When?

When you go off to college and find yourself in your first dormitory, you might be surprised to find that you are not living in the same type of environment that you expected. Some dormitories are like mini apartments complete with kitchens and bedrooms. Other dormitory experiences are a little bit on the sparse side. You may end up with a dormitory that is literally nothing more than two beds and two desks. There is probably a bathroom down the hall. With college dormitories offering such a wide variety of first experiences, you might want to do a little investigating before you show up for your first day of college.

The dormitory you are going to be living will determine everything from how you pack, what you’ll need, and whether or not you’re going to need additional monthly expense planning. If you have a kitchen in your room, you will need pots, pans, and the usual array of cooking and eating implements. If you have access to a single kitchen that the entire building uses, you aren’t likely to need any of that. However, you will probably want to determine everything you will need before you leave home. It can cost you a good deal in shipping or shopping if you guess wrong. However, the answers aren’t hard to find. Most colleges will outline exactly what freshmen need for their dormitory experience. Of course, if you have a shared living arrangement, coming in as a freshman might mean that you won’t get anywhere near the kitchen if the upper classmen share it.