At most schools do freshmen have roommates? Has this been a hard transition for anyone’s kids? Many ages ago I had more of a suite style triple my freshman year. Are singles and suites a lot more expensive at schools that offer them? I know that on S22’s list, Brown freshmen definitely have roommates. I’m not really sure about the others. Thanks.
Brown
University of Chicago
Pomona
Harvey Mudd
Haverford
Swarthmore
University of Michigan
Carleton
Amherst
University of Rochester
Macalester
Harvard
Berkeley
Carnegie Mellon
Reed
Freshmen at Haverford may have singles.
Not on your list but freshman at UPenn and Lehigh can have singles.
A student can request a single with private bath or a suite at UMichigan. And yes, it’s more expensive.
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At Harvard, there are singles available for first years, but very few. More typical would be a suite, e.g. a multi person area with a common room, en-suite bath, and multiple bedrooms where someone may end up with a single for part of the year. There is no difference in cost.
That’s interesting to know about that kind of suite.
The suites I am familiar with are two to four rooms with two roommates in each that share one bathroom (so not dorm with rooms on a hall and one bathroom down the hall).
At UChicago there are singles, doubles and suites. You will not get a suite as a first year. The bathroom configuration will depend on building. The singles and suites are more.
Actually at Brown you can request a single based on a variety of circumstances and will typically get one. They also have a number of two room doubles. A bit awkward as one kid in essence has a single but has to walk through the other kids room to exit, while the other kid has a slightly larger room but also had the common entry.
Hope this helps.
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Can confirm this, but in my experience in a normal year it’s pretty uncommon to want/have a single. Rooming is almost completely random at Brown…IME in non covid times almost everyone without an accessibility concerned is in a double with a roommate they have almost no choice in, but for the people I know it’d worked out really well. No cost difference between any dorms.
Michigan has singles, although you’re not guaranteed and they’re about 4k more (at least this year) than a double. You can research the rates on any of these schools housing page as well as if they have singles or not.
Limited number of single dorm rooms at UCB for Freshman. Majority would be Doubles and Triples.
Housing costs link: Rates - Housing
Not on your list, but 60% of Williams College freshmen have single bedrooms.
Since they are part of an “entry” dorm social group, it is the best of both worlds: your own private space, but not isolated.
At Amherst all freshmen are in one room doubles. There were singles this year due to Covid but that is not the norm. All freshmen are assigned a roommate - no pairing up prior to arrival. They seem to do a good job matching as my son ended up sharing a room with his freshmen roommate sophomore year (after freshmen year you can choose who you room with and there is a lottery to pick your dorms). Hope this helps!