Hi everyone,

I just have a few questions about residence and stuff that I can bring.
I still don't know where I'm going to be living, so some of this stuff might be better or worse depending on where I end up being places. However, here's what I was wondering.

How much does laundry cost?? Do I sit with my laundry and wait for it to finish, or do I leave it there? ( I know this is a silly question, but I really have no clue what to do). Also, if I have to do different loads (black, white, colours, etc) do I take up different machines or just keep the same one and wait for it to finish before switching?

Secondly, it is worth it to bring a little television for my room? Is that a good purchase? Would the TV fit?

Should I have my own printer? Is it worth it to get one to bring and leave on my desk? If I don't bring my own, which one would I use? How much would it cost?

Is there any other furniture that is worth bringing? Will there be room for a small dresser drawer? Are the dorms generally spacious enough to fit a really small one?

What are the rooms furnished with??

Thanks so much

Olivia

Originally Posted by monardo

Hi everyone,

I just have a few questions about residence and stuff that I can bring.
I still don't know where I'm going to be living, so some of this stuff might be better or worse depending on where I end up being places. However, here's what I was wondering.

How much does laundry cost?? Do I sit with my laundry and wait for it to finish, or do I leave it there? ( I know this is a silly question, but I really have no clue what to do). Also, if I have to do different loads (black, white, colours, etc) do I take up different machines or just keep the same one and wait for it to finish before switching?

Secondly, it is worth it to bring a little television for my room? Is that a good purchase? Would the TV fit?

Should I have my own printer? Is it worth it to get one to bring and leave on my desk? If I don't bring my own, which one would I use? How much would it cost?

Is there any other furniture that is worth bringing? Will there be room for a small dresser drawer? Are the dorms generally spacious enough to fit a really small one?

What are the rooms furnished with??

Thanks so much

Olivia

Laundry costs $1.50 per machine use. You get a card from the Harco company at the beginning of the year and you load money onto it. Whenever you need to do your laundry, bring your card with you and insert it into the machines. Whether you want to sit there and wait or leave is up to you. In first year, I sat in the laundry room and watched psych lectures for the first few months, but for the rest of the year I just put my laundry in and left. Never had a problem with stealing or anything like that. As for using different machines simultaneously, the courteous thing would be to use one machine. But if you see that most of the machines are free, then I guess go for it.

I wouldn't bring a television into your room IMO. The rooms themselves aren't that big and I don't know if you'll have anywhere to put them in. If you get a res that has a shared living room (Keyes, Bates), then maybe you could bring one and leave it there? Otherwise, just use your laptop for the shows you want to watch

But I think bringing your own printer is useful. You'd probably have to use the library's printer if you didn't have one and it'd be a hassle to run back and forth, especially if you're late for class or something. Alternatively, if you know your roommate, you could share a printer with her and split the costs of paper/ink etc.

Rooms are usually furnished with a bed, a closet and a desk. I didn't have to bring in anything extra except for a small mini-fridge, but I think you have to rent one these years.

Why don't you try living in res for a week or so and then see what you need?

How much does laundry cost?? Do I sit with my laundry and wait for it to finish, or do I leave it there? ( I know this is a silly question, but I really have no clue what to do). Also, if I have to do different loads (black, white, colours, etc) do I take up different machines or just keep the same one and wait for it to finish before switching?

I believe it was $1.25 to wash, and $1.25 to dry, per load. I've seen people sit and wait, but you don't have to. Only thing is, make sure you keep track of the time and don't leave your clothes sitting there. That's when someone might move it to make space. Otherwise, it's fine to leave it. To the third part, either one, but it might be nice to leave some machines free for other people.

Secondly, it is worth it to bring a little television for my room? Is that a good purchase? Would the TV fit?

I wouldn't bring the TV. They have them in the common room, and you'll just end up procrastinating.

Should I have my own printer? Is it worth it to get one to bring and leave on my desk? If I don't bring my own, which one would I use? How much would it cost?

I would definitely recommend bringing a printer. Lots of space on the desk for it, and much more convenient than having to get it printed elsewhere. I know there are printing services somewhere on campus if you don't have one, not sure where, though.

Is there any other furniture that is worth bringing? Will there be room for a small dresser drawer? Are the dorms generally spacious enough to fit a really small one?

You are provided with a dresser/closet. I don't think there would really be enough room to bring an extra one (comfortably), and you shouldn't need it.

What are the rooms furnished with??

Desk, chair, bed + mattress, dresser/closet, bed also has drawers below. You can rent a fridge through Coldex since you aren't allowed to bring your own anymore. It'll be in your room when you arrive.

I was in a Les Prince double with washroom, if that helps at all.

EDIT: Haha, beat me to it.

#laundry cost 1.50 $ and another 1.50 for dryer. (brandon hall, not sure if they are different for different res) you could use as many machines as you like ( if available)

#you could bring a television to you room. Just keep in mind, try not to be distracted too much it !!! during my first year at Brandon hall, we had common rooms on every floor with TVs.

#Its always good to get you printer with you as you'll have a lot of printing to do. If not, you could always drop in at the library( Mills, Thode ..) and take as many print outs as you wish. (Costs depend on the # sheets printed )

#You'll most likely be provided with a bed (mattress), closet, study desk ( thats all you would need ) Each residence is different interms of size !!

hope that helps

edit: renting a fridge is upto you !! You can pre-order it online and have it picked at the university. U might have to move it to your room yourself !!

laundry is $1.50/load. i know people that sat with their laundry as it washed/dried, but realistically, no one's going to take your laundry. especially if you're in a smaller rez, you get to know/trust a lot of people. if you're really cautious though, just do some hw in the laundry room while you wait. i always found the noise of drying machines to be soothing and rhythmic
the machines are REALLY easy to use. they have the functions all built in for you. ie. there's a button that says 'darks', one that says 'whites' and one that says 'colours'. can't get any easier than that lol. and yes you can just take up different machines. just make sure you remember to take it out or else people get angry

i don't think a little tv is worth it. if its no bigger than your laptop, then yeah, definitely not. not like you can get cable in your room anyways. i did have a friend who brought a big 48" or something like that and he put it above his desk so that it wasn't in the way and so that he could just sit back and watch movies/play video games on it. yeah but i think a laptop is good enough.

printer is definitely worth it. i found myself printing all the time, especially late at night for my classes the next day, and the library is closed by then, so you can't go there. i just got a cheap $30 from walmart and the starter ink+one extra black cartridge+one extra colour cartridge got me through the year.

no need to bring extra furniture. the rooms aren't the biggest and there should be enough closet/drawer space. well there was for me anyways. err well i'm a guy too if that factors into things lol, but other girls' dorms i went into, they never had extra drawers.

also, they provide a bed, mattress, desk, lamp, chair, closet/drawers, mirror, and internet cord

I didn't live in res (visited friends in their rooms) but I can answer a couple of your questions.

If you get anything other than a suite style (Bates, Keyes, Les Prince), I would suggest to not bring a TV because there's really no room for it.

There are places on campus where you can print but it's 10 cents per sheet. I would suggest having your own printer.

Other than a bed, desk and closet, I didn't really pay attention to what else is in a room. Again, if you end up having to share a room, I don't think there's much space for a dresser.

I lived in Hedden and the cost to dry/wash was $1.50 each. You can leave it there while it runs it shouldn't be a problem. There are different loads, I remember whites and colours, in the beginning I would use two machines and seperate them, by the end I didn't really care and washed them all together.

Up to you in terms of the TV, not many people bring TV's I don't think because you have access to a lot of media anyways through the internet. I had a TV in my room for a few months to play video games/movies, but I barely used it. And I advise a small TV, you won't have space for anything above 24'.

You should have your own printer, although it is not necessary. My roommate had one and I would use it sometimes, but that's because I never had to/chose to print so I rarely used it. So if you plan to print a lot, definitely, although you might want to work something out with a roommate, so maybe only one of you brings a printer and you share costs for ink.

I didn't bring any furniture whatsoever, and the space available really will depend on your residence.

A single room typically comes with a bed, dresser, and desk. Double room x2 of those. If you want a fridge you will have to rent one through coldex, you aren't allowed to bring your own.

Originally Posted by forcajovem

I lived in Hedden and the cost to dry/wash was $1.50 each. You can leave it there while it runs it shouldn't be a problem. There are different loads, I remember whites and colours, in the beginning I would use two machines and seperate them, by the end I didn't really care and washed them all together.

This.

Laundry is $1.50 per load. So it'd be $3 for washing and drying in total. You'll also be given a laundry card to put money on so you don't need to fiddle around with change. A lot of people just leave their laundry, no one is really going to take it, lol. It's really up to you how comfortable you are with leaving it. Just try to remember cause it's annoying when people leave their laundry just sitting there for hours. Just a common courtesy Machines are also first come first serve so take as many as you need.

As for the TV, it really depends what you'd use it for. There are tv's in the common rooms, but it would be more convenient to have your own to watch when ever you want. Also, only Bates and Keyes have cable included in the room. I've heard that you can get your own but you have to talk to a cable provider yourself.
And depending on how big the tv is and how you arrange your room you should be able to fit one in no problem. I lived in Keyes for two years so I had a living room to put mine in.

Having your own printer is really best for convenience. I had my own and could print any time I wanted. There is a place in the student centre which does the cheapest prints on campus. I think it's about $0.10 per page, but I could be wrong. But it is really cheap.

And as for room furnishing it really depends where you live. Not sure what traditional styles come with since I've only ever live in a suite style, but generally they all come with the same stuff. A bed, drawers, a desk with a lamp already installed, shelves (usually on the desk), garbage and recycling bins, and a chair. There's not much room for your own furniture and they usually discourage it. I had a small side table to put my printer on and it fit no problem. You could also bring your own chair if you really don't like the one you're given, but you'd have to find a place to stash the chair you're given.
In suite and apartment style, you'll have a living room with several couches and a stand for a tv. Suite style also has a little counter that comes with four bar chairs.

That's essentially my long winded answer, lol. If you want more accurate info follow this link. They also have virtual tours so you can see the what the rooms look like. Have fun in rez next year. Cheers!!!!

http://housing.mcmaster.ca/Residence...buildings.html

Originally Posted by MichaelScarn

Laundry costs $1.50 per machine use. You get a card from the Harco company at the beginning of the year and you load money onto it. Whenever you need to do your laundry, bring your card with you and insert it into the machines. Whether you want to sit there and wait or leave is up to you. In first year, I sat in the laundry room and watched psych lectures for the first few months, but for the rest of the year I just put my laundry in and left. Never had a problem with stealing or anything like that. As for using different machines simultaneously, the courteous thing would be to use one machine. But if you see that most of the machines are free, then I guess go for it.

I wouldn't bring a television into your room IMO. The rooms themselves aren't that big and I don't know if you'll have anywhere to put them in. If you get a res that has a shared living room (Keyes, Bates), then maybe you could bring one and leave it there? Otherwise, just use your laptop for the shows you want to watch

But I think bringing your own printer is useful. You'd probably have to use the library's printer if you didn't have one and it'd be a hassle to run back and forth, especially if you're late for class or something. Alternatively, if you know your roommate, you could share a printer with her and split the costs of paper/ink etc.

Rooms are usually furnished with a bed, a closet and a desk. I didn't have to bring in anything extra except for a small mini-fridge, but I think you have to rent one these years.

Why don't you try living in res for a week or so and then see what you need?

How do I do that? I wasn't aware you could try out living there. Did you do that? Would you recommend it?

Originally Posted by monardo

How do I do that? I wasn't aware you could try out living there. Did you do that? Would you recommend it?

Oh lmao I meant once you move in

Originally Posted by MichaelScarn

Oh lmao I meant once you move in

LOL okay, I realized that was probably what you meant afterwards. Thanks

99% of assignments that need to be printed or notes etc will be in black and white. It is my opinion you should get a cheap ($99) LASER printer. This will save you quite a bit of money on ink in the future. In general current $150-$300 laser printers are about $100 during august so thats probably one of the best times to buy a printer

Also keep in mind that with any (type of) printer usually comes with a STARTER cartridge which has about half the usual ink/toner. Therefore buying a new printer that is cheaper than the actual ink cartridge is rarely economical.

Originally Posted by qwerty91

99% of assignments that need to be printed or notes etc will be in black and white. It is my opinion you should get a cheap ($99) LASER printer. This will save you quite a bit of money on ink in the future. In general current $150-$300 laser printers are about $100 during august so thats probably one of the best times to buy a printer

Also keep in mind that with any (type of) printer usually comes with a STARTER cartridge which has about half the usual ink/toner. Therefore buying a new printer that is cheaper than the actual ink cartridge is rarely economical.

The vast majority of my printing is in colour. Some of it could be in B&W, but there's also a significant chunk that would lose information if it wasn't coloured. I would never get a B&W printer, because it's not sufficient for what I need it to do.

Originally Posted by nerual

The vast majority of my printing is in colour. Some of it could be in B&W, but there's also a significant chunk that would lose information if it wasn't coloured. I would never get a B&W printer, because it's not sufficient for what I need it to do.

I have only needed to print in colour a handful of times, and started doing it to conserve my black ink. I heavily regret not investing in a cheap B&W laser printer