Make dorm life manageable with these tricks.
Dorm life in a triple or quad can be crazy. As if dealing with one roommate isn’t enough, the thought of having three or four people living together in a room can stress a student out. Especially in your freshman year, when the school expects you to room with others and you have little control over housing choices, you might be faced with a triple or quad dorm room.
What is a triple or quad?
A triple is a dorm room with three students living in it. A quad is the same thing with four students. Beds are usually bunked to save space, and the rooms might be a little larger than singles and doubles, but usually not by much. Living in a triple or quad will always be a cheaper option than a standard double or single dorm room.
There are definitely pros and cons to dorm life in a more crowded room, and older students will typically have more options, but you can make it through your freshman year in a triple or quad with a little patience. You might even find out that you enjoy the opportunity to live with lots of other people!
Is a triple or quad different than a suite?
Yes. College suites will often have three or four people living together like they do in a triple or quad. The difference is that suites are more like apartments than rooms.
Students in suites will have their own room or share with only one roommate, and they will share a bathroom and common area with the rest of the suite. A triple or quad is one room that everyone lives in with no extra common area.
Explore the following tips for triples and quads that will help you survive your first semester on campus.
1. Organize Everything
If organization isn’t your thing, then consider your dorm room a crash course in organization 101. With three or four people living in one room with beds, desks, dressers and other space-taking furnishings, there’s very little space to share.
Stay organized and have a conversation with your roommates about making sure that everyone cleans up after himself or herself.
2. Communicate Openly
This is a common rule for anyone living with a roommate; communication is especially important with multiple people living in a room together. Dorm life is hard enough without petty arguments and worrying about whether your roommate is clipping her toenails on your bed.
Talk with your roommates all together and have quick meetings once a week to check in, see how everyone is doing and talk about anything that needs to be discussed.
3. Watch Out for People’s Moods
A recent survey at the University of Michigan found that college males with depressed roommates tended to be sadder themselves. This was especially noticed when students bottled up their feelings and didn’t talk about them.
So check in and make sure that everyone is feeling okay. This is another good reason to communicate.
4. Spend Time Outside the Dorm Room
While it can be frustrating to have to leave the room to study when your roommate is watching TV, and your roommate’s video games seem like a great way to relax in between classes, try to spend some time outside of the dorm room.
Dorm life isn’t just about your room. While you’ll most likely become friends with one or more of your roommates, there are things to do and people to see on your dormitory floor, on campus and in town. And roommates who spend time away from each other sometimes won’t get on each others’ nerves as quickly!
Sources: New York Times