Dorm room experts - I have a question!

[clh2]

DD will be heading off to college next fall. One thing she would like is "something" to get her hot water. DD likes ramen noodles, hot chocolate etc.

So - I'm thinking that if my mom (i.e. DD's grandma) needs a Christmas idea - an electric tea kettle would be a great idea - as my mom loves tea. (I try to "fit" suggestions to the person asking for suggestions.)

So - in you or your college kid's opinions - would an electric tea kettle be allowed in dorms?

DD doesn't want a keurig - twhich is great - because those are out of my parent's normal budget for gifts. DD specifically mentioned it would need to do a minimum of 16 oz of water.

Thanks for your help!

 

[scbelleatheart]

All my kids had microwaves in their rooms. They're cheap and you can get some very small ones.

 

[starry_solo]

Or a regular coffee maker would be fine. I remember lots of Black Friday sales for those. She can just use it to brew hot water (or make the hot chocolate with water)

 

[Skatermom23]

Well I have two in college and both have microwaves that they use for soups. They use a hot shot by sunbeam for a quick cup of hot water. I don't think the electric kettles are allowed in either dorm.

 

[drcmk]

DD will be heading off to college next fall. One thing she would like is "something" to get her hot water. DD likes ramen noodles, hot chocolate etc.

I own this one and it is WONDERFUL. Holds lots of water and heats up superfast. Less than $30.

http://www.amazon.com/Aroma-AWK-115...VTJI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322159342&sr=8-1

 

[englishteacha]

I had a hot pot and used it ALL the time. Even when I had a microwave, the hot pot was used more often for heating water, making ramen, heating soup, etc.

 

[DancingDiva]

From what I remember when I lived in a dorm, she should be allowed to bring an electric kettle. We weren’t allowed to have anything with an open element, such as a toaster or hot plate. Personally I wouldn’t bother, I would just use a microwave, you can do so many more things with a microwave and with suck limited space you may as well cut down where you can.

 

[Bell30012]

The Keurig is really an awesome way to do it but if it isn't the choice what about one of these?

 

[Priorityonecb]

I'd go with a small microwave too. She can do water, heat up ravioli and soups, popcorn, leftovers etc.

 

[clh2]

Yikes...only half the dorms that we've seen on college tours even allow microwaves in the dorms. So - while that appears to be a "no-brainer" I'm not wasting my $$ on something right now - that she may or may not be allowed to have. Plus - between a microwave (if allowed), refrigerator, futon etc, I am hopeful that DD and her yet-to-be determined roomate can share the big stuff.

 

[CTdiznymom]

When my two were in college they had the opportunity to rent a fridge/microwave combo. Unless she knows where she is headed and what the rules are, I'd hold off.

 

[Donnainnj]

I haven't heard of any schools not allowing microwaves, most of the ones my daughter saw provided the combo for free, and the ones that didn't allowed them.

 

[herdtoDisney]

My ds' school does not allow microwaves in the dorm rooms.

Like another pp mentioned, they also do not allow anything with an open element. The Keurig is allowed because it is a closed element.

You should probably wait till she has her school picked out and then read over the housing rules. Seems like there are differences between schools.

 

[tar heel]

Or a regular coffee maker would be fine. I remember lots of Black Friday sales for those. She can just use it to brew hot water (or make the hot chocolate with water)

A lot of schools do not allow coffee pots.

 

[LilyWDW]

When my two were in college they had the opportunity to rent a fridge/microwave combo. Unless she knows where she is headed and what the rules are, I'd hold off.

Agreed. Too many differences in the rules between schools. I would hold off until you know for sure what will and will not be allowed.

 

[Princess_Meghan <3]

I know most of the school's I looked at and the one I ended up going to allowed electric kettles. Most rooms weren't allowed to have microwaves or hot plates, though.

 

[MrsPete]

I also vote for a microwave. It'll heat water AND ALSO make popcorn, warm up leftovers, etc. I haven't seen a school yet that didn't allow microwaves (though I have seen regulations on how large they can be /how much power they can draw).

I wouldn't buy one 'til you're sure of where she'll go to school and what rules they have. The school my daughter will probably attend isn't particularly consistant in its dorm-inventory. Some dorms INCLUDE a small fridge and a microwave, others don't. I have the impression that they're working towards including them in every dorm, and they're adding more year by year. So I told her that until she recieves a specific assignment, I'm not buying her anything!

Also, don't buy until you find out what kind of facilities she'll have on her hall. The school my daughter's probably going to attend has something like 2-3 kitchens throughout the whole dorm; it's something like one kitchen on every third floor. Another school we visited had a small kitchen for every 8-10 rooms. Big difference in access.

Also, don't buy 'til you investigate the rental program. My first reaction was, "Why rent? I'm going to need this small refrigerator and microwave for two students -- I'll save by buying outright." But then I thought about what a pain it was moving my stuff in/out of the dorm every year, and I thought about how my refrigerator was the biggest, bulkiest item. And one of the girls who took us on the tour of a dorm talked about how her refrigerator stopped working, and maintenance replaced it that same day. Finally, I don't know how many years my girls'll want to live in the dorms, so I'm thinking that renting might be a viable option.

 

[leebee]

UMaine doesn't allow hot pots, coffee pots, electric kettles, or microwaves in the dorm rooms, although you can rent a fridge/microwave unit for $200 a year. We got DD a HotShot, ordered through Kohl's. With a 30% off code and free shipping, it cost me about $16. She loves it, because the water gets hot enough to make all hot drinks, plus oatmeal, macaroni-and-cheese cups, noodle soup, etc. They allow Keurigs, but the water isn't hot enough for anything other than drinks... and they cost $100!!

 

[hj0519]

I also vote for a microwave. It'll heat water AND ALSO make popcorn, warm up leftovers, etc. I haven't seen a school yet that didn't allow microwaves (though I have seen regulations on how large they can be /how much power they can draw).

Neither microwaves nor the microwave/fridge combos are allowed at my school (and there isn't a rental program for fridges either - if you want one, you buy it and bring it).

This kind of stuff is so dependent on the school that you really don't want to make a decision and buy something before you know what the rules are.