With the 2022-2023 academic year kicking off last week there has been one thing on most upperclassmen’s minds: why are there so many first-years on campus? For most of us, walking around feels odd because we cannot recognize any of the faces around campus anymore. It is simply overrun by first-years now! But there is a reason for the high volume of first-years on campus. As of mid-August we were expecting a little over one thousand students to enroll and move in. That would be the largest in Brandeis’ history, serving as both a cool display of Brandeis’ growth as a university and a further congestion of services and facilities on campus. You first years have taken over campus and as you will quickly learn by reading this section, while we love to have you with us, this university is not yet equipped for larger class sizes.

The dining halls, library and gym all feel a little smaller now with all of you packing those tiny buildings like a sardine can. But a tiny gym, poorly laid out library and dining hall without enough food is most likely not what is keeping you awake at night. I bet what is really preventing you all from getting your well-needed beauty rest is the two other strangers who share your dorm room with you.

For those who have not been clued in yet to Brandeis housing drama: the class of 2026 has set the record for the most amount of lofted triples in first year housing. While over one thousand did not actually show up, the number lies somewhere closer to nine hundred and fifty, that is still A LOT of first years and a lot of beds! It is still more than enough of you all to reach the title of most lofted triples for a single class year.

To offer a helping hand from an upperclassman to an underclassman I thought I would offer what can only be described as the best guide for surviving your lofted triple. Beginning with boundaries: who needs them? You are living in a room designed essentially for one person. So, throw all caution to the wind and act as one person. Use your roommate’s towel! Heck, drag it on the floor on the way to the bathroom too! They won’t care because they will be using your laptop charger and eating up the edges on it to expose the copper wires that lie beneath. When it comes to stuff, sharing is caring. What is mine is yours and don’t worry about asking to use it. It’s not like your roommates can switch rooms anyways, they’ll simply end up in another lofted triple!

Now, respecting each other’s sleep schedule is a completely different animal to deal with. If you have ever shared a room with a sibling you may already know this but the name of the game is maximization. You need to maximize both the productive and witching hours of your room. Ideally, the best time for these to overlap is during midterm season. When your humanities roommate is staying up till 3 in the morning trying to finish a paper, that is the best time to play The Lonely Island at full blast! You are not paying tuition to sleep, so use all of that green green money to stay up late distracting each other. That is the best way to maximize the work factor and the fun factor of the room.

And of course, I cannot finish my lofted triple recommendation article without discussing bed set up. The room is tiny, but friendships are long and everlasting when done right. Having two people sleep up near the ceiling and one near the floor is not the community we really are looking for at Brandeis. To increase this sense of community you’re going to need the bust out the tool box and break down the lofts. Put all three beds right next to each other to form one MEGA BED! This is the most important information I could give all of you first years because roommates that cuddle together stay together!

So while all of us upperclassmen try to figure out who you are, get to know each other so much faster and simpler with these lofted triple tips and tricks!