Ode to the Suite Life

Imagine this: it’s 3 a.m. on a Tuesday and you’ve finally finished your Hum 10 essay, except all you have to come home to is your sad, empty, tiny hallway single. Now imagine it a little differently: you’re coming back from a long night at Lamont to your suitemates gathered in your common room yapping over some late-night snacks. Not only do you have a space filled with laughter to come home to, but if you have a single (or even a double), you have a little space to yourself at the end of the night.

As the proud member of a four person suite who will likely be moving into a hallway double next year, I can’t help but look back at my year in my suite and be grateful that I hit the jackpot. Not only was the common room a great place to meet friends of friends at the beginning of the year, but it was the perfect spot to do work in between discussing me and my suitemates’ latest section crushes.

Suite-style living provides the opportunity for built-in friendships and access to a whole new network of people. Some of my favorite memories are coming back from a night out to a debrief on the floor of our common-room-turned-secret-society (“but don’t tell anyone this” has been said countless times in my room).

The benefits of an n+1 common room cannot be overstated. Are you in a double that is just not working out? Is one of you a super light sleeper? Does your roommate snore sometimes? Or… do you just simply hate each other? The suite life solves that problem. Luckily, my suite’s transition from one double and two singles to four solo rooms was amicable, but sometimes you’re not as lucky. With an extra built-in single in your suite, instead of having to move to the quad for some alone time, you can do it from the comfort of your common room.

Also, you’re only in college once. What better way to bother meet new people than living with them? Some people may say, “Yeah, but with my hallway single in Pfoho, I never have to worry about being sexiled or my roommates having people over when I’m deep into midterms.” To that I say, you’re missing out on a vital part of the college experience. Sometimes conflict builds character. From occasional fights with your suitemates, you can learn valuable life lessons about living with people and conflict resolution. And besides, everyone needs a first-date anecdote about your “crazy suitemate.” So, the next time you get in a fight with your roommate, thank them for helping you fill that last 10 minutes of therapy when you’ve run out of things to talk about.

I wouldn’t trade the suite life for anything… but unfortunately, I don’t have a choice. Although I’ll have air-conditioning next year, I would much rather be hanging out in my 100 degree Thayer common room with all my suitemates and our friends.