by Sara W.

Created on: August 08, 2009

Loft beds, or stackable beds, present many advantages and very few disadvantages for college dorm students. They are quite easy to assemble, and the hardware is usually either at hand or available through the maintenance department. Many incoming freshman prefer to stack their beds simply because their rooms are so small, whereas the senior dorms are usually bigger, and the need for stacking the beds is lessened. Needless to say, practicality is usually the predominant reason that dorm students stack their beds. But if stacking the beds is not an absolute necessity, it will be important to consider all advantages as well as potential disadvantages.

The Advantages

It goes without saying that the greatest advantage to stacking dorm beds is the amount of space that can be saved. More space means more options to add items such as a small dorm-sized refrigerator and microwave. It also means that two people can move more freely within the room, which in turn can lessen the opportunity for conflict. If you can't move around in the room without bumping into one another, it's easy to get grumpy and short tempered with one another.

An advantage to having the top bed when the beds are stacked is that your bed is more private. When your bed is on the ground, and your roommate's buddies come over to hang out, they can't just plop down on your bed for a seat. Your bed is one of the very few places that is your very own personal space, and most people don't appreciate random strangers using their bed for a couch. If your beds are bunked, it will be harder for other people to disrespect that personal space.

The Disadvantages

Of course, when the beds are stacked, someone has to take the top bunk. If you and your roommate are in disagreement about this, you might have to flip a coin to determine fairly who takes the top bed. Unfortunately, someone will end up unhappy. But part of going to college is learning how to become a mature adult, and sometimes that means doing something you don't enjoy in order to keep the peace. If your roommate insists that he's not taking the top bunk, just be the bigger person about it and volunteer to take it.

When room checks roll around, it's never fun to make the bed if your bed is the one on top. Have you ever tried to make your bed while on it at the same time? It's quite a trick. Unless you are really, really tall, you'll have to make your bed the hard way. Or hopefully your resident's assistant will be really, really short and be unable to see if your bed is messy. Either way, the room checks only roll around once a week, so it's not that big of a deal.

As you can see, the advantages will typically outweigh any disadvantage you might encounter. Look at it this way, bunked beds are fun! And you'll feel like a kid at summer camp again, rather than a college student.

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