SACRAMENTO, Calif. ? It may be small (and shared). But for at least one academic year, for thousands of college students, it?s home. Over generations, the dorm room hasn?t gotten bigger. But the amount of must-have stuff ? including technology ? that needs to squeeze into that space has morphed into a much longer list.
Brian Ward, assistant director of housing at UW-Madison, said dorm rooms vary in size by building, but average 12 by 16 feet for a two-person room ? 192 square feet in all. Including a meal plan, the university estimates living in the dorms will cost students about $8,000 for the coming school year. Ward said rooms come with the basics for each resident: a bed, desk, chair and either a dresser or closet with shelves built in; roommates share a mini-fridge. The challenge is to make that Spartan room feel like home.