Freshman year is definitely one of the most exciting years of your life, and preparing for it is the most fun of all. And I love preparing for things. Trips, vacations, road trips, even sleep overs if I need a particular outfit, especially when it comes to making a list. Listing is one of the best parts of organizing, and yes, other crazy people like me do exist. So of course, I made a list of what to bring to college for freshman year, and what would be needed when I got there (I also took the crazy to a next level and made an Excel spreadsheet and sent it to all my friends. Thanks, eighth grade computer class that I despised). Aside from that list, here are some things that may be obvious and assumed, and others you might not think of:
Pictures. No one thinks to actually print out and bring pictures, but if you have a way to do it other than poor quality/fuzzy CVS instant-print photos, definitely do it at home. Pictures not only give the dorm a more roomy and homey feel, but trust me, people notice them right when they walk in. And a lot of people will be in and out of your room.
Lamps. My roommate and I felt like we were living in a jail cell for a month, and couldn't figure out what would help. Then we realized, it was our eerie-haunted-hospital-fluorescent-lighting that is already in the dorm. We bought a couple cute lamps and one tall floor lamp, $10 at Walmart, and it changed everything.
An area rug. Sounds like some things might be too far into apartment shopping, and yes your mom will keep saying "do you realize how fast this year will go by, and then you're moving out?" every day as she tears up swiping her credit card at HomeGoods. But a soft rug that you can study on or just sit on can make all the difference. And not only you and your roommate will enjoy it, but it will make it feel much more comfortable, cute, and it's a great way to get people to hangout in your room without cluttering it up with chairs.
Command strips. I personally had never heard of these until college, but I promise the closest Walmart will most likely be rushing to restock them everyday. You can hang jewelry along the wall, hats over your bed, and I even used them to hang my mirror on the wall for hair/makeup.
A large mirror. Every girl's main focus is a smaller, zoomed-in mirror for those details on your face. But it will be your worst nightmare to realize that you have a donut-sized mirror to see your whole head and do your hair.
Handmade decorations, or ones that look like you could DIY. My mother made me banners that displayed my school pride and my school's motto, and everyone noticed and loved them. Another girl had a magnetic-makeup mirror that she spread all her cosmetics on and my friends and I immediately gawked over it. Not everyone and their mothers are crafty, but it's worth the find/make.It's the little DIY things - I'm talking Pinterest here people!
You and your roommate matching. It immediately shows how coordinated and cute you guys can decorate. I'm not talking symmetrical sides of the room, but small things matching or coordinating like the desk storage boxes in the picture above.
Again, it's the little things. Also in the picture, are the letters of mine and my roommate's names painted to match our school colors. We eventually command-stripped them onto the wall, and they looked super cute. (Letters and paint bought at Walmart).
A robe. A cute, soft, comfy robe. If you haven't noticed, as organized as I am and love to be, I missed lots of somewhat obvious things, hence the article. But I stocked up on cute, school colored towels for showers, and never thought of a robe. You would be surprised how many times you can drop a towel in a public dormitory, especially in the disgusting shower water.Heed my warning, get a robe, you'll never drop it, and you can keep it on for hours while getting ready and look cute.
Maybe over the top, but cute chairs. My best friends across the hall got clear acrylic chairs and they looked super cute, and super noticeable. If you're looking for a few things that take dorm to dream room, getting rid of those ugly brown desk chairs that are provided is definitely a step to think about.
