---

  Before the program, I was always wondering what the lodgings were like as well as the facilities available.  At orientation, you're possibly given a little packet of information about the AP House - the on-campus dorms.  I'll try and go into a little more detail about what AP House has to offer.

  First, the room: it is actually pretty spacious.  For furniture, there's a bed (I'll get to that in a bit), a desk, a closet/drawer for clothes, a cabinet, a refrigerator+freezer, and a shoe rack.  You also get your own sink and a personal toilet inside the room.

  Some items that are given to you when you first check-in to AP House are a roll of toilet paper, a plate, a cup, a spoon and fork, two bath towels, two face towels, and three wire clothes hangers.  For bedding, you are provided with a futon, a quilt, and a comforter with sheets to cover the comforter and futon.  Some of us, though, are more comfortable with a mattress bed and are still getting accustomed to the harder sleeping surface.  The provided pillow is also a bit different - it is essentially a bean bag.

  As for community resources, the public showers are really nice - much better than the Freshman experience dorms.  There are three private stalls with a little changing area in each. I also haven't had a problem with the showers being completely occupied yet.  For laundry, there are two pairs of washers and dryers per floor - use is free of charge but can only be used from 7am to 12 midnight.  A wash cycle will take one hour.  A dry cycle will take three hours.  And even after three hours, some of your jeans might not be completely dry.  Just something to keep in mind when you set aside time for laundry.

  So, I think that covers all the necessities.  I'll just go ahead and wrap up the important points in a list.

Tips and Cautions:

• There are only two outlets near the desk.  A splitter is provided for the phone and DSL modem, but you still will only have two free outlets.  You might want to bring your own power strip if you think you'll need more than two plugs.  The good thing though (the official FAQ page is a little outdated on this) is that the outlets at APU do accept Type B Polarized plugs. 
• If you are used to a soft bed, the futon may not provide enough padding for you.  We've all pretty much tried to put as much bedding in between us and the bedframe as possible.  You may be able to rent additional bedding/padding, but I don't know that any of us have done so.
• The pillow may take some getting used to as well.  It's almost like sleeping on a bean bag.  If you're used to a fluffy pillow, you may want to bring your own or find one in town when you get here.
• It's nice to know that towels are provided; this may cut down on some space in your luggage.