Moving into your first college dorm room is nerve-wracking and exciting all at the same time. Besides making new friends, navigating a new place and figuring out how to manage a new workload, you also need to worry about being away from home.
Chances are, your dorm room is never going to be quite as good as your childhood bedroom, but with a few tricks, you can make it pretty damn close.
To help you get more comfortable in your new home, we have 10 tips for how you can make your dorm feel, well, a little less like a dorm room. And for the love of god, please ditch the Bob Marley poster.
1. Dorm room beds are notoriously uncomfortable, so go ahead and invest in a featherbed to put on top of your mattress. They don't come cheap, but your back will thank you.
2. Are the weird stains on the carpet getting you down? Get a cheap rug -- it will tie your space together and hide any unsightly stains.
3. Candles and incense are forbidden in most dorm rooms because they're fire hazards, so instead of spraying your room with Febreze, buy a fragrant, low-maintenance plant -- like an herb plant.
4. It's very tempting to constantly use red cups for drinking and then throw them away, but invest in a few glass cups so you feel less like you're at a picnic and more like you're in your bedroom.
5. Frame your art. It's super easy to stick posters on the wall, but buying a frame will make your room feel more grown up. And if you're worried about nails putting holes in the wall, we'll let you in on a little secret: putty.
6. Get a proper hamper -- one that sits upright, not a bag that lies in a pile on the floor.
7. Skip the twinkle lights. We’re not exactly sure how they became so popular, but nothing screams dorm room like Christmas lights all-year round. If the lighting in your dorm is bad, buy soft lightbulbs or invest in a floor lamp.
8. If your room doesn’t come with one, get a garbage can for your bedroom. PLEASE don’t turn a plastic bag into a makeshift trash bin.
9. Purchase a full-length mirror. Your dorm probably won’t come with one, but there are tons of cheap over-the-door mirrors you can buy that will make getting dressed much easier.
10. Most people like to get all new bedding for college, but if you bring a blanket or a duvet cover from home, it will make your bed feel more comfortable and familiar.
