After living in a single last year (a standalone room without a common room and any roommates), I was ready to liven things up during my last year at Yale. Therefore, I decided to switch things up and live in a suite with a suitemate. Although different residential colleges have different suite layouts (with many differences within the colleges as well), here is a mini tour of my suite at Timothy Dwight College.
For starters, I live in a double. In this case, this means that I share my suite with my suitemate, Clara (another fellow blogger), and we each have our own bedroom with a common room. Sometimes people refer to a double as a room with two beds, but they typically are for underclassmen.
My very inviting door with deflated balloon animals!
This is the entrance to our room. Unfortunately, most senior suites in Timothy Dwight are on the fourth floor. Luckily I’ve gotten used to the extra flight of stairs and the balloon animals always cheer me up whenever I complete my trek (I also try to convince myself that I am benefitting from the extra cardio but I have yet to see improvements in my ability to climb up to the fourth floor without being winded).
I honestly love my mini kitchen and snack corner
Two things that make college living much more bearable are my fridge and microwave. Besides storing essentials such as Arethusa’s ice cream pints and frozen meals, the microwave always comes in handy whenever I want to make a cup of instant ramen. Students can also rent out micro-fridges (microwave and fridge units) if they don’t want the hassle of storing and transporting the microwaves and mini-fridges, but buying your own is always more cost-effective.
A very useless but homey mantle with more mirrors than necessary
Although not every suite at Yale may have this, I believe a fireplace ties the whole room together. Mine houses my unidentifiable paintings and fake plant but the mantle makes the room much cozier and serves as a reminder of Yale’s rich history.
Sadly the Ginkgo tree has no more leaves but the sofa area is still very cozy ◡̈
Another thing that makes sense in my suite is the couch and armchair. Perfect for movie nights or a quick nap in between classes, the couch allows my common room to be much more livable and inviting for guests. Of course, I had to include my Timothy Dwight pillow and blanket, both of which are usually haphazardly tossed around the couch. Also pictured is the window the couch looks out of, which provides an abundance of natural light (a must for the decreased daylight during New Haven winters).
The built-in shelves and third closet haven been so helpful in keeping our suite tidy
Even though this suite houses only two people, it is very hard to stay organized. Thus, I am grateful for any built-in storage I can get. In my suite, the shelf in our hallway and our third closet are particularly helpful as they are home to our stash of instant ramen, many shoes, and winter jackets.
My lovely suitemate Clara and I at Harvard-Yale this year
Lastly, my suite isn’t complete with my suitemate Clara. As grateful as I am for the space we have, it wouldn’t make sense without my suitemate. Now, I have a built-in workout buddy, late-night walking partner, and perpetual therapist, all conveniently located a few feet away from me.
