<p>I'm thinking of requesting a single dorm for the sake of privacy, freedom, etc; however, I sense there are some downsides to a single dorm that I am unaware of. What are the pros and cons to single dorms as opposed to double dorms?</p>
<p>IMO there are no real downsides to living in a single. There are the well-known advantages you listed, of course. Singles at Pomona are usually more than half the size of a typical double so you get more space. Racking my brain to find disadvantages, here’s what I can come up with:
- Many think that Gibson is the best freshman dorm and it is all doubles. It’s small, though, so you’re unlikely to room there in any case.
- You could save a bit of money by splitting the cost of extra appliances/furniture you might want like a futon, microwave, fridge, or TV.
- Some people who aren’t very outgoing might like having an “automatic friend”.</p>
<p>Also, there’s no place on the freshman housing form to indicate that you want a single. You could fill out strange personal habits that make you sound difficult to live with or just brazenly address the reader and demand a single in the “additional info” section.</p>
<p>One other advantage to having a double is that your network of friends automatically doubles. Most likely, you’ll get to meet your roomies’ friends and she yours.</p>
<p>There are rare cases where room mates don’t get along (as happened to my D), but by-and-large Pomona does a fine job of matching room mates as close as possible, so it shouldn’t be that much of an issue for a double occupancy dorm room. In my D’s case, she will live in a single for her sophomore year and she is very happily looking forward to it. Personally, I’d recommend a double as a freshman… helps build relationships and network of friends.</p>