“Are you afraid of going to college?”
I have been asked this question repeatedly as I have accumulated the essential and random items that I felt that I would need for college.
In all honesty, I was afraid. I am afraid. But my fear is not present because of the reasons that you might expect. I am not afraid of the fact that I am leaving all my friends behind. My fear does not come from the fact that I will not know anyone, nor is it because of the heavy work load to come.
My fear derived from the fact that I will have to efficiently and effectively decorate a cinder block box.
Even though the thought of dorm room decorating may seem daunting, the task is easier when you break it down into steps. The first thing that has to be addressed when it comes to making your dorm room your new home is making it exude you. In an ideal situation, anyone should be able to step into your dorm room and get a good idea of what type of person you are. So if you lean towards items that have a dark, romantic feel to them, do not go out and purchase frilly pink pillows and curtains.
There is another thing that you definitely must take into consideration when you are determining how to decorate your room—your roommate. If you have never had to share a room with anyone before, this task may be difficult.
If it is possible, try to meet with your assigned roommate before classes begin.This way you can take their likes and dislikes into consideration while you shop. If the two of you have nothing in common (she likes fringe and bold print, while you like simple, clean designs) try to agree on a color scheme. If you have a color scheme, you and your roommate can still stay true to your style while maintaining cohesiveness in the room.
Of course college wouldn’t be college if it was this simple. You may be in a situation where you and you roommate do not know what type of vibe you want the room to have, or you two might not be able to decide on a color scheme.
Do not let these problems stop you from dorm shopping. The best thing to do is to buy the things that are necessities in tones of black and white. This way you will be able to change your room without spending a fortune.
The hardest aspect of dorm decorating has to be storage. Sure you can go out and buy anything for your dorm room, but that five foot by six foot four-drawer dresser will be insignificant once you find out that your dorm room is on the fourth floor of Phelps Hall.
The best way to make the most out of any space is to find convenient ways to store the items that you will use daily. Think of it as a game of “Tetris” and try to make everything fit in where it should be placed.
At department stores such as Walmart and Meijer there are a wide variety of storage items you can make use of and these items also come in a variety of colors. Some storage items, such as ottomans, can also double as another piece of furniture.
Okay. So we’ve basically covered everything, right? Wrong. When decorating a dorm room, you cannot forget to spice up the walls. Your first instinct might be to go out and purchase an expensive painting to put up on your wall, but if you do this you may be spending an unnecessary amount of money.
Instead of buying wall art, why not make your own? Look through magazines to find pictures that pertain to your major, or stunning photos in general. Then search the dollar store to find picture frames and place the photos that you find inside the frames. Voila, instant personalized wall art. With the money that you save by making your own wall art, you can buy more useful things, such as a dry erase board for notes and a cork board for photos.
Hopefully these tips and ideas help you avoid dorm room doom. The last thing that you want to worry about is your dorm room being dysfunctional and uncomfortable.
