Life in a Suites-Style Dorm

lisa6191
Tue, 10 Sep 2013 12:27:44 +0000

From the limited amount of information I am getting from my son, it seems like he is experiencing more of the suite-related isolation that some previous posters had been concerned about. He says he knows practically nobody on his floor other than his roommates. I had left him a door stop so they could keep their suite door open, but I don’t know if they are doing that. His suite is at the very end of the hall, so that might make a difference – I’m guessing it helps with interaction if the suite is near a kitchen or a community room or some other natural gathering place. I wonder how much it depends on the RA also. In any event, it definitely sounds different than the dorm experience I had in a traditional double room with community bathroom.

That being said, he is loving the arrangement. He is very happy to have his own bedroom and loves the big shared living space. He and his roommates are getting along very well and not having any problems that I’m aware of with their shared space. He has met plenty of people in other parts of his dorm and other dorms, so his social life doesn’t seem to be suffering from this at all. He is pretty good about putting himself out there, though, so it’s possible a shyer or more reserved kid might not do as well.

He would pick the suite-style dorm again no question, but I do think the isolation factor is something to be aware of if you have a kid who is extremely shy.