Luxury in the Dorm

This past weekend I had the occasion to visit a dorm at George Washington University.  I hadn't been in a dorm in years and was shocked at how nice it was.  Each room in this particular dorm had its own kitchenette and bathroom.  Some rooms have their own washer and dryer.  Apparently, this is the norm.  When I was in college we were crammed into tiny rooms with no amenities and  sharing a bathroom with 6 other girls was the norm.  We shared the laundry room with the entire dorm. 

Apparently, today's college students have grown up with certain standards and aren't going to lower them just because they are in college and away from the comforts of home.  In fact, they expect those comforts to follow them there.  When deciding where to go to college, dorms and dining halls play as much a part as do the classes and football team.

A recent article in the LA Times studied this trend:

Back-to-school shoppers will spend $5.4 billion this year, a figure that has nearly doubled since 2003, according to the National Retail Federation. On average, about $1,500 of that will come from each freshman gearing up for life in a residence hall that is nicer than most parents  ever imagined.

The trend toward the four-star dorm is a convergence of several factors: a generation of
students who have grown up sharing neither the bedroom nor the bathroom with siblings, parents who are accustomed to high tuition costs and don't object to paying a few hundred more per month for better accommodations, and universities competing for enrollment and using posh new residence halls as marketing tools.

Callaway Villas, in College Station next to Texas A&M, is a gated ACC complex of three-story town houses plus a 16,000-square-foot clubhouse, a resort-style pool, basketball courts, a sand volleyball court and shuffleboard. Living units have faux-hardwood floors, ceiling fans and, for those light sleepers, white-noise generators.

Another trend that I find amazing is that more and more schools are furnishing dorms with
double beds!  An article in today's Washington Post explains:

University officials hoping to keep students on campus and compete with off-campus housing are trying new room designs and all manner of amenities to appeal to the millennial generation, especially those seeking the comforts of home while in school. Some have given single rooms to students not used to sharing. Others have offered maid service and microwaves. Now they're giving them a larger space on which to lay their heads.
At AU, the move toward double beds came after complaints by students that the twins were too small and too childish, said Rick Treter, director of residence life. When a dorm designed with suites of larger single bedrooms was built, the double beds were the ticket.

I think this is just another trend showing that luxury really is everywhere in society.  Gen Y
students have grown up expecting certain things and living quarters are no exception. They are not willing to compromise and expect college dorms to be no different than what they are used to.  Colleges have taken notice and in order to attract the best students, have outfitted dorms accordingly.  I can only imagine what they will think of next.

Comments

[Chloe The Double Beds Expert]

It is true that pleasure before the duty is poisonous for student life. Everybody wants luxuries in their life. Dan McGinn visited a place George Washington University where he finds the students of today residing in luxury which he had not in his student life. Today the students mostly living from their comfort zone. Here you can find how this dorm changes from good to best.

[Dustin]

Really, really impressive work.