Getting ready for move-in? FAQ's! (Updated 6/19)

Hey everyone!
Hope the last few weeks have treated you all well and you're getting excited about coming to Boulder next fall!

This summer I've gotten a few comments/emails with questions about move-in/dorms/general life, so I figured I'd post answers for everyone to check out. PLEASE do not hesitate to email me your questions- I love answering them and giving you guys the inside scoop :)

Am I going to be stranded if I don't bring my car?
Not taking a car to school is a great idea! I brought mine since I wanted to be able to home when I wanted, but it also allowed me to be lazy and not take the bus to do stuff like go to target. The buff buses (from WV to campus) run until midnight every night, until 3 a.m. on weekends and every 20 minutes on weekends which hooks you up to nearly all the main bus lines which for the most part stop by the UMC or throughout campus. Boulder is also very bike-friendly and the city has been really successful in creating bike lanes and nice bike paths all over. Plus then you get some exercise! :)
I would also reccomend committing to staying in Boulder every weekend (if you live in the area) for at least the first month of school. I had a really hard time adjusting because I booked it out of town most weekends first semester while everyone else stayed in the dorms and got to know each other. The last thing you may want to do on the weekends is hang out with all the people you don't know, but if you make the decision to stick with it even when you're sick of the dorms it will pay off.

What's the difference between a 2-student room and a 2-student apartment? What did you have?
So an apartment vs. room- on your housing assignment letter it will say "You have been assigned to Room # in --- Hall, a 2/3/4 student apartment/room." If it says apartment, you have an apartment style room with a kitchenette/living room in addition to the bedroom(s). If it says 2-student room, you will have the basic dorm room with 2 people and closets which is still totally manageable. :)

Is it true that I can get a season ski pass to Eldora for $99?
Eldora season pass for $99- TRUE! This only happens for like 2 days at the beginning the semester. come to school with a way to get one because when you hear that they're at the UMC you should go snag a pass! I missed out big time and didn't get one, and going to Eldora twice would pay for that pass (Single day tickets are around $75 I think...). Plus it's really easy to do half days of skiing/snowboarding at Eldora- there's a bus every hour from Boulder up to the slopes that is free with your student RTD bus pass that you automatically get when you enroll at CU. I would recommend getting this, even if you are getting another pass because it's nice to be just an hour away from home versus going all the way up to Breck/Copper/wherever your skis may take you.

What are the rooms like in Williams Village? (All towers)
Most of the rooms in WV are very similar to my pictures- but what's cool is that in each tower each floor and room are slightly different floor plans. For example, in Stearns East where I lived, the top 4-5 floors were all 4-student apartments, and any rooms below 9 were generally 2 student rooms. Some rooms are a bit bigger or smaller, but for the most part my pictures are of a pretty average sized bedroom. Here's some more pictures of other rooms in WV:
Normal 2-student room:
2-student room with bathroom:




Should I loft my bed?
I had my bed lofted half the year and had it taken down at semester- with the amount of space we had (I was in a 2-student apartment, not a 2-student room) I really didn't need the bed lofted. I got tired of climbing up to my bed all the time, but I was also used to doing homework/generally hanging out sitting on my bed so it was an adjustment. Lofting definitely gives you more space but is sort of a pain- I'd try and convince your roommate to loft their bed :P It does make for some more interesting ways to organize your room and a pretty good amount of additional space.

Can I put up Christmas lights around the edge of my room? Can I tack them up or use a staple gun?
You're not technically allowed to put holes in the walls- plus all the walls are made of brick so you can't really tack into anything right along the ceiling. One of my favorite things about WV though is that most of the walls are covered in tack board, so you could hang lights on that! Or you can also buy little sticky-back light hooks made for people's houses and hang your lights, which is what we did in my room. Purple lights are only $3 at during Halloween at target :) I always liked it when people put lights around their windows because you could always see it from outside, which looked really neat.