It can definitely be tricky to buy and pack for a room you’ve never been in before. Like most dorm rooms, the one you’ll be moving into in a couple of weeks won’t be… big. But despite being uniformly dorm-like, there are a few key differences between packing for Hojo and packing for Horton. Here’s the rundown on your future home:
Editor’s note: Although most dorms are technically co-ed, every suite is single-sex. Graham is male-only, and Aycock is female-only. However, if you feel uncomfortable with your room assignment because of your gender identity, don’t hesitate to send us a message and we will help in any way we can.
If you live in HINTON-JAMES, CRAIGE, or EHRINGHAUS:
You’ll be in a double room in an eight-person suite. Here’s what your room will probably look like:
A double room in an eight-person suite. Photo courtesy of Carolina Housing.
These rooms generally have a ton of built-in furniture. One wall is entirely occupied with shelving, two open closets, a dresser, and a desk. A second desk is built into a different open wall. Both beds are loftable. Every room has a window unit air conditioner. Though this configuration pretty much prevents you from changing the layout of your room, the built-in shelving actually does give you plenty of storage space.
Pro tip: The desk spaces in the built-in shelving get very dim. A lamp is a must!
Built-in shelving, closets, desk and dresser in a double room in an eight-person suite. Photo courtesy of Carolina Housing.
A desk in a double room in an eight-person suite. Photo courtesy of Carolina Housing.
The ‘suite’ itself really only consists of a short hallway with two rooms on each side and a bathroom at the end. Your key will unlock both the door to your suite and the door to your room.
An eight-person suite. Photo courtesy of Carolina Housing.
The bathroom has two sinks, one toilet and one shower. It is cleaned every week day by custodial staff, which means you cannot leave ANYTHING in the bathroom that is yours — no towels, no shampoo, no toothpaste, nothing. Housing provides toilet paper, a shower curtain and hand soap (but not paper towels, which annoyed first-year me endlessly, but at least we’re saving trees!).
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A bathroom in an eight-person suite. Photo courtesy of Carolina Housing.
A bathroom in an eight-person suite. Photo courtesy of Carolina Housing.
If you live in KOURY or HORTON:
You’ll be in a double room in a four-person suite. Here’s what your room will probably look like:
A double room with movable furniture. Photo courtesy of Carolina Housing.
Your suite will consist of your room and one other double room, connected by a bathroom. The four of you will share two sinks, one toilet and one shower. The toilet and shower are enclosed with stall doors. These bathrooms are not staff cleaned, so you’ll need to plan on splitting toilet-scrubbing duty with your suitemates. Or not, it’s your bathroom ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ . Regardless, you will need to supply your own toilet paper, hand soap, etc.
A four-person suite bathroom. Photo courtesy of Carolina Housing.
These rooms have two loftable beds, two dressers, and two desks, all of which are moveable. There are generally two closets with doors, although some rooms have a wardrobe instead. All rooms have central air conditioning.
Closets in a double room. Photo courtesy of Carolina Housing.
If you live in GRAHAM, AYCOCK, EVERETT, LEWIS or STACY:
You’ll be in a hall-style double room. Here’s what it’ll (basically) look like:
Much like in Horton or Koury, you’ll have two dressers, desks, chairs and loftable beds, each moveable. You’ll also have two closets with doors. All rooms have central HVAC.
A double room in a four-person suite. Photo courtesy of Carolina Housing.
The big difference here is the bathroom. Unfortunately, we don’t have any photos of these particular dorms’ bathrooms, but they’re essentially the same ones you used when you stayed in Cobb during orientation. They’re also cleaned daily by custodial staff.
