Late July of last year, the summer before my freshman year at Skidmore, I anxiously awaited my room assignment. I felt like this would define my entire college experience, the dorm in which I lived, the number of people I lived with, and who the people were. I knew what I thought I wanted- I had stalked current students on Instagram and decided I loved the views from the upper JoTo floors, and was hoping that by some miracle I would be in a double instead of a triple. When the email finally came through I found out that I was in a triple in a dorm called Penfield that I didn’t remember seeing on my campus tour. I found a couple of photos online and felt a sense of dread; I was most likely looking at a closet-sized room with a view of a parking lot. Great.
It turns out that being assigned Penfield 218 was the best thing that could have happened to me, as living in a triple gave me a great look into dorm living and taught me how to coexist with other people in a small space. To my surprise we had a great view of the sunset over the mountains as well, that I wouldn’t have traded for anything. Not to mention, my roommates were fabulous and made my freshman experience fun and memorable, and remain my friends to this day.
Now, as a sophomore, I have a single room and find that it has completely changed the atmosphere of living in a dorm. I am enjoying it, but it is certainly far different than my freshman living experience. Here are some of the pros and cons of having a single room that I have personally encountered.
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Pro: Go to sleep whenever you want.
Con: Finding yourself watching Netflix until 4 am and then staying in bed until 2 pm the next day.
Pro: You can sit around in your towel for hours after a shower.
Con: You may accidentally sit around in your towel for hours after a shower.
Pro: Not having to feel bad when the room is messy.
Con: The room always being messy.
Pro: It’s always quiet.
Con: Sometimes it’s too quiet.
Pro: No one uses your stuff.
Con: You can’t use anyone else’s stuff.
Pro: No one wakes you up in the morning.
Con: No one wakes you up when you have somewhere to be in the morning and you end up sleeping through things.
Pro: Learning how to take care of yourself.
Con: Not getting to live with your fun, crazy, caring friends!
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I truly loved living in a triple and am also really enjoying living alone. Both experiences are worthwhile for any college student, and will help shape your college experience and prepare you for life out in the real world.