I grew up in a very clunky and full home. Whenever I came home from school, I’d walk into piles of blueprints and decor clouding up my family’s two-bed apartment. But the thing with growing up in a clunky home is that you get used to the clutter and view it as normal. You start to believe that everyone lives in a clunky home. So, even though my house was tiny, there was always room for more things. But coming to Berkeley and living in a triple dorm almost changed the way I lived; a phenomenon otherwise known as the triple dorm effect.Â
In an effort to save money during my first year of college, I made a triple dorm my priority housing. I was aware that by doing so I’d have way less space than if I’d chosen a suite or even a double dorm. More than that, I knew I’d have to downsize, which was hard to do because I wanted to bring everything that I had in my very maximalist home. However, when I moved into my triple dorm, I brought bags and bags full of items, ignoring the advice to downsize. This is where the triple dorm effect began.Â
I realized pretty quickly that I’d have to donate, sell, or bring things back home, so that’s what I did. I sold my least favorite books, donated clothes, and mailed more decor back home. But I still felt like there was too much in my possession and not enough space. The irony is that the things I treasured back home were seen as junk. I basically turned into my own villain who hated everything I owned in a split second.Â
I classify the triple dorm effect as a switch in the mind. It’s when you go from loving and wanting to take in things to then flipping a switch, a switch that makes you hate all the items you once valued. You don’t switch because someone told you to, but because you just wake up one morning in your triple dorm feeling suffocated by everything you own. You realize you have too many things to fit into your one-third of the dorm.Â
The triple dorm effect hit me hard. I didn’t grow up in a home of hoarders. I’ve had tons of people over the years come into my family home and feel comforted by its maximalist style. But in one split second, and one triple dorm, you can go from loving that maximalist vibe to feeling like you can’t breathe and getting rid of everything. Even if you love everything you own, you feel more free without having it with you. The triple dorm effect leads to reflection, for better or for worse.