College is hard enough without needing to struggle your way through the craziness that is dorm life. If you are stuck living on campus, here's some ways you can make your dorm room feel a little more tolerable.
1. Recycle bottles and cans and make a day of your earnings
My roommate and I have been saving our bottles and cans so that we can turn them in for money and use that to do something fun afterwards. Not only is this good for the environment, but there’s also something in it for you!
2. Get a rice cooker
Rice is literally manna from heaven when it’s 2 a.m. and you’re getting too hungry for your weekly all-nighter. Rice cookers are small, easy to store, and very safe to have in your room. If your school doesn’t allow these in the dorms, I’m not saying to do it anyways but— wait, I think that is what I’m saying.
3. Make cake in said rice cooker
Remember when I said rice was manna from heaven? I lied. It’s actually cake. Stir that sucker up, put the cooker on the “white rice” setting, and wait! You will need to rest the cycle a few times until it is cooked, but trust me, it works eventually.
4. Thrift for plates and silverware
For the sake of a dorm room, you will really only be needing one or two of everything when it comes to eating utensils. Don’t be a sheep and buy a singular plate from an expensive set at Target when you can get something really nice at a thrift store for a great price! This also allows you to pick and choose what you like and don’t like without being confined to a set.
5. Use a projector to watch TV and movies
Too many people in your room to crowd around your computer screen? Project it onto the wall! Yes, these can get pricey, but the price doesn’t compare to that of an actual TV, and it also looks way cooler.
6. Hang a shower curtain over semi-transparent shower doors
Pretend the top of the shower door is the rod you would normally hang the curtain on and do it the exact same way. You will probably need to fold it over at least once, but make sure the holes are lining up. This makes it easy to share a bathroom without needing to see the awkward outline of your roommate’s naked body.
7. Turn that old shelf in your garage into a tiny dorm pantry
This is great when you don't have time to go to the cafeteria or you miss a meal. Set up a little shelf where you store basic college foods like cup noodles, Pop-Tarts, and peanut butter.
8. Take fruit from the cafeteria every night and eat it for breakfast the next day
There’s nothing wrong with taking a banana from the cafe at dinner and saving it for your hurried breakfast the next day. This will save you time, money, and the emotional turmoil of being hungry during an exam.
9. Use old socks as rags for cleaning
There’s nothing worse than a dirty bathroom and having nothing to clean with. Use that old sock with the hole in it that you have yet to throw away for whatever reason.
10. Hang old photos but leave room for new memories!
A photo or poster that reminds you of home can sometimes be the most encouraging thing after a long day at school. But don't forget why you chose to leave home and make sure you are leaving room in your life for new memories! Take pictures with your new friends and hang them proudly next to your old friends.
