It's time to leave home and head off to college. Have you considered how you plan to decorate your dorm room? Here are some tips and ideas to help you with your dorm decor decisions.
First, you should check with your college and find out what you can and can't have. Also find out what the school already supplies you with. Once you have this information, consult with your roommate and figure out how you want to lay out your room and who needs to bring what. That way you can avoid buying duplicates.
If you have extra room once all the essential items are in, you may wish to consider a small futon that friends can crash on when they're hanging out with you. If you don't have enough room, then you could possibly go with a comfy lounge chair instead, so that you have something to relax on, while you watch movies and television.
Being in college requires taking some responsibilty, and you don't want to be the person that comes into class fifteen minutes after it has already started. Therefore, you need to invest in an alarm clock. Try to choose a colorful and functional one, that does more than just play an annoying sound to wake you up. For example, you can find alarm clocks that also have built in radios or mp3 players, this way you can wake up to the sound of music, rather than a typical, obnoxious alarm sound.
If your dorm room allows it, a microwave would be a great item to have. Some dorms have a kitchen (which all students living in the dorm use), or they may not allow appliances like this at all, so check with your college before you spend money purchasing something like a microwave or a toaster.
It's no secret that most dorms are pretty boring and depressing color-wise, so you should try to choose bedding with both personality and lots of color, which will help to enhance your living area. It's hard to be creative and productive in a gloomy atmosphere, so do your best to pick things with vibrant colors and try to bring a more positive and uplifting spirit to your dorm.
Being in college, you will have to do a lot of reading and studying, so make sure your room is well lighted, so you don't have to strain your eyes to see in the dark. A simple reading lamp, to put on your desk, will be a nice addition. You may want to have a floor lamp, to add some extra light as well, however be sure to check and make sure they are allowed first.
Finally, There will most likely be times when you hate being stuck at school and you find yourself missing old friends and family. It would be a nice idea to make your own photo collage in order to keep those who you miss in sight, during those lonely times. Most any department store will have a variety of frames and things to help make your collage.
