9 answers
Marissa
Student
Middleburg, Pennsylvania
9
Questions
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How many students are in a college dorm during the first year?
#college-admissions
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9 answers
Nicole Pinckney
Senior Strategy Manager
16
Answers
Westborough, Massachusetts
Updated
Nicole’s Answer
Hi Marissa,
I went to Villanova in PA, and the dorm buildings held from ~20 students up to hundreds of students. As others mentioned, there were single dorm rooms or you might have 2, 3, 4 or more roommates depending on where you are assigned and what living arrangement you choose. Sometimes you can't choose during freshman year, and you get assigned by the school.
Best of luck,
Nicole
I went to Villanova in PA, and the dorm buildings held from ~20 students up to hundreds of students. As others mentioned, there were single dorm rooms or you might have 2, 3, 4 or more roommates depending on where you are assigned and what living arrangement you choose. Sometimes you can't choose during freshman year, and you get assigned by the school.
Best of luck,
Nicole
Aneree Mehta
Cyber Security Analyst
23
Answers
San Antonio, Texas
Updated
Aneree’s Answer
Hey Marissa,
The answer to this question is dependent on the college itself. From my experience, a good majority of students lived on campus for the first year but it was not mandatory. My friend, who attended a different college, told me that all freshman are required to stay in dorms there first year. There a lot of factors that play into this overall metric.
I hope this helps!
The answer to this question is dependent on the college itself. From my experience, a good majority of students lived on campus for the first year but it was not mandatory. My friend, who attended a different college, told me that all freshman are required to stay in dorms there first year. There a lot of factors that play into this overall metric.
I hope this helps!
Gloria Ortiz
Instructional Designer
842
Answers
Irving, Texas
Updated
Gloria’s Answer
Hi Marissa,
The answer will vary by the school and by the dorms that are available. In my experience, if there are freshman dorms at the school, they are usually the largest. This is due, in part, to the fact that most people who live in dorms are not from the area, so they do not know where to live off campus. I spent my first two years in college in dorms. It was nice to be surrounded by people who were going through the same experience with you for the first time. Plus, it is a community where you can make friends faster. I would recommend that whatever your situation that you get to know the building where you live as soon as possible. Where do you eat? Where do you do laundry? What are all the ways to get to your room? Where are places that students can gather? This is showing my age, but I remember vividly learning about the first Gulf War (1990) sitting in a common area with my fellow dormmates. We were all shocked and scared about what would happen next. That sense of community is one of the best things about dorm life. I lived in a dorm with several hundred girls. You can learn a lot from people from all over the world in a dorm. Of course it's not always as quiet as you might want.
Gloria
The answer will vary by the school and by the dorms that are available. In my experience, if there are freshman dorms at the school, they are usually the largest. This is due, in part, to the fact that most people who live in dorms are not from the area, so they do not know where to live off campus. I spent my first two years in college in dorms. It was nice to be surrounded by people who were going through the same experience with you for the first time. Plus, it is a community where you can make friends faster. I would recommend that whatever your situation that you get to know the building where you live as soon as possible. Where do you eat? Where do you do laundry? What are all the ways to get to your room? Where are places that students can gather? This is showing my age, but I remember vividly learning about the first Gulf War (1990) sitting in a common area with my fellow dormmates. We were all shocked and scared about what would happen next. That sense of community is one of the best things about dorm life. I lived in a dorm with several hundred girls. You can learn a lot from people from all over the world in a dorm. Of course it's not always as quiet as you might want.
Gloria
Amy McCord
Supply Chain Planner
2
Answers
Pflugerville, Texas
Updated
Amy’s Answer
Hi Marissa. I think this will depend upon the size of school that you attend. I attended a university with over 25000 students. While we had several choices on dorms, most of the ones for first year students were generally larger. My dorm was divided into north and south. North was for males, south for females. Each side had 12 floors and each floor contained suites. There were two rooms within each suite (4 total students) with two in each room within the suite (shared showers, toilets). There were hundreds of students within this dorm. There were also other dorms that had single or double rooms and community bathrooms that multiple students shared. There were also some smaller dorms if you did not feel comfortable in the larger sized ones. If you have a preference, my suggestion would be to register early for your dorm. The longer you wait, the more inclined you are to not be placed into the one of the type/size you would enjoy. Hope this helps!!
Simeon Snow
Risk Assurance
1792
Answers
Houston, Texas
Updated
Simeon’s Answer
I'm used to there being about eight students in a suite and one or two hundred students in a building, but this will vary by university and by university building. The lower classman dorms tend to be much more densely populated.
Brock Allore
Tech Support Management
10
Answers
Mankato, Minnesota
Updated
Brock’s Answer
As others have said it varies. Single and dual dorms at are norm most places and they cost different amounts. I would ask you to be very open the idea of living with someone random. Its a very stressful time of people's lives and making a new friend is often done with roommates.
Wendy Jettmar
Sales Leader
15
Answers
Atlanta, Georgia
Updated
Wendy’s Answer
Hi Marissa,
Honestly, it totally varies. You could think of it in terms of ratio to the school size, to get a general idea.
Typically, the bigger the school, the bigger the dorms hence more people in each building. It's just like apartment buildings or hotels! The smaller the school, likely means smaller dorm buildings.
Rooms can vary, also, as far as how many students to a single door room. Sometimes it's doubles and you have just one roommate, sometimes it's quads and you'll have four. I think it's worth noting that COVID-19 has likely impacted school policies regarding dorms.
Dorms are one of the top things new students consider, so you should be able to find ample information on each schools website, etcetera.
Best of luck and I hope that helps!
Honestly, it totally varies. You could think of it in terms of ratio to the school size, to get a general idea.
Typically, the bigger the school, the bigger the dorms hence more people in each building. It's just like apartment buildings or hotels! The smaller the school, likely means smaller dorm buildings.
Rooms can vary, also, as far as how many students to a single door room. Sometimes it's doubles and you have just one roommate, sometimes it's quads and you'll have four. I think it's worth noting that COVID-19 has likely impacted school policies regarding dorms.
Dorms are one of the top things new students consider, so you should be able to find ample information on each schools website, etcetera.
Best of luck and I hope that helps!
Kiirsten Suomu
Sales Representative at Universal Orlando Resort
96
Answers
Orlando, Florida
Updated
Kiirsten’s Answer
Hi Marissa!
Everyone has pretty much answered your question and to echo them-- dorm sizes vary by school. Are you looking into staying in a dorm for your freshman year? Everyone has different opinions and stories about their living experience in college, and mine is that I actually lived on campus all four years and loved it. My first year I lived in community style dorms where I had a roommate and shared a bathroom with all of the girls on my floor-- sounds crazy but it was actually really fun and I'm still good friends with some of them to this day! My sophomore year I had a roommate and shared a bathroom with only two other girls who lived next door (my suitemates). My Junior/Senior year I lived in an apartment style dorm where I had my own room and shared a bathroom with a roommate who also had her own room. Living on campus was super convenient which is mainly why I stayed the duration of school-- close to the library, football field, and campus cafeterias :).
Have fun!
Everyone has pretty much answered your question and to echo them-- dorm sizes vary by school. Are you looking into staying in a dorm for your freshman year? Everyone has different opinions and stories about their living experience in college, and mine is that I actually lived on campus all four years and loved it. My first year I lived in community style dorms where I had a roommate and shared a bathroom with all of the girls on my floor-- sounds crazy but it was actually really fun and I'm still good friends with some of them to this day! My sophomore year I had a roommate and shared a bathroom with only two other girls who lived next door (my suitemates). My Junior/Senior year I lived in an apartment style dorm where I had my own room and shared a bathroom with a roommate who also had her own room. Living on campus was super convenient which is mainly why I stayed the duration of school-- close to the library, football field, and campus cafeterias :).
Have fun!
Nathan P.
Sales Trainer
6
Answers
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Updated
Nathan’s Answer
It depends! Some colleges have residence halls where you will be with one other person and others have halls where you will be with more. The setup when I was in college allowed me to have 3 other roommates. I actually preferred having more roommates because it allowed me to get to know more people and have a larger support system. College is definitely about learning, but a large portion of what you should focus on is also learning about yourself. Having good roommates can go a long way in making your college experience enjoyable. Good luck!