Would appreciate insights from UCSB students regarding dorm living. My daughter has to turn in her housing application this week, and she is choosing between a double in San Nicolas and a triple in Anacapa. She plans to sign up for the scholars floor in either dorm. The concern with the triple in Anacapa is–how crowded and comfortable would living with three people in one dorm room be? (Especially when it comes to being able to study, too, and not just party. She is majoring in engineering.) The concern with a double in San Nicolas is–would the dorm be full of FSSP students who have already formed relationships/bonded and would she be the outsider? Thank you for your help.
Just a comment about setting expectations. Dorms are not often confused with quiet monastic places, nor is it really fair to expect your daughter’s roommates to hush themselves so your daughter can study. College students listen to music, watch TV, have friends over, the hallways tend to be a bit noisy. Both these dorms are in easy walking distance of the main library, which even has a 24-hour study room. I’m not saying nobody ever studies in their room, but if she needs quiet time to concentrate and get homework done then the dorm room wouldn’t be my 1st choice.
I guess what I’m saying is that I wouldn’t make “study inside the room” a factor in the choice.
Thanks for responding–didn’t mean to give the impression that we are expecting everyone to be as quiet as a mouse. She doesn’t study in her bedroom in high school, either–she goes to the library or a cafe. I guess I shouldn’t have focused on the studying, but from what we’ve heard, these rooms are meant for doubles with a third person put in, so it sounds cramped. We heard that there are only two closets in Anacapa, for instance. Plus, adjusting to each other’s living habits is hard enough with one person, much less two. So she is considering getting a double, but would love to hear input about living in a triple. So to sum up, she prefers a double, but is not in FSSP. So that leaves a double in San Miguel or a triple in Anacapa. We haven’t heard a lot of good things about San Miguel, though. So would appreciate suggestions.
Got it. Hopefully a student with recent experience living in the dorms will respond. My take is that the location of Anacapa is nicer than San Miguel; some rooms have an ocean view, and the grassy areas around the low-rise buildings give a nice feel. Probably not the most important factor in making a decision, though…
hello, i am currently a student attending UCSB. I currently live in a triple in San Nicolas. The reason I live in San Nicolas is because I was involved with FSSP. San Nicolas was built with the intent to only house double rooms, but due to the high number of incoming students in the past years, San Nicolas has become pretty much made up of all triples. There are a handful of doubles in San Nicolas but due to the fact that FSSP Students live in San Nicolas, it won’t be easy to get a double there. Most students choose to continue living in San Nicolas since they have already made friends in the building. When fall quarter came around, we were excited to find that we were getting 4 new floor mates so if your daughter does get the double, the students will be welcoming and she will be able to make friends just as easy. As for space in a triple, I have been in my friends triple in Anacapa and I wish I had that much space in my triple. They have enough space for all 3 students to study, relax, and for them to be comfortable. The majority of students here are in triples are we all still get along 
Thank you for your helpful reply. It’s good to know that FSSP kids can be welcoming of newcomers. However, didn’t know San Nicolas has mostly been triples recently. That may cancel out the double advantage. Guess we can call Housing to find out. Glad to hear that Anacapa triples are roomier though. Thanks for that information! Hope to eventually get some input on San Miguel double rooms vs. Anacapa triples.