If you’re part of the newly arrived class of 2015 and decided months in advance that a room in all-freshman housing was right for you, then you’ve probably experienced some variant of the following situation: you tell an older student that you are in one of the many forced triples. That student gives you a look of pity—similar to the one you give to any freshman you hear is living in the Butts. They respond with a casual, “Oh geez that sucks,” or, “Ouch, how’s that working out for you?”  But you know what? I’ll personally be so bold as to say that I enjoy living in my triple!

This year, the mighty class of 2015 is unusually large. As a result, a third of the freshman class ended up forced into triple occupancy rooms. It’s true—when we first got this news some of us might have reacted a bit less than enthusiastically, envisioning a clown car version of dorm life and double the chance of walking in on a naked roommate. But as most people forced into triples this year will tell you, having two roommates instead of one is actually kind of nice.

First of all, I think it’s worth mentioning the $375 reduction to the room rate that everyone in a triple received. Not a bad compensation for what turns out to be a pretty nice living situation. Second, contrary to popular imagination, the intricacies of living in a triple-occupancy room aren’t really that different from living in a double. In fact, dorm living for the most part actually becomes easier. Having two roommates means greater division of the “who-brings-what” planning stage before orientation. It makes sharing college things like food and laundry supplies simple, and is especially helpful if you’re like me and sleep through your alarm every morning—you get one extra person to wake you up. And the best part? Without even having to leave your room you get two friends right off the bat. So it doesn’t matter if you didn’t go to WesFest or weren’t an avid poster on the WesAdmits group on Facebook to make sure people knew you. Forget a triple being an unfortunate situation; I couldn’t imagine it being better.

Now that’s not to say that being in a triple is always a perfect scenario. Problems arise when it comes to things like wake-up times or trying to go to sleep at 3 a.m. without waking your roommates. Admittedly, a triple might not be the most orderly living situation and doesn’t make for the most work-friendly environment when you have twice the opportunity for distraction. But in the grand scheme of things, these seem like minor concerns. So the next time someone you meet reveals they’re in a triple, consider that it may actually be going well for them and try to refrain from the pitying looks. I know it seems rough from an outside perspective, but let me be the first to say, it’s actually a lot of fun.