If your son has other options, he can let this school die on this hill. If he has no other options, I’m guessing he’ll get used to it.
I did let one of my kids pick a more expense dorm option (4 bedroom suites, share bathrooms and kitchenette). Although 90% of freshman live in this option, there were a few cheaper dorms and it was the the only way she could have afforded this school, she would have because the school meant more to her than the housing.
My niece stayed in a regular triple room and she was horrified at the thought of being in a triple an having to use community bathroom. By end of freshman year she found out her fears were not warranted and made it just fine. I would not let living in a triple room sway my decision to attend my dream school.
@NorthernMom61 : “May have been stall like (I didn’t see it) but it was her own stall each night. Her single room in the apartment style dorm is pretty small too, but it is her own.”
Sure, if that is important and desired, it is cherished. I can get that.
My son had the opposite situation than that of the OP, having asked for a triple, then a double, only to find he was in a single. We were very unhappy about that; we thought he could have used the camaraderie and the work at living with others in such intimate quarters.
Funny thing on space and keeping things in order: My daughter told me at break that a boy from her hall had put his head in her room and asked her where she and her roommate keep all of their used-but-will-wear-again jeans and pants. He did not know what to do with his, and he and his roommate were kind of boy-style winging it.(Sorry for the sexism there.) He was amazed that things weren’t hanging out all over the place. She showed him how they had chosen to do it, and he thought it great.
I agree @Waiting2exhale that it is frustrating to get a single if you didn’t ask for it. My daughter knew as a freshman that a triple was most likely and a quad was possible. She never complained about the tight quarters, and like I said in my first post,
I think it was good to be in a bit of a crowded freshman dorm last year because it was a highly social place, with doors open and lots of people to socialize with. That is in comparison to an apartment style dorm that she is in now. The apartment style dorm does not result in the same kind of socializing outside of one’s own room like the more traditional dorm seems to. There are always trade offs.
Getting back to the OP, I guess dorm issues could be a deal breaker for some kids. It was never going to be an issue for us when our daughter was going through admissions because she/we were chasing merit, and she ended up at the school with the best merit offer (which luck would have it turned out to be an amazing fit). The dorm configuration was low on our priority list compared to other things. And when she ended up in a quad, it was what it was.
My D was in a big freshman dorm with 4 roommates. There were 3 single beds and a set of bunks, and all the desks were in a second smaller room. She was fine with it, but it was definitely a bit challenging and she did most of her studying in the library. Another year she shared a 2 BR apt with 3 other girls, but they were friends she had chosen to live with. Everyone has a different comfort level with dorming situations. My S had one roommate freshman year, and went off campus after that to apartments where he could have his own room, and has lived alone since graduating.
OP here. Thak you for all the responses. DS and I went out to dinner last night and discussed this situation. He said after thinking about it, he would not allow the housing situation to be a deal breaker. He knows that the school is a perfect fit for him. Also, his following year, he has the opportunity to live in one of the best residence halls on campus with other people in his major.
The rooms are made to fit 3 per person so they are more spacious than double rooms. It was interesting to me how different our perspectives were as I watched some dorm tour videos as well. I was amazed at what a great job the kids did making the space work, especially when the beds were lofted.
@Waiting2exhale I laughed when I read your comment about the clothing situation since that sounds like my DS. I can only hope that his triplet dorm would force him to become more neat.
Honestly, I am much more concerned about the bathroom situation. Some rooms share their bathroom (1 toilet/1 shower) with either another triplet room or a double. Other triplets have their own bathroom. I can’t imagine 6 guys sharing one bathroom space! They are also responsible for cleaning their own bathrooms. DS knows how to clean but hates spending any time cleaning.
Thank you again for all the responses.
My son’s triple bathroom situation – four triple rooms (12 students of the same gender) – each room had a door which lead to the shared bathroom, which had four sinks and 4 showers and 4 toilets. The bathroom was cleaned by the school and tp and paper towels supplied as well. It worked for them.
Hmm, I had to share my bathroom growing up with 4 brothers and a sister. Not impossible, and believe me, it wasnot an HGTV designer bathroom. My daughter’s dorm ‘hall’ bathroom was two sinks, two stalls, one shower and I think about 10 kids shared it. Not one complaint or problem.
I was in a triple my freshman year back in the day, and my daughter started the year in a triple (one roommate has dropped out now.) We both think it was fine. One doesn’t tend to spend a lot of time in the room anyway, and, let’s face it, even a double is pretty crowded at most places 
I can think of worse things in life than being “forced” into a triple bedroom for a year (really 9 months).
As long as there is enough space for three beds, three desks and three storage units, they’ll figure it out. In fact, I think it would be a good lesson for a kid who has had his/her own spacious bedroom for the past 17 years. When they call complaining, help them out by giving them a chance to be an adult and figure it out on their own.
My D spent both freshman and soph years in a forced triple. It was incredibly tight and uncomfortable. She spent a lot of time out of her room-- at the library, in the lounge, or in the common room area of the suite (soph year.)
This year she is in a roomy double, and she is much happier. Living space matters.