<p>Question: Have there been any studies conducted that suggest the optimal living situation for freshman students (single, double, triple, quad …)? My daughter just entered her freshman year at a small liberal arts college and the room–clearly designed for two–is housing three students. All students in the honors dorm are similarly housed, and [...]</p>
<p>My brother has been studying here for last five years and he told me that there are some consultants who can help you in resolve such problems.</p>
<p>Sometimes, crowded dorm environments can lead to a better community experience. Dorm room doors stay open more, there’s more hallway and common area interaction, etc. Freshman year is a great time for bonding, and a single or cushy suite might be comfy but also less likely to propel residents to interact.</p>
<p>Of course, a crowded room will intensify problems from a bad roommate - noisy behavior, weird friends, late hours, substance abuse, etc. But even in a slightly bigger room those would be issues anyway.</p>
<p>If they’re packed in too tightly, it can stunt their growth.</p>
<p>I’m concerned about this too. My s is a freshman at Brandeis and is in a “forced triple”. 3 kids in a room meant for 2. So far it is going well.</p>
<p>First off, it definitely doesn’t stunt growth…and I know of no studies that have been done in regards to living in a room with more than 2 people. I know I have lived in two situations in college, living in a quad suite, and living in a suite with 8 other girls, where two girls shared a dorm room, and all the rooms shared a hallway and a bathroom. </p>
<p>Both situations were difficult (and still are considering my suite situation right now…) but there are no serious issues. I mean, typical problems range from too many people with only one shower (8 girls and only one shower was not the best idea haha) to just having too many people in one room at once. In the quad, we had two rooms and our own bathroom. It just gets annoying sometimes when you are trying to get stuff done and everyone decides to do something loud. When it’s 3 other people there are more compromises that need to happen. But, you make it work. It’s the same with forced triples. I had plenty of friends who were stuck in forced triples due to severe overcrowding at a college I attended, and only one of them had any serious problems. Everyone else quickly became close with the people they lived with. You have to…otherwise you hate them within two weeks.</p>
<p>As parents, I wouldn’t worry. Your kids will be fine. I gained a lot from living with 3 other girls my freshman year, and wouldn’t change how it went.</p>
<p>Re Post #2: Wha???</p>
<p>When I went to college (many moons ago), they had the largest incoming freshman class that school had seen. I was placed in a five person room, which was a normal 3 person room. Believe it or not, I was fortunate compared to some who were placed in common areas set up with rows of bunkbeds. Luckily, my friend and I were able to get into a two person room after about a month. All the roommates were nice people, folks that we might have been friends with if we’d met them under different circumstances, but our biggest issues were differences in sleeping/studying patterns. When I was ready to go to sleep at 11 0r 12am, one of my roommates was just preparing to go out to party, and this was every night. She never got up before 11am, and of course, I did. Also, one of the roommates couldn’t sleep without music playing, which drove the rest of us crazy and one had to have a light on … stuff like that. Lack of sleep (on all of our parts because of our different schedules) made the situation unbearable no matter how hard we all tried. </p>
<p>zebes</p>
<p>Of course it can be a problem. It can be a big problem. Though you get double the chance of a good roommate and friends, you also get an increased chance of problems. Anyone who tells you that roommate problems do not effect quality of life is not realistic. You not only get roommate problems when things are not working well, but the problmes with the roommates friends and acquaintances. It CAN be a problem, and when it is, it can be be a big problem.</p>
<p>My freshman year, I was in a quad–a designed quad but still, it wasn’t a great situation. Every room seemed to have one person out of the 4 who was difficult to live with. Part of growing up, I guess, but when you have people who play loud music late (or early), or leave their stuff all over your side of the room, it’s stressful. I should have learned to stand up for myself more and today I would.</p>
<p>The other thing to worry about is the spread of disease. My S was in a summer program where the 4 bunk beds were in a tiny barracks-like area, with a separate area for clothes, also tiny. It was like a Pullman car. If one of the guys sneezed, everyone would get a cold.</p>
<p>If they’re packed in too tightly, it can stunt their growth.</p>
<p>Hunt is correct. Studies have proven it. Also it is proven that students packed together too tightly come to resemble one another over time. Some find it so stressful they will gnaw off their own tails. Not to mention throw poop at one another. </p>
<p>EDIT: Oh. Those were monkeys and lab rats.</p>
<p>What is the alternative? Accept fewer students? It’s hard enough getting into most colleges, lowering the numbers is not the answer- I’m sure your daughter would rather be in a crowded room than not be at the school at all.</p>
<p>Kids adapt. It’s not the end of the world. D was in a triple freshman year - not the ideal situation, but having lived in her own room at home, with her own bathroom, learning to share was a positive influence on her. We didn’t encourage any doom & gloom, but suggested ways she could make the experience better - regular room meetings to discuss plans for the upcoming week and even a room contract where they all agreed to mediate any conflicts, before they became major problems. They spelled out quiet times, lights out times, etc. It worked for them. Her roommates did not become her best friends - but others on her floor did. Now she looks back fondly on her freshman year- she’s a Junior in a single!</p>
<p>One way colleges can minimize the disruption is by having good RAs on each floor to guide students to create contracts and agreements, and mediate conflicts.</p>
<p>I don’t recall my RA freshman year as being any help at all.</p>
<p>Some kids do not adapt well. It can be a big problem and an expenditure that is not what the parent expected if things do not work out.</p>
<p>So what can colleges do? Well, for starters, they can make freshman housing the priority. Since they are going fishing at that point in time, they should use some good bait, and good freshman housing should be some of it. Because that first year can be ever so important, the freshmen should be on campus and together with some upper classmen sprinkled in the mix. If there is inadequate housing on campus, the upper classmen are the ones who should be placed off campus or in the triples. They know the area, the system, the kids. Schools are now moving towards making it a more cohesive class, I’ve noticed but have not gone all the ways. NYU, for instance, is now trying to keep their freshmen together. To me, it 's a no brainer that should be done in all cases. I know for some parents a bad dorm experience freshman year is a turn off for other kids applying to a school. You can’t guarantee an positive dorm experience, but you can put the odds on your side.</p>
<p>Freshman housing should be a priority; however, admissions should also pay attention to the numbers when admitting those freshman. This happened to our son two years ago; admissions under-estimated the number of acceptances thus causing huge overcrowding. I suppose one could argue that admissions really does not have control over exactly how many acceptances will attend, but they certainly should know the number of beds/rooms that are available.</p>
<p>RE post 11:</p>
<p>Contrary to popular opinion, goldfish do not grow to the size of their container and then stop. They grow as large as the container can support them and then they die.</p>
<p>I do not think this applies to college students tho!</p>
<p>Also keep in mind that college students (freshman in particular) are generally much thinner and more adaptable than their parents. Even if they have been raised in their own private bedrooms, they are much more likely to put up with the crowded conditions and loss of privacy inherent in any dorm room. To many of them, living with a roommate in a small dorm room may actually be something of an adventure-like sleep-away camp. The most important factor is the roommate not the room.</p>
<p>My D’s top pick for next year got it right on housing, I think. All freshmen dorm together and the rooms are all generously sized doubles with their own bathrooms. The next dorm has all sophmores and then there are apt style suites for upperclassmen who choose to remain on campus. They’re able to do this by having a limit on class sizes determined by the date you mail in your deposit, thereby eliminating the “oops, we accepted too many” factor. Unfortunately, she saw this school first and so it’s become a standard most will not match up to!</p>
<p>Huh? A small liberal arts school is housing 3 ppl instead of 2? Haha I expected this only at a huge state school or something.</p>
<p>D is only 5’1" so she doesn’t need her growth stunted(that was a funny post!), but the good thing about being petite is that her dorm room will seem larger to whatever size roommate she gets next year! She takes up very little space! I also doubt very many people will be able to “borrow” clothes from her either, but then again, neither will she!</p>