Asked my son about rails since he had a triple with loft last year. He scoffed at the suggestion and said that no one on his floor ever fell out of their loft. That’s not to say it won’t happen, particularly if there’s drinking involved.
I thought it was strange that there is only one ladder… But yes, they can climb up and down the frame at the bottom end of the bed. Does not appear to be easy, though… And there is very little space between the bottom end of her bed and her wardrobe. Hopefully they can request a ladder for each…
It will probably work out fine, but, just in case: Depending on your D’s personality, encourage her to pay attention to her own, and/or her roomies’ emotional and social needs. D16 was in a quad for the first half of her first year. Physical space was not really a problem (converted lounge), but four young women in one room was very stressful for the introverts (especially mine who tried to be “nice” and “social.”) They had a contract, but it was left to the four of them to enforce it. You can imagine how that worked for the ones who weren’t dominant types. I wish I had checked in with the RA before I left. D barely saw her and didn’t want to be the problem. The whole thing imploded in late October and had lasting repercussions for D.
Re setting up the room: there are on line programs like https://roomstyler.com/3dplanner where roomies can try out different configurations (if they have the room and furniture dimensions.) D spent a month playing with it and her roomies loved her proposal and went with it.
For what colleges are charging, forced triples in double rooms should not be allowed. The video falling out of lofted beds is horrifying. The schools should be legally forced to take safety measures at the very least.
@denimom - You will have to check with your daughter’s individual school as some schools provide them and some don’t. After we petitioned my older son’s school they are providing them this year. YAY!
At the very least, by requesting them (bed rails) and sharing your concern (that a lofted bed may not be safe) you have put the school on notice regarding safety concerns (they are placing your student in a possibly unsafe situation that you tried to mitigate) and they may be held legally responsible for it if something were to happen. I know many consumer product safety commissions have declared them a must for college dorm bed safety. We papered the res life office with these studies - so the school had no outs for declaring the lofted bad as safe
I think you can purchase them online? But Im not sure…
I was assigned to one my sophomore year due to over enrollment and moved into an apt with a friend from my dorm after fall semester. So if she chooses to stay I’m sure others will do the the skedaddle and rooms will open up. She should let housing know that she wants to be in a double and is willing to move if a spot opens up. 3 in a room is a lot to deal with and probably harder now with most kids never having shared a room with a sibling.
Wow i’m in Texas and I have been in lots of dorms in this state. I have never ever seen a single quad dorm room. I bet it is much easier for guys to make it work than women.
We saw a single quad room on a college tour last year. There was about 3 square feet of open floor space and the rest was piled with stuff because there was just nowhere for the girls to store their belongings. It was awful, from my perspective… If it were me, it’d be a deal breaker, but my kid was not fazed by it… She’s lived with a roommate in a couple of small rooms at boarding school. We were both relieved, though, when she ended up in a triple rather than a quad.
Parent of a triple survivor here. @Empireapple Unfortunately, attempting to go all Norma Rae on the housing folks at a top state school that gets 100,000 applications will fall on deaf ears. As bad as cramming 3 into doubles (or 4) is, at my kid didn’t get shipped off to a completely different school’s campus because of lack of housing (THAT happened to some kids last year). If we were paying private school prices, then I’d be a little more outraged.
D was in a small double room turned into a triple: a bunk bed on one wall and a single bunk over a very deep table on top of two drawer cabinets (to create 2 desks). 3rd desk was in front of the window between the two bunks (large, with an amazing view - really the only redeeming quality). Two closets, with a dresser at the end of the double bunk, drawers underneath the double bunk, fridge/micro at end of single bunk. Add to that the slightly nautical “basic” lighting next to each closet and the room had a definite submarine feel: claustrophibic and dimly lit. Roommate #1 got to move in early, so she took the single bunk. D opted for the bottom of the double bunk since she was the one who had the early classes (7:00a.m.!) and didn’t want to be stumbling up and down a ladder at that time of morning. Downside is that Roommate #2 in the upper bunk was loud, between the creaking bed, snack eating and typing at 2:00a.m.
For maximum success:
- similar schedules. Having an early bird rooming with night owls (or vice versas) is a #1 recipe for conflicts. It can work, but all parties must be very respectful of each other;
- don't have too much stuff, and have effective storage for what you do have;
- be clear up front who gets what built-in storage - it may never be entirely equal, but then someone may need less than the other two and/not care about it as much;
- all 3 roommates will be fairly neat and put things away rather than leave piles of clothes, food, etc. to form. Even if it gets shoved in the closet, it's not on the floor. Pigginess is another source of conflict, especially in such tight quarters;
- DO NOT BRING YOUR ENTIRE WARDROBE. No one needs 12 pairs of shoes at college - most kids wind up wearing jeans, shorts, flip flops, tennis shoes and sweatshirts, even if they planned to "try" this year;
- resign yourself to studying mostly in the study lounges/libraries. D created a large "study bin" full of her study aids that she could drag out and then store underneath her desk when not needed;
- share your schedules so that you know roughly when people will be coming and going in and out of the room. Communicate with each other if you are going to need the room for "extracurricular activities" (otherwise, both roommates will walk in on you within the space of an hour - 'nuf said). If you feel you don't get enough "alone time" in the room (even if it's just hanging out or napping), you will start resenting your roommates;
- tell yourself that it's only for a school year. And, hope that the housing gods smile on you next year. D wound up in a coveted on-campus 4-bedroom apartment with 3 roommates. Yes, they each get their OWN bedroom - oh, the luxury!
I had friends who asked me, in all seriousness, “Well, why didn’t your D request a double?” Gee, she never though tof that (smacks head). There is what you request, and what you get. Those two were NOT the same things last year. This year, she got her first choice. The fickle finger of fate…
Both of my sons were in triples their freshman years. It worked out fine!! Older son was in a real triple, but it was not huge. Just a square room. Their beds were all lofted to skyscraper heights and I was sure someone would fall out. I asked about it regularly. Younger son was in a forced triple. It was a more oblong room. Beds were only lofted above dressers. It seemed as if the forced triple was actually bigger than the real triple his brother had (different schools.) Everyone got along great. Older son ended up rooming with one of the first year roommates all 4 years. Younger son is not rooming next year with roommates from last year but they are all on good terms despite differences in interests and politics.
In terms of moving in, a CC parent had a smart idea that worked extremely well for us. Much of the bulk is bedding. Therefore, if possible, unpack it at home. Stack it in a garbage bag in reverse order (pillows on the bottom, egg crate on the top. If you have easy and quick access to your bedding, you can make the bed before unpacking anything else. All the rest can then be piled on top, leaving much more floor space for everyone. If you are flying and doing the BBB thing as we were, rent a condo instead of a hotel room.
My D was in a triple her freshman year and they managed fine but nothing stayed the way it was the first week or so! The kids will work out what is comfortable for them as far as what goes where and chances are good that space will open up in other rooms/dorms as kids drop out.
@cameo43 your daughter can request a ladder. My daughter didn’t have have one initially. A friend broke her ankle getting out of her bed (without the ladder). Those without ladders climbed down the foot of the bed which had a rail. They thought this was adequate. But in a dark room at night was tricky. My D immediately requested a ladder and got a ladder.
She was in a triple and it worked out fine. We brought up a 3 drawer container for storage. Also, many kids had an over the door hanger which created additional hanging space in front of the wardrobe. Because the bed was bunked (no night stand) she had a clip on light and also a little storage bin that hung from a top rail of bed. She put her glasses in it before going to sleep.
They were all athletes (just swim bags, no major gear). They had lockers in athletic facility to keep some things. They had a good size fridge with a freezer (good for icing sore body parts) and a microwave so they could eat in the room after morning practice. They also had a Kuerig. Somehow, things stacked (safely). The space was extremely tight but they loved it! They became fast friends and managed the small space with no issues.
There were times it looked bad, with wet towels and suits hanging from all over the place. They seemed to have agreed upon tidy-up days. D said the hardest part was changing sheets way up high with little clearance. She is 5’11" and I’m pretty sure lived in fear of banging her head. The best part about sophomore year was a regular bed at ground level.
I lived in a quad for a semester. one room, four girls: Two sinks, two double bunks, and two closets. It was rather big, designed as a triple. One key thing is to find a place to study other than the triple. There will be no studying if its a co ed dorm as triples and quads end up being very social rooms. There are good things about that, just pack light and find a library to study in the first week and get into a good study habit. Quads are the kiss of death for study habits… Ask me how I know! Chances are a double is in your daughter’s future.
The OP is worried about a triple that is 19 x 13 – my daughter is in a quad that is 18’2" x 17’10"! The beds are lofted and on our tour last spring, i was surprised by the space. Agree with others that the key is to bring less than you think they will need. And talk about what they can share - full length mirror, fridge, microwave, pineapple (sorry, couldn’t resist!)!
We are definitely trying to limit what D is bringing to her quad and since we have to fly, that helps. However, it’s driving me nuts that D and her roommates are not being very communicative about items they might want/need but don’t need four of. For instance, their room has its own bathroom so they need a bathmat and (possibly? I don’t even know) a shower curtain. I asked D if they have discussed any of this and she said no. She said she hasn’t heard much from any of them since they initially found out about each other three weeks ago. Just a few basic things. I told her to put together a list of things they might want/need and send it to them to see if they all agree #1) they want/need the item and #2) discuss who should bring what. She said she already had a list put together but hasn’t sent it. I think she’s afraid of appearing pushy and doesn’t want to start off on the wrong foot. So I’m just staying out.
It’s interesting how the small amount of room space seems to bother us more than them. Making the lofted or bunk bed is tricky, my daughter called her weekly sheet changing “bed wrestling”.
One issue our daughter had was privacy to Skype with us. We live in Asia and she is on the east coast so sometimes Skype has to be scheduled at weird times too when roommates were sleeping (two of her roommates slept a lot!). She would Skype with us in the stairwell so she could talk more freely without roommates right there, and so that she wouldn’t wake any of them. The WiFi was more challenged in the stairwell of the old building. It was kind of fun to see peers walking by pat her on the head or wave to us as they walked by. She found a way to make it work.
I think roommates finding a way to get along or at least rather peacefully coexist is a much more important factor than relative space. I have yet to see limited space brought up by college aged posters here who are having struggles.
It is my job to buy the mini-fridge for the triple. Any recommendations on one that is large enough and will last 4 years?
A little update to D’s forced quad situation. When she first got the letter, I asked her “does this mean we get a discount?” 
The letter mentioned nothing of the sort and when I looked back online at the residential life page, it did say that her dorm had triples and quads. The letter we got said that her room was a “flex” room meaning that it was designated as a room that could be made into a quad. Lovely. I assumed that meant no hope for a discount.
Today however, she received an email saying that because she has been placed in one of these flex rooms, she will get a discount of 25%, assuming that on move in day, all four have moved in. They said often times kids will cancel housing so if all four are there to move in on Sept 1, we will get the discount. However, kids can request the option to move, space available, so even if anyone moves out after Sept 1, we will still get the discount. They also noted that they are having professional lofted systems installed and will send out a photo of the room with the lofted beds and furniture so that students can choose to either keep all the furniture or have some of it removed or modified. This will be so helpful so that at least we can then see how much space there is!
I asked D if she wanted to fill out the request for a room change which they included in the email but she said no. I think she doesn’t want the upheaval after already moving in but I cringe at the thought of her living with three other girls! I’m keeping my fingers crossed that one of the girls will end up moving out - she hadn’t even requested this dorm and had asked for a double so thinking perhaps she has requested a room change. That would be the best outcome I think but we shall see!