I am going off to college in the fall and was wondering all the stuff you need to have a nice and neat dorm room. I am sharing my room with a roomate. I would also appreciate any advice on time management and study habits. THANKS!
also my parents didnt realize that you need the xl twin sheets for dorm beds. so can i still use them if i get the xl mattress pad?
7 answer
ella
July 30th, 2010 at 8:46 am
The dorm probably comes with a desk, drawers and bed. So I’d recommend going to somewhere like Ikea or Target and getting storage containers that fit under the bed. Also, a filing tray or folders for your desktop will help keep you organized.
Lastly, I’d get a plastic clothing hook extension for the back of your door- one of those accordian things that are temporary and can hold a million coats and towels.
In terms of study habits, one thing that I wish I’d done in college is go to more study groups. Working with other people definitely keeps you on track, keeps you from repeating mistakes, and helps you meet interesting new people.
rocktheskulls
July 30th, 2010 at 9:18 am
I would say get a lot of containers because containers always come in handy and you can never have enough of it.
http://www.target.com/gp/search/ref=sr_ln_3/601-1327303-3755311?ie=UTF8&index=target&field-browse=3665671&rh=k%3Acontainers
http://www.target.com/gp/search/ref=sr_ln_1/601-1327303-3755311?ie=UTF8&index=target&field-browse=3665671&rh=k%3Acontainers%2Cn%3A14183021
Mike S
July 30th, 2010 at 10:01 am
cut your room in half and imagine sharing that little space with three people. haha its not for everyone, i lasted 2 weeks. needless to say i am still friends with those guys because it only takes two weeks to realize what a true player i am.
Kat
July 30th, 2010 at 10:59 am
bring the essentials- bedding, clothes, books, etc. a fridge is great to have, if you have room- unfortunately, there are always cases of food theft from the main fridge in the kitchen. don’t bring candles- most if not all halls of residency ban them. flip flops come in handy for those shared showers, and a bathrobe. food for those late-night cramming sessions, a couple of pics from back home, a poster or two, your comp, and you should be good to go.
i found that keeping a day planner is so important to managing your time- it keeps you from too much procrastinating. most universities hand day planners and wall calendars out for free. don’t spend too much time making your lecture notes neat and tidy; just as long as handwriting is legible and you put notes into some sort of order, then that’s enough. (after all you’ll probably throw them away when the course is over.) don’t even stock up on fancy lecture notebooks and too many pens and pencils and any other office supplies. buy a stapler.
have fun
Belie
July 30th, 2010 at 11:25 am
First talk to your roommate (if you can). There’s no need bringing something if she may already have it and is willing to share.
Most dorms are supplied with a desk, a closet/drawers, and a bed. If you can, lofting your bed will allow you to keep your desk under your bed which will give you more floor space.
Folders will help you keep track of papers.
If you have a closet use hangers for most of your clothes. It’ll make picking your clothes easier and allow for you to have storage space at the bottom. Try to pack everything in a couple suit cases because, remember, what you take there you will have to bring back home!
If you don’t have XL sheets it’ll probably be awkward trying to make your bed. If you can try to return them to the store for an exchange in size or to order from the major company that does them.
David B
July 30th, 2010 at 12:20 pm
Take the sheets back and exchange them. The local discount stores make a killing on new student move-in weekend when all the parents discover they needed twin XL rather than regular twin. And multiple sets of sheets that match a common comforter will help give your room a different look occasionally (my mom eventually got me four different sheet sets and two comforters – brown and tan, navy and blue) and cut down on laundry frequency.
Anywhere else but a college dorm room the theory of milk crate storage is usually made fun of – but they work wonderfully for storing stuff in dorm rooms, whether in closets, under beds, or stacked in a corner. A basket/small bucket to organize your bathroom stuff is usually real helpful, particularly if you have a common bathroom for the floor. I had a half bookcase which I put on top of my desk for years during school; one lesson learned was that vertical storage beats horizontal storage everyday in a dorm room.
Talk to your roommate. Duplicating things is very space consuming. So, one of you can bring the TV, the other the DVD. Two stereos are usually a waste – pick the nicer one, and share it (in the iPOD age, this is a little different from my era with monster speakers and separate components). Share a mini-fridge and microwave. You each probably want your own computer, but instead of two cheap printers share one.
Sara
July 30th, 2010 at 1:08 pm
Congratulations on going to college–it’s an exciting time!
The secret of keeping a small space neat and organized is to have a place for everything. You won’t have room for a lot of trendy organizing products (like they show in the store ads and catalogs), so try not to bring too much and make sure everything has a “home.”
As for what to bring, I agree that the first step is to contact your roommate (if you know who it is already). You can split up items such as: fridge, microwave, rug, fan, printer, etc.
Next, make a list of things you need:
-1 or 2 bedpillows
-2 or 3 sets of sheets (XL twin should be fine, depending on how thick your pad is–try it when you get there and decide then)
-Mattress pad
-Bedspread
-2 or 3 towels
-Hamper/laundry bag
-Laundry detergent
-2 to 4 underbed storage boxes (not too big or too tall)
-Computer (if you have one)
-Music CDs/iPod (and stereo if you don’t have a computer)
-Backpack
-Notebooks/binders – one for each class
-Calendar/PDA
-Bin to take to the bathroom with shampoo, soap, etc.
-Bathrobe
-Over-the-door hanger
-Hangers
-A limited, casual wardrobe
Regarding clothing: in college, we could always tell the freshmen because they wore nice clothes you actually had to iron and shoes you had to shine! As you go through college, most people wear jeans, track pants, or even PJ pants, and t-shirts and sweatshirts, with sneakers or sandals. Bring an outfit for dances and an outfit for interviews, but beyond that you really just need enough casual clothes to get you through the week before you do laundry. Plus, college students are notorious for wearing things two or three times. Don’t skimp on underwear, socks, and undershirts, but for everything else–think minimal.
Avoid the following:
-Books (walk to the library instead)
-Framed artwork (use posters instead)
-More than three or four framed photos from home (it screams “I’m not ready to be away yet”)
-Stuffed animals (’nuff said)
-Tons of beauty supplies (if you don’t use it at least once a week, don’t bring it–borrow it instead)
-Anything really valuable (leave grandma’s pearls and the autographed baseball at home)
-Nicknacks (aka clutter)
For time management, make sure you have a good portable paper calendar or PDA. You will amazed at how full your schedule will get, at all hours of the day and night. You will also want a good place to write a master “to do” list, sorted by priorities or by class. Use individual pocket notebooks or binders with paper and pocket folders for each class. If you stay organized, it will be easier to find time to meet people, hang out with friends, and do fun stuff.
Overall, remember that’s it’s nice to have a good room, but it’s really just a place to study and crash. You’ll want to spend most of your time out of your room–that’s how you’ll meet people and find the most opportunities on campus. Library, cafeteria, computer lab, student center, events, meetings, quad…See and be seen!