Skidmore College
Skidmore sits on the North Broadway edge of Saratoga Springs, a genteel small city famous for thoroughbred racing, mineral springs, and a downtown walkable enough that your kid can be at Caffè Lena in ten minutes. Nine hundred wooded acres, a campus green backed by North Woods trails, and about 2,700 students who picked a school where 'Creative Thought Matters' is the actual motto, not a tagline.
What to wear in Saratoga Springs, month by month
This region runs from a humid late summer to a hard winter in about ten weeks. The mistake out-of-region families make is packing the whole year in August.
| Move-in (Sept) | 55–78°F | Warm, golden late-summer days with genuinely cool nights — a light jacket earns its keep even if the afternoon still feels like August. |
| Sept–Oct | 41–71°F | Foliage season arrives fast — crisp mornings, bright afternoons, and the Adirondack color show peaking in early October. |
| Nov–Dec | 22–47°F | Real winter sets in — first snow usually lands in November, and by December it's coat-and-gloves weather for good. |
| Jan–Feb | 15–34°F | The deep-freeze stretch — single-digit nights aren't rare, and Saratoga averages over five feet of snow a year. |
| Mar–May | 26–69°F | A slow, muddy thaw — snow lingers into March, but by May the campus green is back to full lawn-chair weather. |
What Skidmore College lets you bring
- A fan — only Wait and Wiecking halls have A/C, so most first-years go without it
- A bike for the compact, flat campus and the quick ride down to downtown Saratoga Springs
- Twin XL bedding (confirm your specific hall)
- UL/ETL power strip with a built-in circuit breaker — not a bare extension cord
- Damage-free wall hangings like Command strips — no nails or screws
- Low-draw LED desk and task lamps
- A fan, a reusable water bottle, and UL-listed electronics
- Open-coil / open-flame cooking: toasters, toaster ovens, air fryers, hot plates, electric grills, sandwich makers
- Candles, incense, wax warmers, and anything with an open flame
- Halogen lamps
- Extension cords without a breaker; outlet splitters and multi-plug adapters
- Space heaters and personal A/C units (unless your school provides/approves them)
- Hoverboards, e-scooters, e-bikes, and other e-mobility devices
- Weapons of any kind — including decorative — and fireworks
- Window air-conditioning units — not permitted in any hall
- Microwaves, hot plates, toasters, and other cooking appliances — banned in rooms, use the floor kitchenette instead
- Space heaters
- Candles, incense, and anything with an open flame
These come from Skidmore College's official housing pages and cover the essentials plus the genuinely local rules. Double-check the current official guidance before you buy — policies and renovations change every year.
Getting your room at Skidmore College
- 01By May 1
Submit your enrollment deposit
Skidmore doesn't guarantee a specific hall, but committing by the May 1 deposit deadline gets your student into the housing process on schedule.
- 02Early June
Fill out the housing questionnaire
Incoming students answer a lifestyle-and-preferences questionnaire that the Office of Residential Life uses to match roommates and place students in one of the eight first-year halls.
- 03Late July
Assignment arrives
Hall, room, and roommate come back in late July, along with the mailbox number you'll need for anything mailed ahead of move-in.
- 04Early September
Move in
New and transfer students arrive together on one designated day, with returning students the next — staff and volunteers direct cars to check-in stations and help unload at the residence hall door.
Where you'll live at Skidmore College
First-year residence halls
Skidmore doesn't sort first-years into their own separate dorms — incoming students land in one of eight traditional halls split between North Quad and South Quad, living alongside sophomores, juniors, and seniors from day one. Assignments come from a lifestyle questionnaire, not a lottery, and every hall runs on roughly the same recipe: mostly suite-style bathrooms, a floor kitchenette, and a main lounge.
'JoTo' is the tallest building in Saratoga Springs — mostly singles across twelve floors, elevators, and a 12th-floor penthouse lounge with the best view on campus, plus the WSPN radio station in the basement.
A connected pair on North Quad with Skidmore's substance-free and quiet-floor communities carved into the Howe side — a good ask for a kid who wants a calmer floor from day one.
Tucked near the North Woods trails with a covered walk to the dining hall — one of the few first-year halls with air conditioning throughout, plus a basketball hoop and picnic tables out back.
A 1960s South Quad standard — suite bathrooms, a kitchenette on every floor, and a third-floor Women's Floor open to any student who identifies as a woman.
The newest of the eight, built in 1989 in a lightning-bolt shape for extra light — corridor-style bathrooms, air conditioning throughout, an organic student garden, and the Prism LGBTQ+ community on the third floor.
The Skidmore College move-in checklist
The “Shop” links are Amazon affiliate links — a purchase may earn AllDorms a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
Bedding6
Bath5
Laundry4
Storage & organization6
Desk & study4
Electronics6
Cleaning5
Kitchen — within the rules5
Health & meds4
Clothing — see the seasonal guide7
Move-in day go-bag5
Saratoga Springs logistics, sorted
How to send a package to a Skidmore student
Mailbox #[Number]
Skidmore College
815 North Broadway
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866-1632
The Thoroughbreds, and a track town
Creative Thought Matters
Saratoga Springs & around
Downtown Broadway
Saratoga Springs' walkable main drag — restaurants, coffee shops, and Congress Park's mineral springs, all an easy walk or bike ride from campus.
Saratoga Race Course
America's oldest thoroughbred track, racing since 1863 — the summer meet runs late July through Labor Day, right as new students are moving in.
Saratoga Spa State Park
2,300 wooded acres with mineral bathhouses, the Roosevelt Baths, and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) — summer home to the New York City Ballet and the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Caffè Lena
The country's oldest continuously running folk venue, downtown since 1960 — a tiny room that's hosted everyone from Dylan to Arlo Guthrie.
Where to stay near Skidmore College
The Adelphi Hotel
BroadwayA restored 1877 landmark in the middle of downtown — boutique rooms and a courtyard, a five-minute drive or twenty-minute walk to campus.
The Gideon Putnam
Saratoga Spa State ParkA grand 1935 resort inside Saratoga Spa State Park, a few minutes from campus — mineral baths on site if the weekend calls for one.
Embassy Suites by Hilton Saratoga Springs
Congress StA standard all-suite chain hotel under a mile from campus — free breakfast, a pool, and the easiest booking on short notice.
Skidmore College gear & gifts
Skidmore College — links & contacts
- Office of Residential Life: Visit page