halls are twin extra long mattresses. They are 80” long, 39” wide, and 6.5” deep.
How do people typically feel about being in a triple in the freshman 5?
I have never talked to anyone about how they feel about this. I know this setup is quite rare, but the room is larger. It’s another person to get to know and connect with on campus. It can be more fun to have two roommates – do you have specific reservations about this living situation?
Hello, I’m coming to RPI as a transfer student in August. Could you provide any photos of North by any chance? Also, does North have built-in closets or wardrobes? I will have a single.
I’m looking for photos, but I don’t have any! I do apologize; I never anticipated such an interest from older students and growth of the blog. I found a video that includes some footage of E-Complex, which is very similar to North. Footage of hall begins around 2:40.
Are you allowed to screw things into dorm walls – for example, hanging an organizational bar or hook?
You are discouraged from installing decorations/furniture that leave permanent marks from the room and doing so leaves the risk that you will be fined for damages at the end of the year. That being said, no one is going to stop you. If, at the end of the year, you remove it and repair your holes, you will be perfectly fine. No reasonable RA will make you take anything like an organizational hook off of your wall. I would say that you should hang your bar/hook if you want it – better to be comfortable in your space and deal with the repair later!
I might recommend that you check out 3M strips and other alternatives – they may do the same job and be easier.
So I just recently got assigned a dorm that I was at first happy about but now I’m not as much. How easy is it to switch dorms completely (when you have a roommate and they will go with it too)? Say, from one freshman five to another freshman five? Or from BARH to a freshman five? I know you probably don’t know much about it but I thought you might have known someone that wanted to switch their dorms at some point.
It’s impossible to quantify the ease of room-switching. You and your roommate should call ResLife/ResEd ASAP to find out if you can switch before you move in. Otherwise, you have to wait 2 full weeks after classes start.
Regardless, you might not be allowed to switch halls “just because.” The staff goes through a lot of effort to place all of the students and allowing switches on a whim would be very time-consuming. Best of luck – call and ask as soon as you can.
If our setup is the same as the photos you have of the girls room from bray hall, and we want to put a fridge/microwave under our beds like they did, what dimensions/sizes of the fridge/microwave should we look for?
Refrigerators should be no larger than 6 cubic feet. With some help, I’ve estimated that the particular fridge in that photo is 24” tall, but there is quite a bit of space (probably > 30”) under those beds. Depth is limited by the width of a xl-twin bed (same width as twin). Width of anything under the bed is limited by the length of a xlong-twin bed (80”).
For the microwave, you should just get something small and inexpensive, I would imagine.
Do you have any pictures or advice about the Colonie Apartments? I will be a new transfer in the fall, and have been assigned to Colonie D. I’ve heard less than stellar things about the Colonie buildings so I am considering some off-campus options.
I don’t have pictures of Colonie, but I could offer advice if I knew more specifics. None of the on campus housing is uninhabitable and RPI has services and methods of making things right where they may be wrong (maintenance, upgrades, etc.). Without knowing specifics about the “less than stellar” things you heard, it’s difficult for me to offer advice. What are you used to in terms of your standard of living? What did you hear that turned you off?
I will say that you will probably ride the shuttle to class unless you have a bicycle or like to walk. It’s about a 15 minute walk to class, I would estimate. You also have a convenient Rite Aid nearby.
Are there any hookah bars nearby?
Yes, but I don’t know where they are located. I do know that we have students on campus who smoke hookah. I am SURE that there are hookah bars in the Capital District – you won’t suffer.
Hello, I recently received my room assignment (BARH–room D310) and am wondering why the rooms on the bottom-left of the floor plans on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floors have no toilet. Is there some mistake on the plans? If not, what bathroom is supposed to be used?
From my understanding, you are talking about your own room. The toilet was left out of the blueprint (which is not meant to be comprehensive). I’m am certain that you have a toilet. I marked it in green below. Bathrooms are all in red.
Could you post pictures of Bryckwyck apartments?
Unfortunately, for once, I can’t come through for you. Bryckwyck is opening to undergraduate students for the first time in fall 2012, so I’ve never had access to the building. I’m away from campus for the summer. If you want details about the space, I would recommend contacting the Office of Residential Education during regular business hours.
If something comes up and I am able to get photos, I’ll be sure to edit this response – I do apologize, though!
Can you please tell me about polytechnic commons apartments? Thanks
Yes. Polytechnic Commons Apartments are located at the intersection of Congress St. and 15th St. and it’s about a 10 minute walk from campus. This building is restricted to junior and senior students, I believe. Each apartment has 4 single rooms with a full bed, desk, chest of drawers, and hanging space in a dresser. In addition, there are two bathrooms each with a shower and toilet. Each bathroom has 2 sinks. In total, there are two showers, two toilets, and 4 sinks for the 4 residents. Finally there is a sizeable kitchen and living area. The kitchen is furnished with a table, 4 chairs, stove, oven, fridge, and sink. The living room is furnished with an arm chair, coffee table, and TV stand.
What is the probability of a freshman getting a Quad Triple with a shared bathroom vs a floor bathroom?
I really don’t know how to answer this because the question is kind of uninformed (which isn’t really your fault). In the Quad, you can end up in a variety of setups:
- Double room with a floor bath
- Triple room with a floor bath
- Double room with a shared bath
- Triple room with a shared bath
By far, the most common is the double room with a shared bath. There is a rare chance that you will get any other setup, but it is possible.
I just pulled up from the waiting list so everything seems a bit late. Will I be assigned to a residence with a bad location since there may not have enough room left? Can I fax my residence preference form to them instead of mailing my form? Thank you!
You will not be assigned a residence hall with a “bad location” as we don’t have residence halls with “bad locations.” In all seriousness, though, you should submit your preference form ASAP by the methods available according to the form. You may not get your first choice, but you won’t be worse off as an incoming student for that. We allocate plenty of space for the incoming students. I’m not very familiar with the process, as it’s been a while since I’ve done it, but if it says you can fax the form in – go for it!
I’ve been trying to find out through the official RPI site but I can’t find anything that will say whether halls are co-ed by floors (one half of a floor is girls, the other is boys) or by buildings (alternate floors are alternate sexes). If someone would like to bring a bike, are there specific places to chain them up to? Lastly, how accommodating is the staff if things don’t work out between roommates? Thank you for all the help.
Floors can be co-ed “by floor” (as you defined it) or “by hall.” It just depends on how things fall. All bathrooms are single sex.
Bikes can be secured to racks that are located outside of each residence hall. Some also have bike rooms inside.
If there is a ‘roommate-conflict,’ your RA will be willing and able to talk through this with you. The RA will help make a decision on the best way to resolve the situation; rarely does it end in a room change, but it happens.
Are the quads hard to get and is there a high demand for them as a freshman?
My honest answer to this is that I have no idea. Statistics on demand for housing are not published. I don’t hear a lot of people saying that they tried to live in the Quad and were denied because it was full – in fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever heard that said. My advice to you: send in your housing preferences and hope for the best. No stress.
What do you know about the themed housing ? – Vashuda , Leadership & Wellness. Is it located separately from the others?
Nason, Hall, and Bray are all halls located on Freshman Hill and each of them also has other non-themed housing residents. Themed housing is very integrated with non-themed housing, in this way.
Are girls mean/stuck up because they are surrounded by guys who probably give them a lot of attention? I asked because I am an incoming freshman female and don’t want to be around a bunch of girls with bad attitudes. :( Thanks!
Some girls can get self-centered due to the attention they receive, but it’s not a common issue and it’s easily avoidable. I don’t regularly interact with any girls (or guys) who feel like they are more privileged than others in terms of whose attention they have… and to be fair, I interact with a pretty large group of people on a regular basis.
Which of the freshman dorms have elevators? Also is Barton the only one with ac?
Only freshman residence hall with an elevator: Barton.
Freshman residence halls with AC: Quad, Barton.
Other ammenities: http://reslife.rpi.edu/update.do?artcenterkey=53.
Do you think being in a sorority/frat is too time-consuming? are the greeks here really strict? at my friend’s school, they fined her every time she missed a social event to study.
It depends on the individual, but wholistically, it’s not too time-consuming, as many students participate in Greek Life, do well in academics, and are involved in other places on campus. Is it time-consuming? Yes, it is a commitment. Is it too time-consuming for you? Well, I don’t know you…. so I can’t say.
Are “the Greeks” strict? Well, I’ve never heard of anything like the example about your friend being fined for missing a social event at RPI. Getting involved in Greek Life is meant to build your character in many dimensions (personally, socially, professionally, academically, etc.). You should attend rush events in the fall and ask these questions of the Greek students.
Do you know how hard it is to set up a club at rpi as a freshman? i want to set up one similar to what ive seen at other schools, and im hoping that if i am able to find enough interested people and be able to set it up within a few months. would this be impossible?
To save myself time (and because it offers the most complete response), I will link you to a recent article by the Poly (RPI’s student newspaper).
My brief response would be: if the club (or something similar to it) doesn’t already exist, you can create it within a semester.
Why is sharp so desired?
I’ll have to answer this with a kind of jaded perspective, but I’ll do my best. Most current students would probably agree that Sharp is the nicest available residence hall for sophomore students. Sharp is close to academic campus, has suite-style living, and a living room. There is also a kitchen and some work-out equipment downstairs. All-in-all it is kind of the whole package. The other sophomore residence halls are still nice, but they may not be as close, or are not suite-style.
I’m kind of inclined to believe that you are an incoming student, so I will note that Sharp is restricted to sophomore residents.
Hi, do you know if all of the beds in the Quadrangle are like the ones in your photos (attached to a closet), or are there movable/debunkable ones too?
Yes, I do know. In the Quad, there are some beds that are bunked in a permanent way, while some beds are on frames that are low to the ground. Double rooms often have one of each; one bed is bunked (attached to the closet) and the other is free and low to the ground.
Aside from making a visit to the room that you are assigned, there’s really no telling which beds are attached when it comes to the Quad.
Up to what lotto number for the sophmore draft usually get sharp?
Typically, no number higher than ~27 will get a suite in Sharp. There are 16 suites in Sharp; 14 house 6 residents, and the other 2 house 5 residents.
This is from my past knowledge – Sharp goes very quickly.
I am an ROTC scholarship recipient, and all ROTC scholarship students receive a housing scholarship from RPI. Is there a dorm where most ROTC students stay? I assuming that since RPI is giving me this scholarship, I won’t exactly have first dibs on the best dorms.
Freshman students who participate in ROTC live in all of the freshman residence halls. There is no concentration in any one building.
Preference on room/hall selection is unrelated to how much aid you receive. Students who submit their deposit and housing forms first will have the first choices.
I was wondering if they have elevators in Crockett Hall? Also, do the doubles there have ACs? Last question, I know the teachers for my classes, but don’t know what books I need. Does each teacher have a different book, even for the same subject and are they needed in the first week? Thank you for the help.
No, Crockett Hall does not have elevators. You probably found this out today, but hopefully some of the fraternity brothers and other volunteers were able to help you get your things inside and upstairs.
You probably also learned that Crockett does not have air conditioning.
To find out the books that you need for your classes, go to bookstore.rpi.edu and click “BOOK INFO” at the top or go straight to: https://login.rpi.edu/cas/login?service=http://bookstore.rpi.edu/cas/index.php. If you search for your courses here, you will get book information specific to your professor and section. Before you buy through the campus bookstore, though, check out the APO book exchange on the third floor of the Student Union, and look at websites like half.com and amazon.com.
I’m going to be a new student next year living on the second floor of Crockett Hall, and I was wondering if the floors were hard wood or cemented? I am bringing a rather large subwoofer, and I wouldn’t like to disturb my fellow residents.
The floors are carpeted, and I believe that beneath the carpet is solid concrete. You can bring the sub, just be aware of how loud it is.
I’m trying to buy sheets and a mattress protector. I know the beds are twin-xl, but how many inches deep is the mattress?
Mattresses are 6.5” deep.
Say I wanted to mail a present to my friend for her birthday, is there somewhere on campus to get a box to send it in? likewise, if someone sends me a package and it doesn’t fit in the mailbox, what happens?
You can buy 1.5 ’ x 1.5 ’ x 1.5 ’ cubic boxes at the bookstore for ~ $3, but that’s probably larger than you want. Usually, students kind of do a box exchange. Any box that you receive something in can be left at the Commons Mail Room for other students to reuse. Stop by the mailing office (adjacent to the pick-up counter) to look through their box selection. The used ones are all free. You can also buy boxes/packaging here at the Commons Mailing Office and at the Postal Sub-station in the Games Room of the Union.
Students often receive packages that don’t fit in the mailbox. In this case, you will receive an email to your RPI email address with the subject “PACKAGE RECEIPT NOTICE: ONE EMAIL PER PACKAGE” and you can go pick up the package at the Commons Mail Office during business hours. Check out their website here. The staff is great!
What is the bed bug situation in RPI dorms. I am a freshman and will be housing in Crockett Hall. Do i need to carry bed bug protected mattress pads
To my knowledge, we have not had incidents of bed bugs at RPI. If there have been incidents, they are taken care of by FIXX.
I would always recommend a mattress pad from a stand point of comfort. I’ve not known any students to have a “bed bug protected mattress pad” but if you want to, get one. That’s your deal.
Can you get tea in any of the dining halls?
Yes, you can get tea in any of the four dining halls! I’m not a tea drinker, but I know they have many different flavors available. You can also purchase tea in many of the campus cafes. The dining halls and cafes also serve coffee, hot chocolate, and many other drinks.
Do you know if there’s a limit to the number of mini-fridges allowed in one dorm room? my roommate doesn’t want to share one, but i don’t want two. i mean, i will bring the one i have, iffff necessary, but i’d prefer one. but i figured i’d find out if we’re even allowed to have more than one in the first place. thanks!
To my knowledge, there is no limit of the number of mini-fridges. I’ll reiterate that the max size is 6 cubic feet for one, but I think you could have two, 6 cubic feet mini-fridges if you wanted to.
And I think I would agree with you more that you could share one. Perhaps your roommate has strict food allergies or another situation though?
Do you know how far off the ground the beds raise without lofting them? I see in the pictures of the only female room that they have little plastic drawers under their beds, and I’d like to do the same, but do you know how tall I can make them?
I feel confident in saying that you have 30 – 32 inches of space at the maximum bed height. I can’t measure right now, but I’m pretty sure that’s right.
RPI Rooms 