I mean isn't that twice the size of a dorm room? It could not have been that bad.

The size of the rooms in the dorm I lived in my freshman year were as follows:

" Single: 14’4” x 7’ ; Double: 14’8” x 14’4” ; Triple: 15'3" x 15'5"'' "

So the single room comes in at about ~100 sq. feet, and the double ~210 sq. feet.

Some of our facilities, like kitchens, bathrooms and showers, were communal however (I can't tell if this is the case in these apartments, but I can't see any bathrooms). Another big difference is that for nearly all college students, the dorm is not really their only home; everyone I know had a significant amount of stuff stored in their parent's house. I believe we were also provided a communal winter storage area for things like bikes, boxes of summer clothes, etc.

I don't know what US dorms are like, but I'd guess they have some shared space to stretch out in. Maybe a kitchen or lounge. But what we're talking about is the room, and nothing else.

That's not a great way to live.

My dorm room was a bunk with a futon under it with a very small desk to the side. It wasn't ideal but fine considering I spent most of my time somewhere else.

The largest dorm I had in college (in suite style where I had my own room) was 130 sq ft. If I had my own place, I'd at least want a bathroom and kitchen (I'd go crazy and ask for a laundromat set), but I could work with ~100 sq ft of other living space easily for just a bed / work desk / clothes basket or 3.

Dorm rooms come with spacious common areas and libraries for socializing and working. That's rarely all the indoor space you have access to (without paying for a coffee, driving, etc.)

My dorm room is 200 sq ft. I have a reasonable amount of floor space but fitting a kitchen in here would be a stretch.