One of the biggest questions I remember asking myself after I got into Princeton was: what is my room going to look like? I think it's a valid question especially since you may spend a lot of time in your room, and potentially with roommates. While first years are placed into their rooms by their Residential College’s Dean of Student Life (DSL), the rest of Princetonians have the option to select their roommates and room in a process called Room Draw. A small caveat worth mentioning is that rising sophomores must draw into their residential college again, and rising juniors and seniors have some more options. For some context, I am a member of Butler College and have been in a single, quad, and next year a quingle.
Singles: As the name suggests, a single is a room where only one person occupies it. Each building’s singles differ in the size and layout but generally are similar. Some buildings have two singles that share a bathroom (called Jack & Jill), which is pretty cool. Singles are highly coveted by all class years. I was placed in a single freshman year in Bloomberg, so feel free to reach out and ask more questions!
Doubles: Doubles are where two roommates share a single room, which is larger than a single. Depending on the building some doubles come with a common room and a bedroom, which a lot of students convert into two singles.
Triples: Triples are similar to doubles but the room also varies by building. I believe most triples consist of a common room and two bedrooms. Think of a double and a single that have a common room in between them. Like doubles, most students convert the common room into a bedroom so all three roommates effectively get a single.
Quads: Quads consist of two doubles with a common room in between them. A lot of quads also have a bathroom, which is really nice. I am in a quad this year in Butler’s 1967 Hall and it's a blast. I would recommend trying to get a quad your freshman year so that you can have some built in roommate friends!
Quingles: Perhaps the most unique rooms at Princeton, a quingle is the child of a quad and a single (get it, quad + single = quingle). Quingles are four singles connected together via a private hallway, which usually also has a bathroom. Some quingles have a common room on top of that. These are the biggest rooms at Princeton and are also highly sought after. Next year my roommates and I will be in a quingle in Bloomberg, which I’m super excited about.
Independent/ Co-op: Rising Sophomores and Juniors have the options to draw into independent rooms. This just means that they will not be on the dining hall meal plan. One of the most desired independent buildings is called Spelman. Spelman rooms are like a quingle but also have a kitchen so that students can cook their own meals. There are also some students who opt to room in a Co-op where students take turns cooking dinner. I'm not very knowledgeable about these rooms so that's all I can say on them.
Other: Outside of these rooms, there are some unique rooms that have different layouts/ number of students living in the room. To my knowledge these deviations are primarily in Upperclassmen buildings, so it’s nothing to worry about for first years.
Overall, Princeton has a lot of housing options and a lot of different buildings. No matter where you end up as a first year, your room will be amazing. Starting from scratch and designing your own room is a lot of fun. If you have any questions please reach out to me and I’ll answer your questions to the best of my ability. You can also look at the housing website linked here.