Tips for living in a forced triple

By Michael Stern on September 17, 2013

As a freshman at the University of Maryland, you run the risk of being put into a flex triple. Basically this is a fancy name that Maryland gives to a dorm room that they force three people to live in.

Well… I was lucky enough to be placed into this room. Now after a few weeks of living in this cramped, smelly, almost uninhabitable place, I have come up with a top five list of tips that will make your time in a triple much more bearable.

1. Choose the bottom bunk: The setup of the room is very annoying. There is one set of bunk beds and then a lofted bed with a desk and dresser underneath it. Listen to these words: YOU DON’T WANT THE LOFTED BED OR TOP BUNK!

If you are lucky enough to be placed into this beautiful room and you don’t know which bed to take just listen to what I said. Here are the issues with the higher beds: they are impossible to get into normally. Every time I try and get into my top bunk I hurt some part of my body whether it be my shin, knee, or head. Now imagine trying to get into the top bunk after a long day of classes, a long night of partying or a workout at the gym. You will be exhausted, annoyed and unfocused, and you will hurt yourself even more. So take the bottom bunk.

 

2. Get a fold up laundry basket: The greatest invention for a college student anywhere is the fold up laundry basket. It saves space and is so easy to carry down to the laundry room!

I did not get the fold up laundry basket. I got a laundry bag. Let me tell you, the laundry bag just doesn’t cut it. It takes up too much room and doesn’t hold enough clothes. In a triple the name of the game is conserve space. The fold up laundry basket will conserve a great deal of space and keep the room cleaner, which leads me to rule number three.

 

3. Keep the room clean: Since you already don’t have all that much room, why would you want to take up even more room with unnecessary mess?

Essential supplies for a forced triple consist of a dustpan and broom, Febreeze, a big trashcan and organizational boxes or compartments. All of these items will make your room that much more inhabitable. You don’t want to be stuck in a situation where you cannot see the little floor you have available to you. Keep the space clean and you will be much happier.

 

 4. USE AN AIR FRESHENER! I cannot stress this enough: the room begins to smell very very quickly… especially if you are a guy. Don’t get the idea in your head that you are too cool for Febreeze.

If you do not want to use air freshener then fine. Here’s a tip. Buy scented dryer sheets. If you tape the dryer sheets to your air conditioning unit (which many dorms have) then the air will blow out the scent. This works for air freshener too. Spray a large amount in front of the A/C and it will spread the wealth around.

 

5. Talk to your roommates: Living with one other person is very difficult. Living with two other people is even harder. Make sure you talk to your roomies about the essential things.

You are going to want to know if your roommates smoke, drink, party hard, like their quiet time, study in the room, go to class, are anti-social, etc. You have to live with these two people for at least a semester, and you do not want to piss them off. The worst thing to do in a small space is make one of the people mad. The cramped nature of the room will bring tensions to a very high level. Don’t make things worse by not talking to your roommates.

If you follow these five tips when living in a triple you should be fine. Being forced into a triple is not the end of the world. I happen to get along very well with my two roommates. I mean I admit, my room could be a little nicer and neater, but I am making the best of the situation.

If you don’t think these tips will save space and make your living more enjoyable then…

Image courtesy of Blogspot

 

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