If you think the power/water going out is bad in the dorms, be prepared to put up with a lot worse when you get off campus. I think the apartments just look really dusty b/c its a tile floor. If your place back in the US has lots of carpeting, it makes the dust much less noticeable. As for the crumbs... that's probably your fault. As far as the $50, I know people who weren't charged at all... so maybe your room wasn't as clean as you thought it was. If that's the case, the guy was doing you a favor for letting you get off for $50 instead of $(100 + $25/hour). I really like the dorms and would recommend them to any first semesters.