What to do with beginners electronic lab when I go to college? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: TheBorg
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 04:50:40 am
content: This problem has been annoying me for a while, just because I'm a bit anxious and I know what is going to happen. In less than two years, I will head off to college (university for the rest of the world), probably to get a degree in some form of ME/EE/electronics. Most of the schools I am looking at force you to stay in the dorms for at least the first year.Which leads to my question- where am I going to put all my crap? How can I continue to work with electronics? I probably can't do it in the dorms, even with a scaled back lab due to safety reasons and a roommate. That, and most of the dorms I've seen are the size of a postage stamp. I don't want to totally go cold turkey with my projects (I like my soldering iron!). Is there anyone who has been in my position? How did you solve it?To me, the solution seems to be either rent out some space somewhere, or try to get in at the electronics lab and use their stuff. Thing is, I'm already pretty far into building my own lab and I love having "my" own equipment. I already have a hot air rework station, power converters, and am working on getting a decent lab power supply, an oscilloscope, better soldering iron, and better multimeters, etc soon.What to do?

author: Rory
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 04:55:19 am
content: Are you bound for U of I?

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 05:08:00 am
content: I think you might have to learn to live without "your" equipment for a while. Particularly the soldering iron... Try to get permission to work in a school lab, and maybe have on hand some basic and small items for simple testing and whatnot in the dorm. DMM, maybe a small scope if you can afford it, and a small power supply.

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 05:13:51 am
content: Most of the stuff is not going to be an issue. To be on the safe side, do your soldering outdoors (or near an open window with a fan blowing out) to avoid bad smell complaints or accidentally setting off the fire alarm. You'll also want a relatively small isolation transformer (or a larger isolation transformer with a light bulb limiter) if you work on mains operated DUTs not only for safety but also because it's a pain if you accidentally trip a breaker.Keep in mind that Dave's original lab was pretty tiny. (Forgot just how much but I'd imagine even a dorm room would be bigger.) If you can, elevate your bed in order to get more space underneath for storage. If you have a huge collection of parts and equipment, you will have to be selective but you'll be surprised how little you actually use on a regular basis. Stack equipment where it makes sense.

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 05:24:07 am
content: When I lived in dorms, they would have had a fit if they found me using a soldering iron... They were ridiculously picky about anything that could ever remotely be called a fire hazard. I wasn't doing much with electronics at the time, but friends who were found the school labs quite accomodating once they befriended a few instructors.Then, when I moved into an on-campus apartment, I just had to make sure I didn't have any dishes on the stove during the monthly safety inspection.And plenty of room for a workbench, of course.I guess it really depends on where you are.

author: smashedProton
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 05:29:01 am
content: Which college are you going to? Im in the exact same situation here. Im going to go to WSU, maybe transfer somewhere better after I get on research.

author: TheBorg
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 05:47:43 am
content: Quote from: Rory on December 03, 2013, 04:55:19 amLikely, aiming for Cal-Tech but I have a sister up at U of I. Depends on what scholarships I can pull offbut yes, U of I is very likely.Quote from: smashedProton on December 03, 2013, 05:29:01 amUndecided yet, I have another year to choose. Looking at Cal-Tech or University of Idaho. Isn't WSU ridiculously close to U of I? I've driven through it if its the one in Pullman. I think I can actually get in-state tuition as well, since its so close to IdahoQuote from: c4757p on December 03, 2013, 05:08:00 amPretty much sums up what I would likely end up doing. I know at U of I they don't even allow toasters on the dorms because they are a fire hazard (I do know that they keep one in the bathroom on one of the floors).Soldering iron is my main concern, and is quite a safety hazard, combined with flux, leaded solder, and fumes. I suppose it will only be a year or so if I decide to move to an apartment second year.

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 05:57:40 am
content: Put all of the soldering stuff in a box (for easy carrying) and only use it outdoors. Use (good quality) lead free solder if you like but the leaded stuff isn't that bad.

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 06:00:06 am
content: Let me just say that not allowing toasters is a good thing. I know a girl who managed to evacuate an entire seven story dorm building by attempting to microwave popcorn. God, college kids and kitchen appliances do not mix.

author: Phaedrus
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 06:07:52 am
content: Parents exist for a reason, and so do their closets. Store your kit at their place, and retrieve it when you have the room for it. Make sure to keep it in easy-to-carry boxes in case they move, and make sure they know it's expensive and dear to you so it doesn't get tossed, dropped, or lost.Good luck at college; prepare for an endless of parade of blind panicked course work mixed with interminable boredom; and try to figure out when you should be in each mode. Also, shower.

author: sleemanj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 06:19:02 am
content: Quote from: TheBorg on December 03, 2013, 04:50:40 amWait... wut? Is this a US thing? You literally can not attend the school unless you live in their facilities?

author: marshallh
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 06:30:16 am
content: I soldered and dremeled in my dorm all the time... Even built up guns in it (this is the midwest)If they complain and decide to kick you out (after you reminding them of the large sums of money you are throwing at them), you get to find a bigger apt or room inside a house where you can have privacy and do what you want.If you love tinkering and building stuff you will not enjoy your time at college... unless you can somehow channel that energy towards "projects" that are for a class, which are usually never what you want to do.

author: apelly
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 06:47:34 am
content: Quote from: Phaedrus on December 03, 2013, 06:07:52 amClassic!

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 07:48:13 am
content: Quote from: TheBorg on December 03, 2013, 04:50:40 amForce you to stay there? Really? How can they possibly do that?QuoteThere is often space under the bed that is wasted...

author: Gath
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 08:52:47 am
content: Quote from: TheBorg on December 03, 2013, 04:50:40 amTry and store it somewhere, a big box or two should do the trick. Don't you have an acquaintance who could keep your 'crap' in his her attic while waiting for you to get a bigger room.In order to keep on working on electronics as a freshman, I think a good solution would be to check if there aren't any students group doing some hacking, robotics, ... I mean, every university/college I know at least has a small room somewhere in an obscure basement where student gather and build stuff. This is also a good opportunity to get together with others... and eventually store your gear if you become a regular

author: AndyC_772
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 09:32:23 am
content: You're making a classic mistake for someone about to go to university for the first time.You're assuming that you'll still have the time, the energy or the desire to carry on doing the same stuff you've been doing in your pre-university life. You won't... or at least, if you do, you're missing out on a huge range of opportunities which you'll never have again. Don't waste them.If you're studying electronics, you'll have more than enough of it with your course material. When you finish work at 11pm you'll be ready to call it a night, not stay up soldering some gizmo together for fun. You'll be out with friends, playing sports, running a club, getting involved in student politics... anything but even more electronics.

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 11:52:49 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on December 03, 2013, 07:48:13 amBy not allowing you to attend otherwise? I suppose you could probably commute to school, as I do, but usually dorms are the only choice of campus housing for freshmen. My previous school explained it like this: way too many freshmen, now that they just left high school, are convinced they need a car, an apartment, etc. This ends up being a huge expense for them. So the school requires them to at least try going without these things for a year. No cars, no campus apartments for freshmen.Quote from: AndyC_772 on December 03, 2013, 09:32:23 amIt's hardly the worst he could do. Enough people waste their college days in a drunken stupor... yeah, he could do those things, or he could do something else he is passionate about (and learn more than the school teaches). Different people like different things.

author: dr.diesel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 12:04:31 pm
content: Quote from: TheBorg on December 03, 2013, 04:50:40 amI kept my DMM, TDS220, Soldering gun and a few others while I lived on campus.Most schools only require the first year on campus if you're not a local resident. You could always change your address a year or two before you get there, use your sister's etc.Don't be afraid of the dorms though, it's a good experience. Lots of fun running around naked when your roommate takes your towel and clothes from the community shower, or getting a trash can of freezing cold water tossed on you while showering, or sitting on the toilet.Or setting the entire building fire alarm off cooking Mac & Cheese.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 12:25:23 pm
content: Quote from: c4757p on December 03, 2013, 11:52:49 amI still don't get it. WTF does a university care where you live and what you spend your money on?Will any university seriouslyforceyou to live on campus, otherwise you can't enroll and study there? I can't believe this is the case anywhere.QuoteYes, each to their own. Not everyone is a social butterfly. Do what you enjoy.

author: JohnnyGringo
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 12:26:09 pm
content: +1 Pack it up for your first few semesters. Besides all the good reasons previously mentioned (space-time) 50-80% of students will change their intended major after the first year.

author: dr.diesel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 12:33:25 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on December 03, 2013, 12:25:23 pmYes, most state funded 4 year universities do, unless you already live locally, ie from that state or county.I was from Illinois (I still hold this against my parents), went to school in Indiana, wasforcedto live on campus for the first year even though my Grandparents lived in the same town as the University for 40 years. I was hoping to live with them, which I did do after the first year.

author: SLJ
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 01:11:55 pm
content: Many Collages/Universities in the US require you to live on campus for the first year if you are under age. (I think under 21). If you haven't died after the first year they figure you are now experienced enough to live on your own.

author: Rory
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 01:26:35 pm
content: Both WSU and U of I have amateur radio clubs. If anything, someone in that group can steer you onto what you need. Or you can join and become a ham.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 01:39:34 pm
content: Quote from: dr.diesel on December 03, 2013, 12:33:25 pmThat's just batshit crazy, seriously, someone please tell me this isn't actually true...Isn't the whole point moot anyway, because you just rent/buy an apartment or whatever and you are done, right? you "live nearby"So much for the land of the free...There are so many "what if's" here it's not funny.What if your parents or someone buys or rents you a place nearby?What if you have your own money to buy or rent your own place nearby?What if you have special needs of some sort?What if you are a full fee paying student?What if you just really don't want to stay on campus with the sheeple?, because, you know, it's a free country. Are your parents forced to move house and live nearby in order to fulfill this ludicrous requirement?

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 01:47:17 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on December 03, 2013, 01:39:34 pm"Sucks to be you."QuoteI imagine you'd be accommodated somehow.

author: dr.diesel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 01:47:41 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on December 03, 2013, 01:39:34 pmLooks like Duke University requires the first 3 years.Code:Duke University adheres to the belief that the on-campus residential experience is an importantpart of undergraduate life and education. The University has long been committed to an active andmeaningful residential experience for its undergraduate students. It is for this reason that the Trusteesrequire all undergraduates to live on campus for their first three years (six semesters)Source:http://studentaffairs.duke.edu/hdrl/apply-housingBut most are just the first year.

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 01:49:19 pm
content: This is from my old school:QuoteIgnoring the atrocious "freshman is required", this is somewhat more reasonable. If you live nearby with family, you may live off campus, otherwise, you must live in the "residence halls" / dorms for your first year. The reason for this actually makes a bit of sense: There isn't enough on-campus non-dorm housing to accommodate the freshmen (there's hardly enough as it is), there isn't enough parking for them to drive to school from off-campus housing, and the public transportation around there isn't really very good.If you can't tell, the retention rate isn't very good there (I don't really know why, I thought it was a great school...) so earlier years have significantly more students than later years.Quote from: dr.diesel on December 03, 2013, 01:47:41 pmVery few sensible thoughts start with "adheres to the belief".Quote from: EEVblog on December 03, 2013, 01:51:32 pmIt's kind of silly that you "have to", but you can usually buy a very small one, and pretty much everybody uses it anyway.

author: dr.diesel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 01:50:17 pm
content: Quote from: c4757p on December 03, 2013, 01:49:19 pmIt's code, for how to we fuck you out of more money.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 01:51:32 pm
content: Now someone on twitter tells me that (presumably at some unis) you also have to buy a "meal plan" for the first year so you get "proper nutrition". Double

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 01:55:27 pm
content: Quote from: dr.diesel on December 03, 2013, 01:50:17 pmIt's code for "because we can".

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 01:59:05 pm
content: Quote from: dr.diesel on December 03, 2013, 01:47:41 pmBut not for part time students?Am I the only one shaking my head at this ridiculousness?I can maybe expect this kind of stuff at some batshit crazy private uni like Liberty University, but public universities?Surely someone has contested this lack of freedom in court? or is everyone in the US that indoctrinated that you simply must move on campus when you go to university, that everyone simply accepts it?It bet a million bucks there are exemptions on religious grounds...

author: dr.diesel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 01:59:05 pm
content: Quote from: c4757p on December 03, 2013, 01:55:27 pmSame goal, same result unfortunately.

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 02:02:34 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on December 03, 2013, 01:59:05 pmOn what grounds?QuoteYes.Severelyindoctrinated.

author: sleemanj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 02:05:17 pm
content: The US educational systems sure have some weird features if you ask me.Crap, if I'd been required to live on campus, I would never have gone to Uni, I could think of nothing worse frankly.

author: dr.diesel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 02:05:22 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on December 03, 2013, 01:59:05 pmI didn't take it to court, but did more than just lay down and take it up the pooper. I argued (up several levels of authority) that since my Grandparents lived in the same town I "should" be allowed/exempted, but they wiped out their 500 page policy and quickly found it in writing, if memory servers you could only opt out if you lived in the same town for 1 full year prior.It was take it or leave it, they didn't give two shits if I enrolled or not.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 02:09:36 pm
content: Quote from: c4757p on December 03, 2013, 02:02:34 pmWell, geeze, lets see....Your tax dollars help pay for the university, and you are paying to attend the government university (you know, by the people, for the people), and you are being denied a basic right(?) to further your education or some such because you chose to live away from your family and the university grounds when you are anadult?I obviously don't get it because I'm not Yank...

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 02:10:54 pm
content: Of course, you're morally right, but that doesn't really fly in court, does it? I'm not aware of any law that would make this illegal. It's just really douchey.

author: creyc
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 02:13:31 pm
content: I suppose you don't HAVE to attend their uni at all, but if you do attend...you're gonna attend the way they tell you to, dammit!

author: dr.diesel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 02:13:31 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on December 03, 2013, 02:09:36 pmI'm a yank and don't get it either, but as Chris said, it's just because they can, right or wrong is irreverent.

author: sleemanj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 02:15:20 pm
content: What if you come to study at a university later in life, say 40, or 50, do you still have to move into the dorms full of obnoxious 18-20 year olds?

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 02:18:07 pm
content: Quote from: c4757p on December 03, 2013, 02:10:54 pmThat's because you aren't a lawyer versed in such matters. Perhaps there is a precedent somewhere in federal or state law. Perhaps no one has bothered to try.I don't understand how a legal age adult can be forced to live on a campus, or be denied a university education even if they have the money and have been accepted. That it just so shocking I need to go have a good lie down...

author: dr.diesel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 02:19:01 pm
content: Quote from: sleemanj on December 03, 2013, 02:15:20 pmMy first year, 1994, there was a mid 40s guy living on the top floor, wife and kids living in another state.

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 02:20:05 pm
content: At my university, we were given the choice of private housing or living off-campus in University-provided dorms. However, for 1st years, they strongly recommended living in dorms. Because you generally finish college in late May, and start university in September, you've missed the best time to property hunt - in winter months - and most good places are gone, or too expensive, or too far away.

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 02:21:44 pm
content: Quote from: dr.diesel on December 03, 2013, 02:19:01 pmReally? I figured there was some sort of exception somewhere - I've known quite a few older students and have never seen one in a dorm.Quote from: EEVblog on December 03, 2013, 02:18:07 pmI want to come live in Australia then....

author: creyc
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 02:26:00 pm
content: Quote from: TheBorg on December 03, 2013, 05:47:43 amIf you do indeed end up getting in to Caltech I think you'll have nothing to worry about.

author: dr.diesel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 02:26:36 pm
content: Quote from: c4757p on December 03, 2013, 02:21:44 pmYup, but I don't recall if he was forced, or was it perhaps just cheaper for him since we wasn't local?Back to the OP:Take your gear with you, I did and nobody said shit about it. Too many other drunk idiots, people smoking pot, pushing pop machines off the mez floor (yes this really happened) to worry about you.

author: BeerCannon
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 02:48:06 pm
content: I remember back when I was in high school (late 80s) looking at colleges.. Carnegie Mellon required freshmen to live on campus. That was the first time I'd heard of it. The rationale was that your average 18-year old needed to be immersed in the campus life to make a successful transition.A lot more schools have this requirement now. My wife is a professor at a local state university. Our oldest niece started attending this college last year and had to live on campus. At first, she was doing well.. made the Dean's list, etc. But eventually she began coming home (an mere 1 hour drive) at every opportunity to be with her boyfriend. Consequently, she lost focus of her studies, her grades slipped, and she ended up changing her declared major to whatever was conducive to her going-home-to-the-boyfriend schedule. (And she lost the on-campus job that my wife helped her find.)So, I can see both sides of the argument.

author: Galaxyrise
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 05:11:25 pm
content: Quote from: c4757p on December 03, 2013, 11:52:49 amThis rule is also pretty common, and makes a lot more sense: If everyone is commuting to school, you need a TON of parking. Many schools simply don't have the real estate, especially the ones in urban areas. I went to a school that allowed everyone to drive, and parking was a huge problem even though half the acreage was parking lots!

author: jancumps
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 05:46:52 pm
content: Quote from: BeerCannon on December 03, 2013, 02:48:06 pmAm I taking the wrong conclusion here that the on-campus rule made no difference?

author: skipjackrc4
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 06:01:44 pm
content: At my school, you are required to live on campus for the first 2 years. Fraternities also count. If you are involved in more than one officially sanctioned activities, you can move off after the first year. We were allowed to have cars, though.If you have family within 25 miles or something, you are exempt (this is somewhat easy to fake, from what I hear). If you are over 21 for your first semester, married, have kids, or have some type of disability, you are exempt.Oh, and meal plans are required for anyone living on campus.Anyway, going back to the OP, I was in the same situation, but for wood working (hard to fit a table saw in a dorm). It sucks, but there is nothing you can do without doing it elsewhere. My first two years were miserable, and I went back to my parents' every other week or so. It gets so much better when you get out of the dorms.

author: AG6QR
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 06:33:38 pm
content: U of I alum here, though from a few decades back. Yes, I had to live in either the dorms, or other university approved housing (fraternity, sorority, or private dorm), the first two years. My last two years, I lived in an apartment, off-campus but nearby, a closer walk to my classes than the dorm.Anyway, when I lived in the dorms, my roommate and I soldered in our room, at my university-provided desk on the 3rd floor of Weston Hall. Didn't have much time to do that, and there wasn't much space, but I did so, anyway. When I was taking some EE classes, I could check out breadboards, ICs, and such, to work on assigned projects (but that's more likely to happen in your later years).As for solder prohibitions, I wasn't aware of any, and I never even thought about it. Nobody seemed to notice or care. I know we weren't supposed to cook food in our rooms, but I wasn't cooking. Various people burned incense and other substances in their rooms, some of which were fragrant and illegal. A little bit of rosin flux, in the grand scheme of things, wouldn't be likely to cause a big issue. Of course, use ordinary precautions to avoid fire, but I don't think the risk is huge if you use a modicum of caution.Anyway, there is not a lot of room in the dorms. But you can pack a few shoebox sized boxes of hobby things and store them in your closet somewhere. Take them out and work on your desk when you have a chance, and put them away when you're done.As others have said, you aren't likely to have a lot of time for hobbies, but depending on your priorities, you can do some things. You may also have an opportunity to do some hobby electronics by joining IEEE, and/or working on a project for Engineering Open House. There will be no shortage of other like-minded people interested in EE, and projects to do. The problem will be setting priorities, keeping up with class work, and setting aside a little time for fun as well.

author: Scott
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 09:47:47 pm
content: When I was in college many of us worked on project in our rooms. We built model airplane, did electronics, did homework, Our dorm had a tool crib with basic power and hand tools. One friend had a vt-220 next to his bed in a loft. Heck one student even set up a cold palladium cold fusion experiment in his dorm room after the Pons and Fleishman news conference. We also had storage spaces in the basement where you could keep stuff.Most schools have student shops and/or maker/hacker spaces too.Get creative. Get involved with research projects that align with your interests. Make friends with professors that have lab space. It's not hard.Quote from: TheBorg on December 03, 2013, 04:50:40 am

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 10:02:10 pm
content: Quote from: BeerCannon on December 03, 2013, 02:48:06 pmI'd love to see an actual tally, and know the circumstances under which there are exemptions. Like I said, I'd bet religion if always a get out of jail free card in some way.QuoteSo can I,butfor me it always comes down to freedom of choice. For a legaladultto be denied a university education (that you can afford) simply because you want to live off-campus is crazy.I just told SWMBO about this and she was as shocked as I was and thinks it's equally stupid.It seems the majority of Americans seem to support this though, obviously because it's been ingrained into your culture.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 10:07:59 pm
content: Quote from: Galaxyrise on December 03, 2013, 05:11:25 pmYanks and their carsNo university in Australia really has this problem, and hardly anyone lives on campus here, it's just not a done thing, it's not part of our culture.

author: marshallh
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 10:17:24 pm
content: This is only 1 thing at the tip of the iceberg of stupid at US public universities. Expect to see big changes in the next 10 years.What can't go on, won't...

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 10:28:04 pm
content: Quote from: marshallh on December 03, 2013, 10:17:24 pmDo share the rest of the iceberg for the amusement of us non-Yanks!

author: Scott
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 10:33:20 pm
content: Most universities in the US are private, so they can make whatever rules they want and you can take it or leave it.That being said, there are a lot of logistic and cultural reasons to strongly encourage people to live on campus. There's also a big difference between rules that are written down on a website and the reality of the situation. If you have a compelling reason to not live on campus, you can probably get the university to agree. It never hurts to ask.Quote from: EEVblog on December 03, 2013, 10:02:10 pm

author: AndersAnd
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 10:39:44 pm
content: Quote from: TheBorg on December 03, 2013, 04:50:40 amCan't you just use the labs at your engineering college? I did this from time to time in the evening, and they have all sorts of expensive equipment to play with. But maybe they don't allow this in the US?

author: Fsck
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 10:46:45 pm
content: Quote from: AndersAnd on December 03, 2013, 10:39:44 pmyou realize it's where you have to print "warning: hot coffee" on coffee cups.

author: dr.diesel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 11:14:48 pm
content: Quote from: AndersAnd on December 03, 2013, 10:39:44 pmProbably locked down due to theft these days..

author: AndersAnd
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2013, 11:24:01 pm
content: Quote from: dr.diesel on December 03, 2013, 11:14:48 pmI could imagine it would be like this in the US.We just had a key card, so we could lock ourselves into the college and labs around the clock. So if anything disappeared they could see who had been in which rooms. But if you wanted to steal lab equipment it would be very easy to do so, even during the day and there could go weeks or months before they discovered something was missing if it wasn't something used regularly.

author: Mandelbrot
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2013, 12:04:33 am
content: My university labs are open to use for personal projects when there isn't a class going on in them, but you have to have card access which isn't that hard to get. There is also a lab specifically for student projects being set up. I think many of the engineering student groups also have their own lab spaces available for personal use in university buildings.On the other hand, if you are really good at Tetris there is no reason you couldn't have a basic electronics lab in a dorm room. You probably aren't supposed to have a soldering iron, but if you aren't careless they will never find out you have one. Get or make a small fume extractor, or maybe even a fan pointed out the window is the weather permits. You might not be able to have a real permanent lab setup because your bench/desk will also be used to do homework, but you can stash your equipment under your desk or in a corner or something until you want to use it. If you are creative and motivated, you will find a way!I was required to stay in a dorm my first year, but I didn't really have a problem with it. I chose to live in the science and engineering hall which was quiet and everybody knew their stuff, so it was useful to get to know people I would share classes with for the next four years. It would be preferable if it was optional to live on campus the first year, but I see the advantage of requiring it and I can't really blame them that much.

author: apelly
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 04, 2013, 12:49:44 am
content: Living on campus would surely be as fun as fuck. I even considered it during my masters in my late 30s (but ultimately couldn't be bothered). Trouble is, for me anyway, if you make it mandatory then you can stick it up your arse (that's ass to you yanks). Roughly.

author: smashedProton
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2013, 05:20:26 am
content: You should come over to WSU, we have cheese and cannabis.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 04, 2013, 05:27:35 am
content: Quote from: Scott on December 03, 2013, 10:33:20 pmI bet they take some tax dollars too, that gives tax payers skin in the game.QuoteThe point is you shouldn't need a "compelling reason", it should simply be your choice, no reason required.Sure, strongly recommend it, point out all the huge benefit etc, but to make it mandatory in order to attend is dictatorial.But it seems that yanks have fallen for it hook line and sinker.

author: Bored@Work
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2013, 05:32:18 am
content: Quote from: c4757p on December 03, 2013, 01:49:19 pmLet the free market fix it! This is the US, dammit. Land of the free market. The free market fixes everything! All hail the free market!More demand than supply for accommodation? The free market will fix it, someone will come and build accommodation. Transport? Someone will arrange it if there is demand. But this organized, enforced dorm living thing? That is communism, C O M M U N I S M, I tell you! Complete with a Deschurnaja floor monitor. That's like being in Moscow.

author: smashedProton
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2013, 06:07:52 am
content: Quote from: Bored@Work on December 04, 2013, 05:32:18 amCan't tell if you are being serious or not... I think that you are, because nothing that you have said is false.

author: Frenchie
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2013, 06:29:26 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on December 03, 2013, 10:07:59 pmUWA does. Good luck even getting Staff parking if you arrive after 8:30am.

author: Scott
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 04, 2013, 06:53:27 am
content: Yeah, taking federal money does place some requirements on colleges and universities, but apparently not enough to regulate the details of housing policies.I more-or-less agree with you in principle, but in practice I don't think it's a big deal. There are over 4000 colleges and universities in the USA, so most people can find an institution with a set of attributes and policies that they find satisfactory. The requirement to live on campus is hardly universal, if it tips your cost/benefit ratio go elsewhere.The original poster was interested in Caltech (go Beavers!). Although Caltech requires freshman to live on campus, they go out of their way to make sure the students find a good fit.http://www.admissions.caltech.edu/living/housesQuote from: EEVblog on December 04, 2013, 05:27:35 am

author: TheBorg
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2013, 07:04:12 am
content: Quote from: c4757p on December 03, 2013, 01:49:19 pmDear sir, it's exactly the same!https://maps.google.com/maps?q=university+of+idaho&ll=46.747154,-116.941566&spn=0.153384,0.363579&fb=1&gl=us&hq=u+of+idaho&cid=10332736507941473644&t=h&z=12&iwloc=A

author: con-f-use
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 04, 2013, 05:30:13 pm
content: Get a scholarship to study abroad, e.g. Marshall-Plan. Very easy to get. In the EU no one is telling you where to live plus it will be an awesome experience. Just an idea.

author: TheBorg
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2013, 07:18:17 pm
content: Quote from: con-f-use on December 04, 2013, 05:30:13 pmI've actually been overseas on a trip, went to the UK, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, etc or 1 or so weeks each (hostel traveling on the cheap). It was a great experience and I would not hesitate to go overseas again, especially for university. I think it would be great to go for a year or two! I've actually thought about moving to England for my education more than once, I'm really open to this idea.

author: sprocket
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 05, 2013, 12:56:54 pm
content: I'll be the first one to admit that we have our share of stupid rules here in Denmark. But at least you dont have to cough up a single dime to attend university, all free. If you have the grades, you will get accepted, simple at that. You even get paid by the goverment to attend university(for rent, food and such), so in theory it is actually possible to get a masters degree with out building up any dept at all. Though you would have to live of pasta and canned baked beans for 5 years, so most have student jobs or take up small student loans.But in general universities here dont give a flying F. about where you live, or what you do for money etc. etc. You could be living on the dark side of the moon, and it would not matter one bit at all as long as you show up for classes, pas you classes and so on and so forth.