How to Succeed at Living in a Triple
Just when you thought college couldn’t get scarier, you find out that you are living in a triple!
Speaking from experience, I can tell you that living in a residence hall room with two friends can be a really TRIumphant experience. Most students believe that living in a triple comes with nothing but drawbacks, but let me assure you that that is certainly not true. It has certain benefits that will be illuminated and cherished only when you’ve been through that experience.
As for me, living in a triple definitely was a very unique and rewarding experience in my first year in college. So, let me share the game with you. Like everything else in life, the key to living successfully in a triple is planning.
It’s about playing your cards right.
My first card, 7♤: Get a discount
Upon doing some research, I found out that students living in triples receive a 20% discount on their rooming costs. Attending college can be an overwhelming financial concern for some, so having any sort of discount counts. My decision to live in a triple stemmed from this financial benefit.
My second card, 7♢: Try to choose your roommates
The next and the most important card I played right was that I chose my roommates and got acquainted with them before coming to college. While colleges do their best to respect roommate requests, the reality is that it is not always possible. And being randomly placed with a roommate (or two) can be very rewarding as you get to know someone likely very different from you, which is what college is all about, right?
Nevertheless, if you put in an early request, your roommate request is more likely to be favored. To find a good roommate, it is a great idea to join “University of Rochester Roommate groups” on Facebook. These groups are made by incoming students themselves. In this group, you can upload a small file/post expressing your interests and describing the kind of roommate(s) you are looking for. You can also view files/posts uploaded by other students and contact them if you wish to room with them. It is as easy as that! Once you find one person, it gets extremely easy to find the second one!
Just remember that just because you found someone you want to room with, connecting with them on Facebook is far from official. You must each select each other in your own housing forms in order to officially request each other.
My third card, 7♡: Coordinate with your roommates before move-in day
The most exciting hand is dealt after you are done finalizing your roommates and getting acquainted with them. This is the time when you start making plans and decide what each of you can offer to the room. For example, what posters you’d like to hang up, the sound and speaker systems you could bring, fridges, TVs, PlayStations, you name it! It’s important to coordinate this so you don’t show up in August (or January) with two XBOXes and no microwave.
My roommates and I had decided to bring a shooting-dart set and place bets against each other. (The loser had to do everyone’s laundry!). You can also decide on “roommate time” when all of you spend time together doing a mutually enjoyed activity, like watching a movie, playing a board game, or introducing one another to your favorite TV shows and sports. (Game of Thrones nights are the best!)
Even if you decide to go random (like most people), building a good relationship with your roommate(s) will be extremely valuable to your college and social life. Almost all of my hall mates chose to room randomly, and they each found a great friend in their roommate(s).
With the reasoning that your college room is essentially your home, roommates are just like family. Whether you get locked out of your residence hall and need your new roommate to come let you in, or if you need life and dating advice, or if you just want to enjoy late-night pizzas with someone, they will be the nearest person to reach.
I believe that roommates are the nurturing candidates for that inevitable “#FriendsForLife” hashtag on your Instagram post. They are the people around whom you will spend the most non-studying time with, which means that your bond with them has a more personal and homely touch. And even if you don’t end up as best friends, you’ll still want to play your cards right so you share the space well and have a drama-free year.
And when you play these 7♤, 7♢, and 7♡ cards right, guess what? Blackjack! You win the game.