Moving into school can bring a lot of stress, especially if you're a new college student. Living away from home for the first time--or second, third or fourth--can be scary. There are many days where you'll miss home. However, the best way to combat this homesickness is by having a homey dorm room.

If you look on any major home decor store's website right now, you'll see photos of picture perfect dorm rooms, straight out of a magazine. While this can be a nice touch, and having the prettiest dorm room around might seem like a dream come true--I find that there is no personal connection to your room. Choosing a room from something someone else designed for magazine, while pretty, isn't yours.

So how then do you make your dorm feel like your own? Certainly hanging string lights can bring a cozy factor to the room, but walk into any girls' room on your floor and I promise you'll see the same thing. So, instead of reaching for the already designed and put together bedroom on dormco.com, head over to Pinterest. Search anything along the lines of "dorm room" and thousands of ideas will come up. Ideas ranging from canopies to hang over your bed to chic room inspiration.

I promise you if you put the time in to make a few things for your room it will instantly feel more like home. Knowing that those pictures you hung are your own personal memories or the wall art that you made is unique and only you have it will make you feel more connected to your room--more at home.

Even for those of you who aren't DIY freaks like me, there are plenty of small, simple ways to put your own personal touch on your room. Maybe it's your favorite cozy blanket from home, maybe it's the string of tassel garland that you saw on Pinterest that you just had to make. Maybe it's pictures of your pets or your friends back home or family members or your favorite places to travel--just something small to make you feel at home, or make you remember that even on your worst days you still have all those things you love.

So whether it's your homemade monogram or a photo collage on the wall--big or small, sentimental or just something cute--I encourage you to have at least one personal touch on your dorm room at school. After all, it is your home away from home.