Should I get a gift for a new roommate?

[iJesus]

Hi, I'm going into college this fall and I was wondering if I should, as a courtesy, get my roommate a gift for when I meet him? I've added him on Facebook and we've talked a bit and I was just wondering if I should get him something or if it would be overboard knowing we just met in person. Thoughts?

[waloshin]

Hi, I'm going into college this fall and I was wondering if I should, as a courtesy, get my roommate a gift for when I meet him? I've added him on Facebook and we've talked a bit and I was just wondering if I should get him something or if it would be overboard knowing we just met in person. Thoughts?

Not unless you want to marry him.

[dukebound85]

no

if that were to happen to me itd creep me out no offense, especially if it were from a dude

your gift is to bring a tv, game system, awesome posters or whatnot that will make your room cool and you can both use and draw people into your room

not a present only for him

[Schtumple]

Don't, you will be treated accordingly...


As a doormat...

[iJesus]

Points taken, haha.

[remmy]

Beers to share? Anything else a bit strange

[dukebound85]

Beers to share? Anything else a bit strange

yea gotta be on the dl with that as i assume hes not 21 and will be living in a dorm where alcohol isnt allowed lol


with that said, my freshman year roommate and I had alcohol in our room lol

[OutThere]

You can always bring something to share...like a TV, fan, rug etc. Or:

http://gecatalogimages.meijer.com/000/71990/0007199048019.jpg :D

[iJesus]

The sad part about your great recommendations is that I opted to live in a substance free residence hall. Why? Because I thought it would be nice to live in an apartment style residence (4 rooms, living room, two bathrooms, etc.)

[jecapaga]

The sad part about your great recommendations is that I opted to live in a substance free residence hall. Why? Because I thought it would be nice to live in an apartment style residence (4 rooms, living room, two bathrooms, etc.)

Why is a substance free hall granted better accommodations than the general student body where beer and the like are allowed? And how do they confirm that you do not have beer or something else in the place?

Oh, and no gift.

[jessica.]

Give your college roommate a gift? Yeah no.
Buy a 12 pack and set the bar.

[scotty96LSC]

Not unless you want to marry him.

Classic!

[Jay42]

Bring something communal for the room - aka a hammock (the best possible dorm room accessory....)

[iJesus]

While we're on the subject, what things do you recommend I bring?

[rhsgolfer33]

While we're on the subject, what things do you recommend I bring?

Condoms
Beer
Lube


On no less serious a note: Television, computer, backup drive, coordinate on any furniture with your roommate. You probably don't absolutely need a printer if the library isn't too far away. Speakers, minifridge (if allowed).

[jessica.]

I say a hard drive full of movies that you two can watch and some enya CDs.

[yg17]

The best gift you can give him is to not be the weird, creppy roommate that everyone is scared of getting. I had that sort of roommate twice, it's not fun ;)

[jecapaga]

The best gift you can give him is to not be the weird, creppy roommate that everyone is scared of getting. I had that sort of roommate twice, it's not fun ;)

I think we've already answered this :p

[andalusia]

Nice gesture, but the gift would be a bit much :)

DEFINATELY take some quality speakers, with some big bass if you can. That would be awesome for a party ;D

[Tomorrow]

While we're on the subject, what things do you recommend I bring?

Just about anything you can both use - a nice TV, game console, mini-fridge, whatever. That, and just be a cool roommate. Everybody's different, but remember you're not necessarily there to be buddies, you just share a dorm room. If you become good friends, that's great; if you don't, that's a-ok, too.

[iJesus]

I don't think I'd be a weird room mate at all. And I'm not creepy, I just thought it would be nice to give him something (it's custom in my family to give gifts).


Anyways, he seems alright. We both agreed we're nerds who like video games.

[zioxide]

You can always bring something to share...like a TV, fan, rug etc. Or:

http://gecatalogimages.meijer.com/000/71990/0007199048019.jpg :D

please, not keystone water

at least go with bud light or coors light

[thegoldenmackid]

DEFINATELY take some quality speakers, with some big bass if you can. That would be awesome for a party ;D

The substance free party...

[CHAOS STEP]

Get them the gift that keeps on giving.

A stack of burned DVDs full of porn.


Incidentally, one day someone will finally buy me porn as a birthday / christmas gift. That day I will be a happy man and love that person forever.

It's like that proverbial 'puppy for christmas' present that I always hint at every year as what I want for a gift and everyone laughs it off when I'm serious dammit!

[iJesus]

It's like that proverbial 'puppy for christmas' present that I always hint at every year as what I want for a gift and everyone laughs it off when I'm serious dammit!

At least I'm not the only one who jokes about a gift he actually truly wants. :D

[iJesus]

The substance free party...

I hate hosting parties (cleaning)... so I'm so using the "my dorm doesn't allow alcohol" excuse when asked to throw one. :p

[Tomorrow]

Get them the gift that keeps on giving.

A stack of burned DVDs full of porn.

Is this turning into one of those "straight guys watching porn together" threads?

Coz I've never really understood that one. :eek::eek::eek:

[iJesus]

Is this turning into one of those "straight guys watching porn together" threads?

Coz I've never really understood that one. :eek::eek::eek:


That's awkward.

[spaceboots06]

Condoms
Beer
Lube


On no less serious a note: Television, computer, backup drive, coordinate on any furniture with your roommate. You probably don't absolutely need a printer if the library isn't too far away. Speakers, minifridge (if allowed).

Let's not forget MICROWAVE.

[michael.lauden]

Let's not forget MICROWAVE.

toaster oven ftw


microwave=soggy

[puckhead193]

While we're on the subject, what things do you recommend I bring?

some random things that helped me over the years....
a cheap toolkit, (hammer, screwdriver philips and flat. etc.)
a sewing kit from the hotel, nothing fancy just to fix a button.
a flashlight
an all in one printer/copier/scanner
batteries
drugs (the good kind) advil day/nightquill nothing sucks more then waking up before class and you feel sick. always have in stock so you don't have to run out.
first aid- band-aids etc
chip bag clip thingys
a plastic storage container that snaps closed to put your food in- helps keep the food fresher.

be sure to lock your lappy up and to put a password so after x amount of minutes you need a password to log in.

[dukebound85]

bring

tv
xbox
computer
posters
street signs
a shower kit

[iJesus]

some random things that helped me over the years....
a cheap toolkit, (hammer, screwdriver philips and flat. etc.)
a sewing kit from the hotel, nothing fancy just to fix a button.
a flashlight
an all in one printer/copier/scanner
batteries
drugs (the good kind) advil day/nightquill nothing sucks more then waking up before class and you feel sick. always have in stock so you don't have to run out.
first aid- band-aids etc
chip bag clip thingys
a plastic storage container that snaps closed to put your food in- helps keep the food fresher.

be sure to lock your lappy up and to put a password so after x amount of minutes you need a password to log in.

Those are some really good ideas, I appreciate it. And yeah, I have to be cautious with the lappy. Most of websites I visit have an auto keychain fill in setting so I don't want to walkaway and have awkward facebook statuses when I come back.

[tabasco70]

Bringing something for the room that will benefit both of you would be good.

As someone suggested, you should coordinate furniture and stuff. Couches and lamps and coffee tables are all essential to having a good, comfortable dorm room.

You'll find yourself going hungry between meals so stock up on a good amount of food- chips, salsa, EasyMacs, fruit etc.

[steve2112]

Bring something communal for the room - aka a hammock (the best possible dorm room accessory....)

I had a roommate my freshman year who had one. I laughed at first, until I started using it. It was indeed awesome. The only problem was that with the way we had to string it up, if the door was opened wide, it would hit the string, and rotate the hammock around. We kept the door locked because of that. We also would put visitors in it to let them experience the fun. :)

As far as the "substance free" dorm: Amusing. During my freshman year, I lived on the "intensive study" floor of the dorm. I later found out this basically meant we were a slightly higher class of drunks. :) Our entire campus was supposedly dry. Our RA basically told us this meant don't let him or the housing director see us carrying in a case. If he caught us, he tended to confiscate the evidence and "dispose of it properly". He had a second fridge in his room to hold the "evidence".

Puckhead has a pretty good list. Be careful with toaster ovens, though, as many schools don't allow hotplates or toaster ovens.

[dukebound85]

my sophomore year, my roomie and i had a full size fridge in our small dorm room

we were rockstars on that floor

[iJesus]

Bringing something for the room that will benefit both of you would be good.

As someone suggested, you should coordinate furniture and stuff. Couches and lamps and coffee tables are all essential to having a good, comfortable dorm room.

You'll find yourself going hungry between meals so stock up on a good amount of food- chips, salsa, EasyMacs, fruit etc.


How do I approach the whole decorating thing? Do I talk to him about it now or do I wait until we actually move in. Also, what's the best place to buy this stuff that doesn't cost too much?

[yg17]

How do I approach the whole decorating thing? Do I talk to him about it now or do I wait until we actually move in. Also, what's the best place to buy this stuff that doesn't cost too much?

Wouldn't be a bad idea to talk to him now and coordinate who's bringing what so you don't end up with two TVs but no furniture to put them on.

It would also be worthwhile to call up your school and find out what furniture they provide. My dorm was furnished with couches, chairs and desks, and beds of course, we didn't really need to bring any furniture (although many of us did bring our own office chairs since the ones provided were crap)

[iJesus]

Here's what the suites look like. Also, the beds can be stacked on top of each other so I might test out how that works.

[dukebound85]

definitly do the bunk beds

makes your room muuuuuch larger

[steve2112]

definitly do the bunk beds

makes your room muuuuuch larger

Yeah, bunking them is great. Just be careful when the person in the top rack is uhh..impaired. I had a roommate who came in very drunk, yet somehow managed to climb up into the top bunk. A couple of hours later, I heard him fall out of the bed and hit the concrete floor with a sickening thud. He also hit his head on the desk on the way down. I thought for certain that he was dead, but he ended up being not hurt. I think the headache from the bump on the head just blended in with the hangover.

[xparaparafreakx]

You can always bring something to share...like a TV, fan, rug etc. Or:

http://gecatalogimages.meijer.com/000/71990/0007199048019.jpg :D

You could try this instead.

[dukebound85]

get to kow your floormates in case your roomie vomits in your room while you are sleeping

it was the grossest smell i woke up to and i had to sleep on the ground in another room

the next day he febreezed the hell out of it and it was just as disgusting

[thegoldenmackid]

get to kow your floormates in case your roomie vomits in your room while you are sleeping

it was the grossest smell i woke up to and i had to sleep on the ground in another room

the next day he febreezed the hell out of it and it was just as disgusting

Or blanket and go sleep on the couch.

[jmann]

the next day he febreezed the hell out of it and it was just as disgusting

Eww thanks for sharing that with the class. Hopefully he won't have roomates that plan on barfing on the carpet. :p

[Chip NoVaMac]

My how things have changed since I went to college back in 1976....

We just hoped that we would not end up hating each other and killing each other before meeting....

If you have chatted on Facebook; then you know something about his likes and dislikes... something to make your dorm space more friendly could be in order...

Maybe not a gift per say - but something to make him know that you heard his interests - and wanting to make sure that you are both comfortable in the space....

I shared a Quad in college my first year.... and could not have been more awkward at times... we had the druggie, the bookworm, the womanizer; and the unsure of things LOL

Good luck at school.. enjoy the experience....

[spaceboots06]

You could try this instead.

http://www.northroyalton.net/images/everclear.jpg

[wvuwhat]

How do I approach the whole decorating thing? Do I talk to him about it now or do I wait until we actually move in. Also, what's the best place to buy this stuff that doesn't cost too much?

Just bring essentials, pick everything up when you are there. It's a pain to move in all at one time, you can just pick things up as you go, so as to cut down on the pointless things you won't use.

And, seriously, don't think this hard about it, are you sure you don't want to get married to him? Odds are you'll end up just tolerating each other. I was lucky and had a roommate I could get along with, but a majority find their own clicks in college.

[Sun Baked]

Skip the red wine and flowers, sends the wrong message.

As does wine coolers and condoms, especially if given in girly flavors...

[sammy2066]

Don't, you will be treated accordingly...


As a doormat...

Soo true, hahah.

Yeah, like someone else said, take some cool posters etc to pimp out the room instead.

:cool:

[n-abounds]

I'm glad Macrumors talked him out of bringing a gift. Job well done.

[iJesus]

Haha, yeah... silly idea now that I think of it. I'm probably just over thinking everything.

I think I'll show up to the dorm, as someone suggested, with my essentials and then talk to him about anything we may need. My house is a one hour drive from the University so it's not a hassle if I don't bring anything right away.

[xparaparafreakx]

http://www.northroyalton.net/images/everclear.jpg

How is it? Our house has gone through too many 151 bottles.

[spaceboots06]

How is it? Our house has gone through too many 151 bottles.

Never tried Everclear, actually. "Hottest" thing I've tried was Devil's Springs, 160 proof vodka. Used to drink it regularly, typically with other people, because it would get you drunk fast and was dirt cheap.

http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&safe=off&client=safari&rls=en-us&ei=Yj5tSqL6K8Sntge0j_yIDA&resnum=0&q=devils+springs&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=aT5tSrf4M4OItgecpICJDA&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=15

I only know of two liquor stores in all of NYC that sell it. :(

[Maserati7200]

Jw, how do you jerk off in college? How do you get privacy for it?

[thegoldenmackid]

Jw, how do you jerk off in college? How do you get privacy for it?
Gonna take a stab at this one: if you are doing it (college) correctly, you should have no need for it...

[toxictrix]

Jw, how do you jerk off in college? How do you get privacy for it?


Community showers. Duh....

[iJesus]

Jw, how do you jerk off in college? How do you get privacy for it?

That is a mighty fine question.

[iphoneftw]

That is a mighty fine question.

No the real question is how do you get 10 girls who want to have "fun" all night long with you at the same time

[Heilage]

I'm glad Macrumors talked him out of bringing a gift. Job well done.

It's a community service. ;)

[steve2112]

You could try this instead.

Heh, I had one roomie who almost set our room on fire with 151. I introduced him and the rest of our floor to the glories of the Flaming Dr. Pepper early during the semester. (Dating a bartender rocked!) Anyway, I come in one night and find my roomie and a couple of other folks making some FDRs in our room. They were using the shared desk as a bar. My roommate pours some 151 in a shot glass, lights it on fire, and stares at it. In a way only drunk people can, he found this vastly amusing. He said something like "This is so cool. This stuff burns and I'm drinking it." I should mention that this was one of those jumbo sized shot glasses filled up with nothing but 151. I hear some glass cracking, and suddenly flaming 151 is spreading all over my desk, toward my expensive textbooks, and he is laughing about it. I ended up knocking him out of the way and using one of his shirts to put out the fire. Thankfully, only one book was slightly torched.

[pelicanflip]

My roommate and I discussed what we needed for our room in freshman year of college, and we divided up what we would bring.

He brought a TV and PS3, I brought the fridge and xbox 360 and additional monitor.

As for gifts, the only gift I got him was a birthday gift, and I bought him GTA IV for his PS3.