There has been some discussion in our Families.com forums about dorm rooms and college. It seems that sophomores may have a harder time with getting appropriate housing arrangements.
Since some of you will be sending your children off to live in a college dorm this fall, I have decided to share information on the different types of housing that most colleges offer.
Some universities require freshmen to live in a college dorm room. After the freshmen year, students may move into an apartment off campus or remain living in the dorm. I think that most universities have chosen this policy in order to cut back on freshmen failing due to a newfound freedom. College dorms usually have strict curfews and rules about parties. Freshmen are more likely to stay out of trouble and in the books if they know that someone is watching them.
Even if a university does not require it, living in a dorm for the first year is a good idea. Dorms can help you meet people and form study groups. They can also help you ease into the transition from home to college.
Most universities have single sex dorms. These dorms are labeled as being either for males or females. There is usually a policy that residents must follow for having guests of the opposite sex. In contrast to single sex dorms, coed dorms are less popular. Males and females are both allowed to live in a coed dorm.
Most of the dorms have either individual rooms and hallways or a suite. In a suite, there is one central living room area for a group to share. The living room is central among several bedrooms. Some dorms have a bathroom for the entire wing or hallway. A more preferred setting has a bathroom for a small group to share. However very few college students are in single dorm rooms living by themselves.