This is one of the questions that people often ask before they move into the dorms. You might have thought that your dorm room would work more like an apartment and have its own attached bathroom, but this is not always the case.
There are many different styles of dorm room arrangements and some campuses offer all the various kinds of dorm bathroom arrangements.
You might think that private colleges or smaller campuses would be more likely to have individual bathrooms or private bathrooms, but this is not always the case.
Many dorms are arranged in the way that was common at the time that they were built, so older buildings might be less likely to have been altered to add bathrooms while newer buildings will have access to a variety of different room designs.
In addition, smaller campuses sometimes have converted buildings that were not originally dorm rooms into dorms and have not adjusted the bathroom arrangements.
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What is Meant by an Individual Bathroom?
When asking about these kinds of rooms, you will need to know what this term means in dorms. An individual bathroom refers to a bathroom that is attached to your room specifically and meant to be used by just you and your roommate.
This is not the same as rooms that have attached bathrooms that are set up in a quad style.
You will find that this is probably the least common dorm room arrangement of them all due to the required expense of building bathrooms for each room as well as the necessary space that this design requires.
If you want to see if you can get a room that is designed this way, you will need to ask about individual bathrooms not shared bathrooms.
Do College Dorms Have Private Bathrooms?
If you are going to be attending school at a college that does have individual bathrooms in some of their dorm buildings, you can expect to pay more for this kind of room.
This is a room that will be in high demand at most locations, and you will find that there are waiting lists in some cases to get into rooms like this as well as the added cost once you do get into this kind of room.
If your dorm options on campus include a quad-room structure, you will find that these rooms offer many of the benefits of the individual bathroom without as much of the cost.
In this kind of living arrangement, you will often have access to a shower and toilet in a shared bathroom and then your sink and mirror will be inside of your individual room. This is a great space-saving option that cuts down on the number of people that are using shared bathrooms in a dorm room space.
The quad option will still be likely to cost you more than if you are willing to be in a regular dorm room that does not have access to any kind of private bathroom.
This may not be an issue for you, but if cost is going to impact your decision about which kind of dorm room to pick, you should avoid rooms that have their bathroom or quad setups.
Overall, the most common and affordable bathroom arrangements for dorms are shared bathrooms that have showers and toilets and sinks that everyone can access. There might be more than one of these bathrooms per floor, or in smaller dorms, you might find that everyone is sharing one large bathroom per floor.
This is not usually an issue since the dorm bathroom arrangements are always made for the needs of the whole floor.
You might find that there are busy times surrounding games and other events as people get ready to head out for fun, but there will always be people who head home for the weekends or students who spend time away from the dorm with a boyfriend or girlfriend’s home or apartment.
Most dorms have a cleaning schedule per floor that everyone has to stick to. Students might be asked to do these cleaning processes weekly, or in some cases, a cleaning crew will be brought in to take care of cleaning needs on a set schedule.
Just like in any other living arrangement where you have roommates, you will be expected to clean up after yourself and make sure that you are not using up all the hot water or hogging the mirror and sink space.
Being unwilling to share the bathroom space with others is a very unfortunate attitude and will lead to issues with your dorm mates for sure. Be courteous to others when you are using the shared bathroom and you will have no trouble with the other people that you are living with.
If you are moving into a dorm that has a shared bathroom, bring shower sandals with you so that you do not get athlete’s foot from contact with the shower floor. You should also have a waterproof bag that all of your hair products and other items can go into when you head to the shower.
You will not be allowed to keep your bathroom items in the shared bathroom and will need to bring them with you each time you bathe or put on makeup or do your hair.
Make sure that you also invest in a quality set of towels that you wash frequently and that you have a bathrobe or other kind of coverage that you can wrap up in when you are done showering.
There is nothing worse than planning to get into the clothes that you brought to the shower room and having them fall in the water. Being stuck in the shower while you wait for someone to come in and save you is always awkward.
Shower spaces and shared bathroom spaces work very well in most dorms and you will get used to the shared arrangement with ease after you move in.
Make sure to plan ahead using these tips and tricks and ask the right questions when you are looking at forms if you want to have your own bathroom off of your room.
I am Brianna, a self-published author with a passion for sharing my knowledge and expertise on various topics with people looking to find the perfect items for their needs. I love ensuring that the right informative content is available to people looking for the right information. I am an avid horseback rider and reader when I am not writing.
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