Taking dolls to school or college?

i wouldnt be able to leave my girl home haha i think shes in more danger there all alone with my dad and brother than with a roomate, of course i dont have a roomate right now because the last one i had was the biggest pain in the butt.

however, community advisors/floor advisors/etc in dorms usually set rules or standards so that every1 respects e/o and i think you should let your roomate know "whats on your side is yours and whats on my side is mine, so stay away" of course in a nice way.
good luck going to college, i personally love college

 

I have a ton of concerns about this that have been bothering me for a while.

I'm headed off to college in the fall (UMass Amherst if anyone's in the area :3) and I'm nervous about the doll situation. I know that I would miss Tobias far too much to NOT bring him with me, but I'm concerned about the reaction of my roomate. Despite being a total nerd over dolls and anime and cosplay and stuff, I'm really pretty normal in real life, and I'm really looking forward to making a bunch of new friends at college, but I don't want to scare people off because I've got some creepy doll.

I'm also worried about theft. It would just be me and another girl in my dorm, but who knows what kind of friends she'll have? I just worry that he'd get broken or defaced or something. I also like being able to see him sitting around when I'm doing other things, I wouldn't want to have to lock him up every time I'm not in the room.

Assuming that my one doll is at least received okay (or at least, not negatively), I then worry about a second doll. I've got a lot of plans for my second doll though I'm not sure when I'll be ordering him.. and it's one thing to bring ONE creepy doll.. but TWO? I don't know if I should leave my future doll at home during the year.. or wait a whole year to order him.

So yeah, help me out here, guys. Are my fears justified? What do other people who are in college do about their doll hobby? Should I not bring him at all and not worry about him all year? ;__; I think this is one of my biggest fears about college, haha~

 

That's actually why I didn't purchase a doll last summer... I was afraid of what my roommate's reaction might be. (And I'm glad I didn't!)

If you can go without your doll for a little while, I would personally suggest getting to know your roommate first, and then having your doll sent to you or pick up your doll if you go back home at some point. But I'm an overly cautious sort.


(I did end up lucking out with my doll situation, though. I switched roommates for second semester, and not only is she great, but she likes dolls as well (although she doesn't have any abjds), and is bringing one of her dolls in the fall!)

 

If your roommate doesn't like your boy, you can always use him to scare her out of your room so you have one all to yourself. that's what I was going to do in the fall until I found out that one of my friends is going to the same college as I so I'm rooming with him ^ ^

 

I would suggest not just getting to know your room mate first but getting to know your dormitory in general. Some dorm sections are more friendly than others, others are more wild, especially when it comes to pranking other dorms @D@ I don't dorm but I've brought my boys and girls to class before, no problems at all even from the people who respectfully express their opinions of how "weird" they are XD

 

I'm in the same situation as you, going away in the fall. To me, the matter of people not wanting to be friends with me because I own dolls they think are creepy doesn't seem likely. It's possible you'll have to deal with your roomate just not liking your doll, but I can't imagine she would outright not like YOU just because of that.

The matter of theft is what worries me a lot. In my experience, the friends I have right now and have known for years don't treat my dolls properly (for example, one of them ruined my Lishe's wig the FIRST DAY I had her) and I'd be worried about strangers being the exact same. I'm always afraid to tell people how expensive these dolls are because it could give them ideas, you know? I don't know any of my roomates, so who knows what they could do.

But I think what I'm going to do is leave my dolls at home until I get to know everyone I'm living with. If after a while it seems like there won't be any issues, then I'll bring them with me. If not, it won't kill me to keep them here for the year, and I'd rather do that than have them broken or stolen.

 

I lived in a dorm for two years, and looking back (despite a crappy roommate my freshman year), I'm pretty sure that a doll would have been fine there. However, it does depend and you can always scope out the situation first and then bring your doll later. Also look at how the dorm room is set up--are there nice safe places to put a doll? Can you pack your doll safetly in say a closet when you're not in your room to supervise?

 

ya i agree with ACXchan. i thought about this often too! im going to be a senior next year and im thinking about college also. for me i play out scenes in my head and what id say is that when u arive get to know ur room mate. like sit down and talk to her, ask her her dislikes and when u get that done ask her what she thinks about dolls ^^;;. Then maybe show her ur boy . if she doesnt care for him that much (like shes scared of him or something) i'd maybe take him out when i can watch him and stuff and when u leave for class or something u can put him in his box or something ^^ ! but ya mainly get to know the room mate!

 

Your fears are totally justified! I was concerned about that when I was waiting for my boy. I was expecting him to arrive when I was already in my dorms for my freshman year (I'm going to be a soph in the fall). I ended up telling my roommate for that semester about it and she had no problems with it. One of my suitemates however was totally scared by him XD; so I kept him in a box under my bed when she was around so she would feel better.

My roommate for the second semester was so much more involved with Kyo than the first. I showed him to her and talked about dollfies with her a bit and she was absolutely accepting! XP She thought he was real adorable and liked looking at dollfie pictures with me ^_^;

I suppose what I'm saying is that (as previous posts have said) it's good to talk to your roommate about it first. Test the waters y'know? I guess if she's real uncomfortable about it... only take your doll out when she's not around?

 

I think that with any expensive object you need to be a little careful in college dormitories. I always noticed that people never, ever, ever wanted to lock their doors or close/lock their windows when they went out....... and then were shocked when their computer or DVD player or PS2 was stolen. 9_9 That said, I never knew of any theft occurring in a locked room.

I had three roommates in college (two for a year each, one for two years, and a single my last year), and my college was very quirky and laid back, so nobody really cared what I had in my room. When people did notice something like an anime poster or the plush jellyfish in my room they thought it was neat, and if they didn't think it was neat they left me alone.

 

I agree with what other people have suggested. Definitely make sure you know both your roommate and your dorm first before you decide to bring your doll. Some people are more easily put off by things that they don't know. Others are fine, if not interested in them. Like my roommate, I had j-rock posters up on my wall, and I would listen to it sometimes (usually with headphones but sometimes she'd walk in while I didn't have headphones on), and she asked to listen to some and said it was interesting. Dunno if she was just being polite or not, but still. At least she wasn't put off by it or anything. Try bringing some anime/cosplay related stuff. If your roommate seems fine with that, then I think she should be ok with dolls too. Or, ya know. But constantly looking at pictures of dolls when she's passing by, and probably she'll ask about them, and you can find out her opinion then. ^-^

I don't have a doll yet, but I do plan on getting one sometime next year. And I know I'll definitely be bringing my boy to school, if not even just shipping him there to begin with. I think I'll be pretty lucky since I'm living with 2, possibly 3 people that I know. We might have 1 stranger if my other friend can't room with us, but that's still not too bad. I know my friends at least, should be fine with this stuff, and that they wouldn't steal from me. But if you're worried, possibly invest in a lock that you can put on a box or something? And then just take him out whenever you're actually around.

 

Thank you guys for your input, you've helped me make my decision.. I'm going to part with my boy for a couple months, and in that time test the waters with my roomate to see if she'd be totally freaked out by his presence. If all goes well, then I'll bring him back with me after Thanksgiving break. Still don't know what I'm gonna do about a second doll, but I'll figure it out. Thanks guys!

 

Room-mates can SUCK XD My room-mates last year seemed great, until they STABBED ME IN THE BACK about sharing an apartment. Unless you and your room mate are suddenly best friends, I wouldn't worry about what your doll will do to her ;D And if she becomes your friend, she shouldn't be concerned with your doll.

Whatever your decision, if you take your doll to school, HAVE SOMEWHERE LOCKED THAT YOU CAN PUT HIM. I can't stress this enough. I haven't been robbed myself, but there have been instances on my floor where janitorial staff apparently stole stuff out of dorms :-/ I mean, a doll is kind of weird but... I'd lock your drawer, just in case... because you also can't really trust your room-mate XD;

 

I'd also just see how you can arrange your room. I haven't had a BJD yet, but last year when I brought my pullips (and I've accumulated quite a few), I figured my roommate wouldn't like them so much, but I put them in a place where they wouldnt' really be seen from his side of the room or the beds. I imagine they still slowly scared him away (especially after I amassed so many, lol), but he never voiced any major opposition to them to me. But I'd see how things are first, so that's a good choice. (and worse comes to worse, you can always just find some good place to put him where he won't be harmed and he won't be too seen if she finds him a little scary :p)

 

I would have to say don't worry too much about what your roommate thinks, even if I'm the only one saying that. XD; Roommates should not be allowed to walk all over you, and if they don't like you having dolls, then that's their problem, not yours. You shouldn't have to accommodate yourself that much just because they might not like dolls, you know?

Worries about having your doll stolen, though, seem totally justified to me. x_x Maybe find out what kind of environment/"neighbourhood" you'll be in first, and if it seems ok, then bring your doll? I was really worried about having a doll here with me in a dorm room, but most people really pay it no heed, and my friends grudgingly accept it, haha. Most people don't know what it is/how much it costs, so I don't think it would ever even cross their minds to try to steal a doll.

 

I would also suggest testing the waters first. You just never know. There's a sort of long thread about this from a while back, so maybe some of the suggestions (and stories) will help you out:

http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8517

and this one

http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8890

 

I'd definitely wait to bring your doll until you know the college and the dorm well. Colleges are so different--and so different from the PR in the viewbooks--that you just can't know about the issues until you've lived there awhile. I went to a small school, I had a single from freshman year on, and I wouldn't have worried about my doll getting stolen, but a friend at a nearby large school had THREE dorm fridges and a computer stolen out of her room. The last thing you want to do is be stuck in your room your freshman year of college becuase you're worried about leaving your doll! Same goes for how people will treat you with a doll. My school was rather...nerdy...so my dolls would have made me just another beloved weirdo in the crowd, but I know of friends at places where our dolls would have been the source of constant mockery. So go for a bit and bring your doll at Thanksgiving if you think it's appropriate.

And by the way, you'll be covered under your parents' homeowners or renters insurance while you're at college. If you do decide to take your doll, why not ask them if they can add him to the policy to make sure he's insured if something does happen?

 

Bring him with you. Even if you keep him locked in a cupboard the whole time and only take him out for an hour or two a day to play with him, I'd say bring him with you. It's better than worrying about him being at home the whole time (And a locked cupboard is always a handy thing to have). I must admit I know less about colleges in America (I'm assuming America?) than I do about Universities in my own country, but normally we can bring some of our own furniture (Like a mini fridge) if we want and roommates look out for each other and each other's possesions.

Whenever I've had to live communally there were always strict unwritten rules - the most prominent of which was "Don't touch my stuff without asking". This extended to telling your friends "Please don't touch that, it belongs to my roommate". I'm yet to find more than a handful of people who have to have it explained to them - chances are, a quick conversation along the lines of "How do you feel about dolls? I collect these dolls that are very unique and precious to me, but if you're not comfortable with them I can put them away where you can't see them" will sort everything out quickly and painlessly. I had much the same discussion when one of my roommates over the summer owned a pet tarantula (I'm arachnophobic), and we agreed that he would keep it where I couldn't see it and wouldn't take it out of the box without warning me first. Chances are your roommate will even be intrigued, or might be a doll fan herself!

 

I ordered my Shiwoo two months ago and my roommate recieved him well and none of her friends were nasty towards him. I left him out all the time even when I wasn't in the room. But I guess I lucked out.

That and most of her friends are scared of all dolls, so I didn't have to worry about him getting stolen.

 

I was nearly charged with a felony once in my dorm when my roomie turned me in for having a blade over six inches on my altar (I'm pagan). Once they found out it was religious, though, the cops rolled their eyes, gave me back the knife, and told me not to take it to the dorm. I didn't know it was illegal or I wouldn't have brought it to begin with. You always have to be a little careful what roomies think of you (this one did NOT like me having an altar), but somehow I don't think dolls will have as much effect on the roommate as, say, a pagan altar in Texas. Though I do go to school in Austin which is about the most liberal part of the Southern USA!

Anyhoo, I wouldn't worry about what your roommate thinks of your doll. I took mine and they just sat there. Just pretend that they're rememberances from your childhood and that their only worth is emotional--then people are more likely to steal your computer than your ABJD. After all, most people have no interest in stealing a doll they know nothing about when they could take a stereo. *shrugs* And in the end I'd rather them take my stereo than my babies.

Earlier comments are right, though--if you're going anyplace for more than a couple of hours, it might be a good idea to lock up your doll or even just hide him/her away in the closet or something.