<p>My daughter finally received her housing assignment today. She moves in three weeks from yesterday. She didn't get the housing she requested (Women in Engineering dorm). Instead, she is in an honors dorm. So, to start things off, I'm really upset that she won't have the support that I thought she would have from the WIE program.</p>
<p>Then, to top it off, she is on the highest floor of a tower and she has four people in one bedroom. There are two sets of bunkbeds. I'm worried about getting enough sleep when you are dealing with four people's schedules in a room that measures 14 x 9.</p>
<p>They have another room that has four desks/chairs and a living room chair. I don't see any room to put a tv and I guess you would just have to sit on the floor to watch it anyway--unless you got to the chair first. </p>
<p>Has anyone else had to live in a setup like this? Any tips?</p>
<p>I was actually in a group that WANTED a quad one year, but wasn't able to get one. Granted, it wasn't freshman year, which made the situation very different. Set-up of the rooms sounds the same, though. We planned to move the furniture so as to have basically two connecting double rooms (there was a bathroom in the middle). If one room is preferable, maybe the girls could plan to swap at the semester or something.</p>
<p>In general, you're right, this is kind of an awkward way to begin college, and it has the potential to be messy. But there are also a lot of upsides: </p>
<ul>
<li><p>Highest floor = best view, probably quietest, and least threat of theft.</p></li>
<li><p>Three roommates = great chances to meet people, learn about different facets of campus life, etc. and less chance of ever being stuck without company to a meal or something.</p></li>
<li><p>Less pressure than one roommate (where if you don't get along, that's it) without the potential awkwardness of a triple (someone will be the third wheel).</p></li>
<li><p>Relatively speaking, the room will be huge, and having multiple rooms is a novelty.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Yeah, of course there are potential downsides, too, but hopefully things will work out well for your daughter. Out of curiosity, how does she feel about the situation? If she's not worried, I wouldn't recommend expressing your own concerns (so much of the experience could be affected by expectation). If she really is concerned, you might consider calling the housing office ASAP (even before school begins) and putting in a request to change rooms. My assumption is that they would ask her before actually changing anything, so that if the opportunity didn't arise for awhile and she loved her room and roommates, she could retract the request. But this way she'll be high on the list. It'll depend on school policy, but I know a girl who was put into a triple who did this (requested the move ASAP just because she didn't want to be in a triple, so she was given the opportunity to move into a double fairly early in the year...she stayed friends with her original roommates and they wound up with a humongous room to themselves...everybody won). </p>
<p>Best of luck to your daughter. It's a tough situation, but it still has the potential to work out well (or at least to be a learning experience).</p>
<p>It wouldn't be my choice of living situation but..</p>
<p>Hopefully during the school week the other girls won't be staying out late or up late talking/listening to music (it is an honors dorm so maybe the kids are more studious). At least all the desks are in a separate room so anyone staying up late hopefully won't be a disturbance to people sleeping. Your daughter may have to get used to sleeping with earplugs & eye-blinders though. If someone has an early morning class & she can't sleep through the alarm, she can just get used to getting up too & spend the extra time reading or studying.</p>
<p>And, instead of bringing a TV, get an external tv tuner that plugs into the usb drive of a laptop. That way you can watch tv from your desk chair or if the cable is long enough, move the laptop somewhere else.</p>
<p>I lived in a room like this. I was worried at the beginning of the year but it turned out great. We "split" the room, turning it into two doubles which worked out GREAT for us and your D should definitely consider it - if everyone has their own little "area" people aren't stepping on each other's toes so much. Also we got to unbunk the beds, and since pretty much no one likes the top bunk, that was definitely a plus. We didn't have a whole lot of "extra" room for a tv and such, but if we had lofted one of the beds, we would have easily - we put one bed on risers and put the fridge underneath and had no trouble with that, but a TV would have been more difficult. C'est la vie. Besides, with three roommates, you're likely to get along with at least one of them, right?</p>
<p>I lived in a quad freshman year too, but we didn't have the luxury of a second room. Basically, it was one room with four beds (bunked), four desks, four dressers, and four girls who had never met before. It felt pretty cramped for the first few days, but things were fine after that.</p>
<p>They can't really split the room because of the way things are built in, so they have to work with it the way it is--at least that's the way it looks from the picture. The beds have to stay as bunk beds. I'm really most concerned about her being able to sleep with four people in one very small space. If you have any issues with noise, having three people to deal with instead of one makes it a lot more complicated. </p>
<p>I realize that a college dorm is not supposed to be a luxurious experience, but there are ways to make a small space better. My daughter's friend was in one small room at another college last year. They lofted the beds and put a futon under one bed and a tv under the other. They had their desks at the end of their beds. It worked out great. </p>
<p>My daughter is not too happy about the situation. In addition, being on the 12th floor of a building is not anything she anticipated. The building she requested has just a few floors. I am very uncomfortable with her being up that high, but I won't say anything to her to make her feel even more uneasy. </p>
<p>I called the housing department, but they say things are full. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. This is just not like I had hoped it would be.</p>
<p>Why on EARTH would you be uncomfortable with her being so high? Unless there is no elevator, that's ridiculous. Sorry if I'm a bit touchy, but I just had to move everything I own (I don't go home for more than 2 weeks a year) up 4 flights of stairs with no elevator- about 10 trips. Unless you have a severe fear of heights, the 12th floor with an elevator would be better rather than worse.</p>
<p>It's college. I hate to say it, but get over it. Thousands of girls have dealt with quads and thousands more will have to deal with them in the future. Earplugs, eyemask, good communication, and cooperation is the key. From day one, your daughter needs to assert herself with what she needs. However, she cannot expect her roommates to conform to her sleep patterns. This is just as big as a problem with one roommate as with 3. There are common rooms with TVs and if she's an engineering major, she probably won't have too much time for TV anyway. Especially with 3 roommates, a TV is actually a bad thing. I had a friend in a forced triple (room built for 2 with 3 beds and only 2 closets) who had major problems with her roommate because she would turn on the TV when the others were studying or sleeping. One inconsiderate person can ruin it.</p>
<p>But in any case, what would make a desk chair impossible to watch TV from?</p>
<p>"Why on EARTH would you be uncomfortable with her being so high?"
Safety issues--fire and elevator. I'm not freaking out, but if I had my CHOICE, I would rather have my daughter in a building where she could jump out a window if the building catches on fire. A student was killed in an elevator last year on her campus. Now, as I write this I realize it sounds ridiculous, but I'm just saying I would be more comfortable if she were in a three or four story building. </p>
<p>"It's college. I hate to say it, but get over it."
When you are a mom, you can tell me to get over it. </p>
<p>"From day one, your daughter needs to assert herself with what she needs."
Yes, that's part of the problem. She is not assertive. I know that is part of her growing up--taking care of things herself. She will probably let things go because she hates what she calls "confrontation," which could be as simple as asking for something for which she is entitled. I'm ok with this because she will either change or get used to getting walked on for the rest of her life. It's a life lesson.</p>
<p>"However, she cannot expect her roommates to conform to her sleep patterns. This is just as big as a problem with one roommate as with 3."
She is not expecting her roommates to conform to her sleep patterns. She is recognizing that people have DIFFERENT sleep patterns and everyone has the right to sleep on her schedule. But, if you're a light sleeper, you might not be able to get the amount of sleep you need. No, it is not just as big a problem with one roommate as with three. With three roommates there is more chance of having varying sleep times. In addition, there is much less chance of ever having "alone time" in your room. I think everyone needs a LITTLE BIT of time to be alone in his or her own space. </p>
<p>I agree that she will probably not have much time at all to watch tv. With such an intense schedule, it might be nice to be able to unwind in the room and watch Grey's Anatomy or House for an hour or two a week. </p>
<p>There's no place to put a tv, anyway from the picture I see.</p>
<p>Ok, sooz115. Since you are a mom, you can tell me to get over it. </p>
<p>However, the reason I posted here was to get some tips on how to deal with not one, not two, but THREE roommates. I don't want to be scolded or chastised or told that it will be fine. I would like constructive suggestions on living in a very small space with a very small amount of storage. (Someone else told me living in this dorm was like living in a submarine.) I am trying to help my daughter deal with a situation that is less than ideal, but I guess I'm supposed to just say,"Adios, honey, and good luck."</p>
<p>Sorry for being negative, but I am frustrated because I was trying to do something positive.</p>
<p>She should contact the other girls and see what they are bringing to avoid duplicates.
If you can determine there is clearance under the bunkbeds - bring underbed storage box.
Have her bring her winter clothes to school when it gets cold, not now.
Pack earplugs.
Headphones with noise cancelling to plug into computer and just turn on for the white noise.
If she wears contacts and does not have dailies, consider them. Easier to keep clean than regular contacts in a never cleaned bathroom.
Ask if one of her desk drawers will take a lock and if it does not buy her a small lock box to keep valuables in (cash, football tickets, calculator.)</p>