Double, single and triple dorm rooms all have their advantages and their disadvantages. I stayed in a double room and liked the companionship. My mom stayed in a single one for a year and loved the privacy that came with it. My good friend briefly stayed in a triple and liked how social the environment was. Based on our experiences, here are the pros and cons of living in each type of dorm room.
Single dorms offer privacy, safety of belongings, and freedom from roommate drama, but can feel lonely. Double dorms provide companionship, shared responsibilities, and money saving benefits; however, lack privacy and personal space. Triple dorms offer more potential for friendship and lower costs, but can feel crowded and lack privacy.
Knowing the pros and cons that each room has to offer can help prevent you from being disappointed with the one you choose to live in. It can also give you a better understanding of the dorm room you do choose to live in.
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The Pros of a Single Dorm Room
1. You Don’t Have to Live With Roommates
You won’t have to share your personal space with anyone. This works best if you don’t feel like being around other people often. It also works out if you don’t feel like compromising on bedtime, study time, quiet time, etc.
When my mom lived in a single dorm during her sophomore year in college, she loved having that kind of control over her living space. She decorated however she wanted, fell asleep when she wanted to and didn’t have to worry about someone playing music, talking, or making any noise in the dorm when she was trying to sleep. She would even shut out the noise of the hallway by closing the door and tucking some clothes at the bottom of it to buffer the noise.
Having no roommates also means there’s less drama and more freedom to be yourself without anyone watching. With all the stress that college brings, being able to let loose every day can be an emotional weight off of your back.
2. You Have More Privacy
With no roommates, you can handle your business without an audience. You never really realize just how many things you’d feel uncomfortable doing in front of another person until you suddenly have to live with a stranger. Without a roommate, you can feel free to change your clothes, handle personal business like banking, invite anyone over without asking, or just do the weirdest things that make you who you are!
The privacy that comes with a single room is one of the most popular reasons why students choose to live in one. After scrolling through two different Reddit posts where a total of 32 people explained why they’d rather live in a single dorm, here’s what I found out. 50% of them wanted the alone time, 12% of them wanted the freedom to do whatever they wanted, when they wanted and 9% of them wanted privacy. Everyone else liked single dorms because it allowed them to control their sleep schedule, gave them peace and quiet, kept their belongings safe, and other reasons.
If you can agree with any, or most, of the opinions that these redditors had, then I suggest opting for a single dorm this year.
3. Your Belongings are Safer
There’s a smaller chance that any of your stuff will go missing if there’s no one there to “borrow” it. That’s one of the things my mom liked best about living in a single dorm; putting her stuff anywhere she wanted and knowing that it would stay there.
While the chance of your roommate stealing your stuff is low anyways, It’s not completely unheard of. In fact, according to Jenny Hu at reolink.com, dorm burglaries account for 70% of all dorm related crimes. When you live alone, you get peace of mind from knowing that the chance of your stuff being stolen is dramatically decreased since you don’t have a roommate.
4. You are Safer
Your roommate is likely going to invite people over that you don’t know, and while that’s usually not a problem, it’s nice to know that the only people in your dorm are the ones you invited. Not to mention some roommates give their dorm key to their friends for one reason or another, which can lead to awkward encounters. Overall, living in a single dorm room can relieve you from the possibility of stressful situations that are caused by roommates.
The Cons of a Single Dorm
1. Not Having Roommates Can Be Lonely
Even though your space is only yours, it can get lonely. When my mom was living in a single dorm room, she would combat this by letting her friend sleepover sometimes; however, she had to provide a space for her to sleep since a single room doesn’t come with two beds.
That’s not the only inconvenience that comes with living in a single dorm though. Making friends during your first couple days on campus can be harder if you don’t have a roommate. They can often be your first friend on the first day! Even if you don’t become besties with them, you still have someone to talk to, ask quick questions about campus to, or just be around.
Interacting with other people often is very important since, according to E. Berscheid, we are made to seek out strong bonds with other people; that’s how humans advanced this far in the first place.It’s especially important for young adults to socialize because you’re getting close to entering the professional working world. It’s been suggested by Valérie Cohen-Scali that socializing has an impact on how a young adult transitions from school life to work life. Having a roommate could help you be as prepared as possible for this upcoming switch.
2. You Have to Rely on Yourself
If you forget your dorm key, leave an assignment laying on your bed, forget to vacuum the floor, or make any other mistake like that, then you can’t fix your problem with a quick text to your roommate. You have to rely on yourself to fix those mistakes, which may be harder to do on your own. Especially if this is the first time that you’ll be living by yourself.
3. There’s Less Space in the Dorm
The size of your dorm is basically cut in half since it’s only meant for one person. This leaves less room for appliances, decoration, invited guests, etc. A single dorm can be around 100 or 105 square feet while most double dorms are around 190-228 square feet. With less space, you have to figure out how to make your dorm aesthetic and useful without overcrowding it. To help with that, check out how to decorate/organize a single dorm room.
4. It’s More Expensive to Live In
Even though it’s smaller, privacy comes at a cost. Here’s a table of the different prices of single dorm rooms from the most widely attended colleges. This data is from 2023:
| College/University | 1st Semester Price | 1st and 2nd Semester Price |
| Arizona State University | $4,086 – $10,090 | $8,172 – $20,180 |
| University of Central Florida | $2,810 – $3,370 | $5,620 – $6,740 |
| Texas A&M University | $4,069 – $6,994 | $8,138 – $13,988 |
| Ohio State University—Columbus | $4,081 – $4,899 | $8,162 – $9,798 |
| University of Texas at Austin | $8,198 – $10,223.50 | $16,396 – $20,447 |
As of 2024, this averages out to $9,297.60 – $14,230.60 for both semesters
This isn’t including the appliances, furniture, toiletries, etc. that you’ll have to buy yourself; since you’re not splitting the shopping and sharing with a roommate.
The Pros of a Double Dorm Room
1. You Have a Roommate
Having a roommate can be an easy way to make a first friend on campus. When I was moving into my freshman dorm after arriving at school for the first time, the thought of starting a new chapter in my life was nerve racking. However, after meeting my roommate and her family while unpacking our things, I felt some immediate relief knowing that I wasn’t the only one going through this experience for the first time. After getting settled in, we stayed up late just talking about our high school lives, middle school memories and just really got to know each other more. It felt great to have a new friend to settle into college life with.
That’s one of the most popular aspects of living in a double dorm, according to the statistics of 3 reddit posts I read. Out of the 23 people who preferred to live in a double dorm instead of a single one, 35% of them said that they liked the potential to make a new friend faster. 30% of them said that they wanted to stick around someone else until they made other friends. 17% of them said that they wanted to have the traditional college experience of living with a roommate.
They make good points! When you have a roommate, you won’t get lonely as easily, you have a built-in study buddy, and you can help each other navigate through campus life from day one. Recent high school graduates underestimate the value of having a roommate because they don’t realize that their brains are still developing.
Socializing during your young adult years is very important because you’re still growing and learning as a person. These are some of the years that will determine what kind of adult you will be.
2. You Have More Space in the Dorm
Even if you’re sharing the dorm, your roommate won’t always be home, so you’ll have a bigger space to yourself every so often. There’s also room for more appliances, decorations, and school supplies, etc. This will give you a sense of your own space even if you have to share it with someone else sometimes. This is great if you want to feel the sense of newfound freedom that college brings without sacrificing the roommate lifestyle.
3. You Can Rely On Your Roommate For Help
Living on your own can also be a lot of pressure on you where you least expect it. Like when you accidentally lock yourself out of your dorm room. Or when you finally arrive to class on time, but realize that you left today’s assignment on your bed. My roommate and I have accidentally locked ourselves out of our dorm a couple times, but thankfully we could let each other back in without hassling our R.A about it.
On the days when you’re so swamped with work that you don’t have time to vacuum the dusty carpet/floor, having a roommate to help you out can be a huge load off of your back. Just remember to return the favor!
4. It’s Less Expensive to Live In Than a Single
This is a table of how much it can cost to rent a double dorm room for one or two semesters. This data is from 2023:
| College/University | 1st Semester Price | 1st and 2nd Semester Price |
| Arizona State University | $2,765 – $7,900 | $5,530 – $15,800 |
| University of Central Florida | $2,470 – $3,200 | $4,940 – $6,400 |
| Texas A&M University | $2,385 – $5,232 | $4,770 – $10,464 |
| Ohio State University—Columbus | $3,815 – $4,899 | $7,630 – $9,798 |
| University of Texas at Austin | $6,752 – $8,478.50 | $13,504 – $16,957 |
As of 2024, this averages out to $7,274.80 – $11,883.80 for both semesters
Want to know which schools have the cheapest dorm rooms? Check out all 14 of them in my other blog post!
Double dorms cost less to rent than a single one. It also costs less to split the shopping for room necessities between another person. Not to mention it costs even less to share stuff with your roommate rather than buying double of everything. Before even shopping for college, my roommate and I contacted each other to figure out who’s bringing what, which significantly cut costs when it came to buying dorm essentials.
The Cons of a Double Dorm
1. You Have to Live With Someone Else
If living with a person you’ve never met before doesn’t sit right with you, then this can be an uncomfortable experience. If you’re not the most social or if you don’t like the thought of compromising your bedtime, study time, and fun time, then this can cause drama. As if college life wasn’t stressful enough, right? If you detest the thought of having to compromise your life for a semester or longer, then the roommate lifestyle might not be for you.
2. It’s a Shared Space
Sharing a space means you’ll have to be accommodating of each other’s lifestyle in ways you probably didn’t consider. Like avoiding a specific perfume because it gives your roommate a headache, leaving the room when they bring their significant other over, setting the air conditioning to a degree that’s not too cold for you and not too hot for them, etc. Seriously, you never know what kind of random rules you’ll both have to follow to void conflict until you start living together.
3. You Don’t Have As Much Privacy
Since you won’t have as much alone time to handle the things you normally would when no one’s around, you’ll have to be more creative with when and where you can get those things done.
For example, sometimes I like to dance off my stress, but I don’t want an audience when I do it. Dancing to my favorite music alone in my dorm was just what I needed sometimes and I didn’t want to unknowingly be walked in on while whipping my hair back and forth. If you decide to live with someone else, then here’s a quick tip on how to deal with this. My roommate and I shared our class schedule with one another so that we knew exactly when we’d get alone time.
4. Your Belongings Could Be In Danger
You’ll have to be more careful with where you put your valuables. You may want to purchase a mini safe or a trunk that you can lock to keep your bank info, any written passwords, extra money, etc. out of the hands of someone you don’t know that well. If you plan on rooming with someone you already know and trust, then this might not be an issue for you whatsoever.
The Pros of a Triple Dorm Room
1. You Have More Than One Roommate
What’s better than one built-in buddy? Two built-in buddies! Or if one of your roommates annoys you, talking to the other one is an option instead.
Thankfully, my friend that stayed in a triple dorm did not have the latter experience. To this day, she’s still friends with both of the girls that she roomed with during her freshman year. They are all pretty social people, so sharing similar personalities led to a peaceful experience for them. By having two other roommates, all three of them could help each other out when it comes to socializing, exploring campus, and answering any college life questions. If you are a social butterfly or, at the very least, not annoyed by the presence of people, then a triple dorm is something to consider.
2. The Dorm Can Be Bigger Than A Single and Double (Sometimes)
Depending on which school you go to, you’ll have your living space split into two areas, a sleeping room and a living room. Having more than just one room as a home is like having a mini apartment for a smaller price! Your roommates won’t always be home either, so that’s even more space all to yourself! As someone who lived in an apartment during her upperclassmen years, I can tell you that this kind of set-up is definitely worth considering during freshman year.
3. You Can Rely on More Than One Roommate
If there’s any problem that can be fixed with a quick text (locked out of the dorm, forgot to bring your laptop, need someone to bring your meal card to the dining hall) then having a roommate can be a safety net. Having two safety nets? Now that’s a downright lifesaver if you’re not the most responsible person. As I said before, remember to return the favor when it’s your turn.
4. It Can Be Less Expensive Than a Single Or Double
This can be the case when it comes to the dorm rental price, but even if it’s the same as a double, triple dorms can still be cheaper to live in. Splitting dorm shopping and sharing your necessities between three people will save way more money than living in a single or double dorm. If you want to keep a tight budget, this may be the move for you. Just remember that you’ll have to keep track of who owns what so that, at the end of the year, everyone gets their stuff back.
The Cons of a Triple Dorm
1. It Can Feel Like You Have Too Many Roommates
More people can mean a bigger headache if socializing isn’t your forte. Not to mention, even if you get along with both of your roommates, they may not get along with each other. Having a front seat to every argument is not the best experience. The triple dorm lifestyle can be genuinely overwhelming and a seriously bad fit for some students, so really think it over before committing to living in one.
2. You Have to Share The Room
Sharing your space with one person can be a hassle, so doubling that responsibility could be taxing on your patience and kindness. You also might end up sharing personal belongings from time to time (or all the time), which is something you might not have considered until now. If you’re not ready to accommodate two different people’s lifestyles at the same time, then this may not be the living situation for you.
3. There’s Not A Lot Of Private Time
Living with more than one person can get pretty annoying if you value your alone time. This can be especially inconvenient when you have to handle private matters that you’d rather not share with other people. When you come home at the end of a tiring day and you don’t get to relax alone, it can build stress overtime. If you prefer to have more space to yourself, then you should probably avoid this type of dorm room.
4. Your Belongings are Less Safe
When moving in with two strangers, it’s important to keep your valuables tucked away where they can’t have easy access to them. Some of your other items that are easily accessible to your roommates could go missing if they’re not very trustworthy. If this thought bothers you, then invest in a mini safe, a trunk or anything else with a lock on it to make sure that you’re the only one who can access your important items.
Related Questions:
Suite style dorms are better for students that don’t want to share a bathroom with the rest of their dorm hall. It is more socially restrictive, but it adds a layer of privacy. You would, however, have to clean your suite bathroom yourself because the school only cleans hall style bathrooms.
