Join My Email List
Everywhere you look there are trendy dorm room accessories and “must have’s” for teenagers heading off to college. Here are some helpful planning tips for your college-bound teenager and his/her home away from home during the school year.
Furniture – Most college dorm rooms are typically furnished with a bed, dresser, and a desk. Any other piece of furniture you add needs to be multi-functional as square footage is at a premium. For example, if you want to add seating, you should make sure it can also act as additional storage so think ottomans or a trunk.
College Checklist – I am not going to recreate what has already been done. Here is a great checklistthat you can customize for your student.
The next few are for the would-be-student:
Pack Wisely – You will want to personalize your room but don’t bring your entire bedroom with you as you are sharing space with a roommate. Also, do you really want to risk losing a family heirloom? Keep it safe at home. If you are attending school in a climate that has different seasons, you can always bring the other season’s clothes back with you when you go home on break. Take a few cold/warm weather items as temps do change quickly, and you want to be prepared. Or have your parents send you a care package with items you need later in your first semester.
Study space – If you plan to study in your room you will want to have a comfy spot to read and work on your computer. If a desk isn’t your style, you may want to have a compact lap desk such as this oneor this is another stylethat can double as a lap table when eating in bed or while watching tv. Depending on your style there are a number of chairsthat would not only fit in your room, but would also be comfortable to lounge in.
Communication – It goes without saying that you will be sharing a dorm room. Take the time to reach out to your roommate to get to know him/her a bit before living together. See what items you will both be bringing so you don’t end up with 2 microwaves! You don’t have to be best friends with this person, but you will be spending time with him/her, so embrace the experience.
Starting college can be a really fun time, but with it comes a lot of stress over the newness of everything all at once. Being prepared and having a room set up before you begin classes will take a lot of pressure off you, and you will be able to settle in sooner to begin this exciting new phase of your life.
Photo: Photo by chuttersnap on Unsplash