My freshman year was similar. My room was normally a lounge. Instead it was tripled with 2 freshman and 1 transfer student (2 lofted beds ad 1 bed on the floor. We did pay a triple rate and were told they would offer us space as it became available. I don’t think anyone on my floor was moved but 1 or 2 rooms had someone transfer out after the first semester. In my case one roommate just sort of paid her bill and moved out. We thought it was official until we found out at the end of the year when they asked us if we knew when she was turning in her key.
When it was a triple there was only 2 desks etc but since one roommate was a music theater major and one was a classical piano major desk space was never an issue. The roommate who stayed was diabetic and brought a fridge to store her insulin. We also picked up a microwave from someone moving into an apartment that already had one. My father had given me a 13 in tv which had rabbit ears. The other people on the floor would come to use our microwave and watch tv. Actually the tv moved from room to room since it was portable. I could get it back whenever I asked but it was never an issue. Actually I also had an electric typewriter that moved from room to room. I think people felt we were the lending lounge. It was all in good fun though and if I didn’t need the typewriter I didn’t care.
Navy accommodations on ships are likely to be more cramped due to space limitations, particularly on submarines.
Current Nimitz class carriers have a crew of 3,000-3,200, not including air wing. Some carriers of older classes were in service in the 1990s; they were of similar size with similar crew sizes. The new Gerald R. Ford class carriers will be of similar size with 700 fewer crew.
This could be the most problematic issue, if it is real. If the police and prosecutors have an aggressive “war on drugs” attitude, then it is not inconceivable that innocent roommates could get pulled into a dragnet of drug dealer arrests and prosecutions. This can result in a lot of problems and costs of criminal defense and asset forfeiture.
Admire the go with the flow attitude, I don’t think we could do that. I certainly wouldn’t pay 15K for that arrangement. Sleep and rest is important, too many people means more germs and disruption, oh and girls - the drama - you know all these things. But what can you do? Just demand a discount is probably it. Non traditional housing = non traditional housing payment.
There were people in lounge my freshman year. The girls became pretty friendly. One move in with me when they realized there was space since my original roommate’s mother had her immediately moved on day one to an all female tower. It took at least two months to clear the lounge if I remember correctly.
Some residential colleges with mandatory residential requirements for all students…including in some cases students who live a few blocks away* for some/most of one’s undergrad years would only grant exemptions from the requirement for medical conditions which couldn’t be accommodated in a dorm setting.
At my LAC when I attended, unless one was a local town resident or had a documented medical condition which precluded one from living in the dorms, one must stay in the dorms for most of one’s undegrad**.
A few classmates/their families who attempted to get around it by going to the housing director/senior admins to get exempted despite not being covered by those exceptions got no where. Most of us classmates who were in earshot/heard of this considering our college community was small enough for word to get around tended to view such classmates as “special snowflakes” to use the current lingo for those seeking special “coddling” treatment.
This was the case at Harvard when my HS classmates were Harvard undergrads during the mid-late '90s.
** A few seniors were granted exemptions…but even they were in a great minority considering the vast majority of seniors ended up staying in the dorms.
I seriously don’t think withdrawing or finding another college is a fair or reasonable option. That is not even on the table. My daughter was accepted directly into a 7 year program, through her doctorate, with no need to reapply. She is already looking at finishing her studies in 2024. She should not have to wait another year.
(Sorry, this was supposed to be a reply to a comment much earlier in the chain which suggested she had the option of withdrawing, finding another school or taking a gap year.)
I agree that changing schools is not an option, @Hangdog ! Your daughter earned her place, wants to go and should be accommodated. If she’s okay with the housing situation, I’d stay out of it, but do arm her with knowledge about steps she (not you!) can take if she isn’t. The only area where you may want to get involved is asking for (really, insisting on) lower room charges because she is not in standard housing.
My kids were both at LACs where there is no tiered housing structure–everyone pays the same regardless of housing type–and in general, I like this. But in their cases, even the crappy dorms were still standard college housing. In your daughter’s case, she’s living in a space never intended to be lived in, and I would insist on a reduced charge for that.
My Navy ensign was in a double at OTS and gets a housing allowance to live off base in an apartment now while doing further training. I’m sure he’ll be in crowded quarters shipboard, but on shore I gather he will generally have his own quarters. FYI, not really relevant to this thread. I also know that huge dorm rooms were common at British boarding schools - I read enough school stories about them!
I’m not so shocked by QU using lounge space as a dorm room - we saw that in a couple of campuses we visited, but in all of them there was some monetary compensation for being squashed. Our American U guide was in a forced triple, the kids ended up getting along well and loved the break they got on housing costs, so opted to stay together the whole year. Other colleges rent hotel space in local apartment buildings or hotels as a way of avoiding this problem.
So, it’s official. Spoke to Residence Life and they had a couple of spots become available due to students no longer planning to attend (some actually put down multiple deposits, I guess - and at least one student got accepted off the wait list to their top choice school). My D was one of the first to get the option to move so we grabbed it! It sounds like there will be more people moving out of the non-traditional housing as spaces open up. The Office of Res Life even told me there will be students who “no show” on move in day!
She is now getting to know her new roommates. She told the original roommates she was moved and it turns out one of them is good friends with one of the new roommates, so that helped with the introduction. Plus, she is literally just a few rooms down the hall from the original room/lounge.
My D seems happy. Although she was content with trying her situation, as she learned the roommates would be in fluz/possibly change as space opened up, she decided that having a solid room situation, in a normal setting, would be the better way to go. So now it’s back to the “who is bringing what” discussions.
Move in day is 3 weeks from tomorrow. It is going to fly by I am sure!!!
@Hangdog It is bad enough the roommate is dealing, but sending pictures to others?? WOW epitome of stupid-- she probably won’t last a semester (the roommate) gah