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Your starting point for making your dorm a home
Moving away from home for the first time can be a daunting task. Amid the excitement of graduation, being accepted into college, getting scholarships and all other tasks presented during the months before college, you are expected to also choose your place of residence, shop for all the supplies you will need in your new home and pack up your old one.
Yes, the move to college is exciting, but it is also a lot of hard work and planning. After all, you are creating a new home on this campus, so how do you make it your own? The answer is decorating; here are some small tips to get you jump-started on your journey.
The most important rule for decorating is creating a space that you like to be in, and that makes you feel happy. This is personal for everyone.
Tess Durchin, a freshman Elementary Education major, explained that memories from home helped her make the transition from high school to college.
“I brought an entire collection of photos from high school and made the wall close to my bed a huge photo collection,” Durchin said.
Brianna Davis, a freshman pre-law major, found comfort in the worlds inside of different pages.
“I brought my books, the ones I got when I was younger and those I first bought on my own,” Davis said.
Tonyea’ Pruitt, a freshman Journalism and Electronic Media major, shared that mementos from home are what mean the most to her in her dorm.
“I brought gifts from family and friends, such as the blanket that has my name on it that I keep in my desk chair or a name plaque that was given to me by one of my old teachers that sits on the window seal above my desk,” Pruitt said.
It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the options available from comforters to shower curtains. Taking the time to look through different aesthetics and find what fits you can help. Pinterest is a great tool for this with the option to share a board with your roommates to make sure you’re on the same page aesthetically.
“My roommate and I spent about 6 months planning our room theme and had Pinterest boards so that it would look awesome,” Durchin said.
Of course, don’t forget to be practical. Things that you chose to decorate your room with, whether that be decorative lights, pictures, animal prints, plants or posters, should not be the main focus.
“I chose neutral colors and then an accent color to start my planning…I made sure everything flowed with one color scheme and theme of my room which is just peace and tranquility,” Pruitt said.
Decorating is important, but don’t forget that you will have to do more than look at your room. At the end of the day, you won’t be using your decorations, so don’t skimp on the essentials. In addition, you have to keep the size of your new space in mind.
“My most used items are a sticky note holder, a clothing rack, laundry organizer and storage cubes,” Davis said.
“Less is more. You don’t want your room to feel crowded so making sure that you have enough storage in your closet and under your bed is crucial,” Durchin said.
It is also important to remember when decorating that there are restrictions placed by University Housing for safety reasons. Some of the most popular items that are banned in dorms include air fryers, wall plug-ins and coffee makers with glass pots.
Your new dorm will be your home for the upcoming school year. Use resources provided to you, like University Housing’s packing list or Pinterest, to guide you as you walk the tightrope between pretty, legal and practical. Your dorm should look and feel like home, and however you make that happen is up to you.
