<p>So I was wondering if there were any safety concerns when having a single room vs having a double room. I was looking into it, and some resources said that it is a lot safer to have a double room because it is usually safer to have someone around than to be alone. It is said that roommate can offer a bit of security, as they will be able to report if you go missing or will be able to find you in your room if you are hurt, or check in with you time from time. Additionally, with two or more people coming and going in and out of the room instead of one, it lowers the chance of someone breaking into an empty room to steal things. </p>
<p>So my question is whether these reasons are really valid, and whether I should be worrying about this. Or are singles just as safe as doubles? Has anyone had any trouble with their safety when living in a single? Are people able to break into single rooms even if they are locked? </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>I never lived in a single unit, but I can imagine that each school (including location) is unique in terms of safety. My school was probably about as safe as they come (rural area in central Arizona) with record low crime rates. I wouldn’t have felt uncomfortable getting a single there.</p>
<p>The bigger issue, IMO, would be loneliness and isolation. I personally liked having other roommates to talk to, vent frustration with, play games with, etc. I could see living alone being somewhat depressing, although some people have no problem with it.</p>
<p>So I guess the answer to your question is, it depends. Depends on where you go to school (geographic location), and level of security your school provides… do you feel like you are safe there?</p>
<p>I think in terms of break-ins, most dorms are pretty safe and secure. I don’t think that’s something you really need to worry about.</p>
<p>As for checking in on you and making sure you come home, that is fairly important. The person checking in on you doesn’t have to be your roommate, though. Just make sure you have at least one person – maybe someone who lives down the hall – who can check up on you and who would notice if you were missing. People can keep track of you from a distance, too. You can always tell someone “If I don’t text/call you by 3 AM tonight, something is wrong.” I definitely think that it’s important to not go out late alone without telling anyone, but you don’t need a roommate to be safe!</p>
<p>I think this is a bit of an unnecessary concern. College dorms are generally very safe atmospheres. Break-ins are a rarity at most of them. </p>
<p>The safety of your college in general is going to matter a lot more than whether you’re in a single or a double dorm. I don’t think this is really that important to fret over.</p>
<p>Also, if you’re actually concerned about safety in terms of being hurt or going missing, your friends and/or a family member will probably be more reliable than a roommate (perhaps giving someone numbers to call if they don’t hear from you in x amount of time or if you stop answering your friends’ calls/texts), unless you’re close to your roommate. I’ve roomed with friends, and we would generally check in on each other if someone didn’t come home when we were expecting them to. But I’ve had other roommates who I wasn’t particularly close with, and they’d be gone for days at a time and I never thought anything of it. I’d leave for days without telling my roommate, and they wouldn’t check up on me. It really just depends on the relationship you have with your roommate and what kind of person they are. If you’re thinking of it more from the point of view of it being comforting for someone to be around, then that’s fine, but I wouldn’t get a double room for solely that reason, if you actually want a single. It would be much better to just make sure you’re plugged into the community–with your neighbors/other students in your dorm/your RA, with clubs, with friends, with work, with classes, etc, so that people will notice if something is wrong.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t base your housing decision based on something like this. I think if you’re worried about safety, you should spend more time looking into the safety of the school and surrounding area and ways to keep yourself safe in different situations than whether or not you have a roommate. But if you don’t care if you live in a single or a double, then you might as well get a double if you find it more comforting.</p>
<p>Thank you for all of the replies! This was very helpful. </p>
<p>It could go either way. A roommate could make you safer because there is someone to notice if you are missing/don’t come back to your dorm. An assault while you are in your room is probably less likely, too, since there is a second person there. Flip side is that roommates sometimes leave doors unlocked when they are out of the room (so your stuff could get stolen), or may want you to leave the door unlocked when they are out and you are in the room. I think generally most students should have a roommate first year. They MAY become a friend (doesn’t always happen), and it does keep you from getting too isolated. Plus, lots of colleges don’t have singles for freshman unless you have a medical reason for it. Singles might be more expensive, too.</p>
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<p>Might depend on the habits of those living in them. If residents prop doors open (to let their friends in), leave doors and windows unlocked, etc., then it is easier for thieves and worse to get in.</p>