It’s time to trade in bathing suits and beach bags for textbooks and backpacks. If you’re getting ready to leave home for a cozy campus dorm you know there’s a lot to be done. Here are some tips to help you create the perfect home away from home.
There’s nothing like a good checklist to get you organized, you may end up creating multiple lists along the way; things to do, things to buy, people to call, and so on. To help simplify the things we’ve created a list of items you may need for your dorm.
Personalizing a dorm room can be a challenging task. The average dorm is 12’ x 19’ and you’ll have half that space to work with. Talk to your roommate about his or her likes and dislike and you can work together to create a common theme. Also, go over what items you’ll bring; you may be able to share items like mirrors, scales, area rugs, and floor lamps instead of doubling up on them.
You’ll need storage space throughout the year. Under Bed Totes are great for seasonal clothes like sweaters, and linens. Yaffa crates will help you organize homework and study materials for class, and they’re stackable. Make the best of a small closet space with closet organizing racks, cubes, and shoe shelves.
Instead of tapping posters and pictures to the walls pick up a few inexpensive frames to slide them into. Do you have an old calendar you can’t throw away because the pictures are so great? Cut them out and frame them for your room. Hang a dry erase board or corkboard to keep track of classes, assignments, and important notes, like call mom.
When you are picking out linens for your dorm think about a color scheme for your room. If you choose multi-colored or patterned sheets you can accent some of those colors other places in your dorm, like rugs, lamps, and even the wastebasket. If you’re more apt to go with solid colors consult a color wheel for color combination ideas.
Your dorm will feel like home in no time and before you know it you’ll be packing up your textbooks and bringing out bathing suits and beach bags for another summer. Until then, stay organized and you’ll never miss an assignment, or forget to call mom.