Let’s face it — unless you’re one of the lucky few to snag a spot in the LLC — your dorm room is about the size of a shoebox. Nevertheless, this shoebox is your home for the next nine months. It should be your place of rest, a place you can study efficiently, and even a place where you can host a movie night with friends or the cute redhead down the hall. However, transforming it into the perfect collegiate haven can seem near impossible.
Here are a few tips to get you started.
Invest in your items

Though a bed and closet are provided, it takes more than that to have a livable dorm room. A working alarm clock is vital. Don’t rely solely on your roommate or your cell phone alarm to wake you up for your 8 a.m. discussion. An alarm clock will ensure you are up, even if your roommate is still recovering from the night before. Because college isn’t all about studying, some forms of entertainment are necessary. Split the cost of a TV and DVD player with your roommate or invest in a stereo system. And lastly, have everything you need to eat with in your dorm room. You won’t always have time to hit up Common Grounds for a cheesy griller, so have bowls, spoons, cups and easy food such as cereal and snacks on hand.
Spruce up your space

Think outside the traditional poster-only wall decorations. You can find cheap frames at department stores or secondhand stores such as St. Vincent De Paul’s or Goodwill (there’s a campus store at 435 E. Broadway). French memo boards can hold just about anything, and can be used as a canvas for a photo collage, ticket stubs, magazine cut-outs or even cloth. Magnets are also fun. Decorate your mini fridge with themed magnets or magnetic poetry, which always proves to be an entertaining activity when friends visit. Attach a dry erase board to your door, and let friends, roommates and secret admirers leave you messages.
Another idea is a dry erase calendar for keeping track of classes, appointments and extra-curricular activities.
Multipurpose your mattress

Make your bed a place you want to sleep as well as hang out. When your bed takes up 50 percent of the floor space in your microscopic dorm, it’s important that it can be used as a comfy place to sleep, as well as a couch to watch DVDs or a place to catch up on reading.
Get a cozy comforter for sleeping and some throw pillows you can remove at night. These can be used for decoration during the day, as well as back-support when studying, reading or watching TV. Also, take advantage of underbed storage possibilities. Leaving clothes or books on the floor will leave little walking space in such a small room.
Living in a dorm room for nine months straight can become exhausting, but if you have the right set up, decorations and storage, it is more than tolerable. It might even be fun.
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