Frequently Asked Dorm Questions

Whether you are going to be in a college dorm, or you just moved into your dorm, you may have a number of questions about how dorm living works. We want to share our own experiences and answers to these dorm room questions. Here are our list of the most commonly asked dorm questions, so that you can get a quick answer about making the most out of your college dorm:

What are dorm room essentials?

Dorm room essentials include your sleeping, housekeeping, bathroom, living, room, school, kitchen, and electronic essentials. You can check out our full list of college dorm essentials here.

What size is a dorm refrigerator?

The size we recommend for a dorm refrigerator is 1.6 cubic feet, or about 18 x 19 x 20. If you are sharing with more than one roommate, get a larger cubic size. Make sure your dorm doesn’t provide a fridge before buying your own.

What size is a dorm bed?

College dorm beds are usually a Twin XL size. You can confirm this with your dorm housing prior to moving in, so that you can get all the right bedding and mattress toppers for your dorm bed.

What are dorm bed risers?

Since dorm rooms are small, dorm bed risers are plastic supports you can put under the bed frame to raise it up, allowing you to use the space under your bed for storage.

What to bring to the dorm room?

Dorm room essentials to bring include your sleeping, housekeeping, bathroom, living, room, school, kitchen, and electronic essentials. You can also think about dorm decorations, or check our full college dorm packing list here.

What is better dorm or apartment?

For freshman and sophomores, we recommend living in a dorm over an apartment because you will be surrounded by more similar aged and minded students. We strongly recommend dorm living during college.

What does a college dorm look like?

While college dorms are generally a large empty room with beds, your decorations will decide what a college dorm looks like. You can look at our featured dorms for inspiration on creating a good look.

What do dorms look like?

While dorms are generally a large empty room with beds, your decorations will decide what a college dorm looks like. You can look at our featured dorms for inspiration on creating a good look.

What size are college dorm beds?

College dorm beds are usually a Twin XL size. You can confirm this with your dorm housing prior to moving in, so that you can get all the right bedding and mattress toppers for your dorm bed.

What do dorm beds come with?

Most college dorm beds do not come with anything other than the mattress. As a result, we recommend bringing your own bedding, pillow, mattress cover, sheets, and comforter.

What to decorate college dorm with?

You can decorate your college dorm with flags, posters, art, lights, plants, and furniture. For inspiration, check out our featured dorms from around the US.

What size tv for dorm room?

We recommend getting a 32″ inch tv for your college dorm room. If you have more roommates you can consider a larger size like 46″, or if you have a small room and tight budget get a smaller size like 24″.

What size comforter for dorm bed?

The size comforter you want to get for a dorm bed is Twin XL. If you want extra material hanging over the bed then you can get a larger size. You can see our list of our favorite comforters here.

What size microwave for dorm room?

The best size microwave for a dorm room is between .7 and 1.2 Cubic feet. This will ensure you can cook quick meals without taking too much space. You can see the list of our top dorm microwaves here.

What are good dorm room snacks?

Good dorm room snacks are those that are cheap, can be stored easily, won’t expire, and provide quick calories and energy. Our full list of the best dorm snacks includes granola, pop tarts, ramen, chips, and gummy bears.

What is an honors dorm?

An honors dorm is a living space comprised completely of students enrolled in a colleges honors program.

What is dorm life like?

Dorm life is like living with dozens of your friends with little to no supervision, meaning its full of new friendships, experiences, romance, social activities, studying, conflicts, and importantly parties and fun.

What are dorm bathrooms like?

Dorm bathrooms are usually large shared spaces, commonly single gender, that contain multiple bathrooms and showers for all the inhabitants of the dorm floor. If you are in a suite, you may have a in-suite bathroom instead.

What’s the definition of a dorm?

A dorm, short for dormitory, is defined as a large bedroom for a number of people in a school or institution.

What to do if locked out of your dorm?

If you are locked out of your dorm room because you misplaced your dorm key, you should try contacting your roommate or resident advisor to let you back in.

How do dorm headboards work?

Dorm headboards are large flat panels that you attach directly to the wall and push your bed against to add style and a place to lean on when in bed.

How do dorm rooms get cleaned?

While some dorms have basic cleaning services for trash, most dorms will need to get cleaned by yourself.

How do dorm bathrooms work?

Dorm bathrooms work as a shared space with a number of bathrooms, sinks, and showers usually separated by gender. If you are in a suite then you have a more private bathroom shared with suite mates.

How do dorm showers work?

Dorm showers are usually found in communal bathrooms located on your dorm floor, so you want to take a shower caddy with your shower supplies and walk to and from the showers and your dorm room.

How do dorm rooms work?

Dorm rooms work as shared living spaces between two or more students, usually on the same floor as dozens of other same gender or co-ed dorm rooms.

How do you raise a dorm bed?

You can raise a dorm bed using dorm bed risers, plastic supports that you can put under the bed frame to raise it up.

What do dorm rooms come with?

Generally, dorm rooms do not come pre furnished with much outside a bed frame and mattress. Some dorms also include a refrigerator and microwave, but check with your residence hall on what’s included.

How much do college dorm rooms cost?

College dorm rooms can cost anywhere between 500 – 3000 dollars per month. City, dorm size, number of roommates, and included meal plan are major factors in the price. We recommend getting a scholarship to help.

How do you do laundry in the dorm?

In most dorms, you will do laundry in a shared laundromat area usually found on the first floors of the living area, or in a nearby building on campus. You will need your own hamper, detergent and dryer sheets.

How do dorm kitchens work?

Dorms will generally have a shared kitchen space located in a common area of the residence hall. While there may be a standard set of shared cooking ware, you may also need your own.

What do you call a dorm supervisor?

A dorm supervisor is referred to as a RA, which stands for either resident advisor or resident assistant. Each dorm will generally have one or more RAs assigned to keep watch over the dorm floor.

Where do you change in a dorm?

Your dorm room will be your personal space where you change in a dorm, and this will commonly be shared with one or more roommate that you will learn to form routines with.

Where do you shower in dorms?

Dorms will have a shared bathroom area on each dorm floor that you go to to shower in the dorms. If you are in a suite, then you may have a shared shower just between suite mates.

How much do dorm supplies cost?

The average dorm room supplies cost between 300-500$, which include your housekeeping, bathroom, and bedding essentials. You can check out our full list of college dorm essentials here.

What do you need for university dorm?

For a university dorm room, you need essentials include your sleeping, housekeeping, bathroom, living, room, school, kitchen, and electronic essentials. You can check out our full list of college dorm essentials here.

What do you mean dorm?

When someone says dorm they usually mean a college dormitory, defined as a large bedroom for a number of people in a school or institution.

What to do with dorm stuff over summer?

Over the summer, you can take your dorm stuff home, rent a storage unit near the university to keep your dorm stuff in, or sell/donate the dorm stuff before moving back to campus the next year.

What do I need to dorm?

To dorm, you need dorm room essentials include your sleeping, housekeeping, bathroom, living, room, school, kitchen, and electronic essentials. You can check out our full list of college dorm essentials here.

What to do in your dorm?

If you’re bored or wondering what to do in your dorm, you can consider hanging out with floormates, playing board or video games, studying, finding an on-campus club, activity or gym, working on a side hustle, cleaning or decorating.

When do college dorm sales start?

After accepting enrollment at a college, you should apply to live in a college dorm. College dorm sales for dorm essentials usually run from June through August, with the peak sales in august.

What are dorm rules?

Common dorm rules include quiet hours, no illicit substances, dorm floor meetings, no flames or fire hazards, no harassment, no law violations, no pets, and check-ins for guests or visitors.

 

We’ve covered various frequently asked dorm questions about living in the dorms and the items you’ll need in college dorms! Feel free to comment or contact us if there’s a frequently asked dorm question you want answered!