Transitioning from the comfort and safety of your home to what feels like a shoebox-sized room on a floor full of strangers can be stressful. Freshman year contains many new learning experiences and living in the dorms is one of them. Here are some things you can do to help make your dorm room experience the best it can be.
Make it a home away from home
Customizing dorm rooms with personalized pictures, lights and posters can help make the space your own and make you feel right at home. Many people will hang up colorful tapestries, twinkling lights, posters of favorite music artists or sports jerseys along the walls of their rooms to make it look less like a dorm and more like bedroom.
Get to know your RA
Getting to know your residence adviser can be helpful when struggling with a roommate conflict, hall noise, homesickness or even classes. This person is a resource and having them on your side can help resolve any problems you may run into.
Get organized
School picks up fast in college and sometimes freshman can become overwhelmed with balancing schoolwork along with a new living arrangement. Investing in calendars, drawer organizers or assignment notebooks are easy ways to keep life in college organized and accessible.
Stay Clean
Dorms can get dirty quickly when people continuously come in and out of them. Do yourself a favor and keep it clean throughout the week. Designating one day a week to organize, vacuum and pick up will benefit both you and the people living around you.
Be Social
The easiest way to make friends is to keep your room door open. Although it may be scary at first, it gives the impression of being friendly and people may pop in to say hi. In addition, take advantage of social opportunities to meet more people. Participating in floor cookouts, movie nights or competitions can all be great ways to meet new people.
