I have come to discover recently just how overwhelming dorm room shopping can be, and it is not a lesson that I learned the easy way. Growing up with shows like Zoey 101 and movies like She’s the Man, we have all been spoiled when it comes to what dorm rooms are supposed to look like. Take away the flat screen televisions and fully stocked mini fridges, though, and a much more achievable reality is before us. But what exactly do you have to go through in order to become a totally Insta-worthy abode?
Excitement
This is going to be so much fun! You have a vision of what you want your room to look like, and you refuse to let it be compromised. You are a director, and this room is going to be your Oscar-winning film, your magnum opus. People might actually applaud when they enter your space, and HGTV is almost guaranteed to offer you your own design show when all is said and done. This shopping day has been penciled into your calendar for weeks now, and you have taken up Crossfit so that you fatigue does not become an issue halfway through your list.
Confusion
By now you have probably been wandering around the home goods section of a Target for a solid forty-five minutes – this whole process is a lot more taxing than you expected! You begin to use the scented candle rack as a home base because you find yourself getting lost in a maze of similar looking displays. Besides, why are there so many bean bag chairs in stock anyway?
Frustration
You came here for a duvet cover and are now contemplating the necessity of a third extension cord. Having given up completely on matching your accent rug to your pillowcase, you remember talking to your friend who just came home from college. He was able to transport all of his belongings in three duffel bags, and you have now come to think that three aircraft carriers may not get the job done. You would try your luck at Ikea, but you know you would not even know a Kvinke from a Tyssedal if you had made it yourself (But that’s okay because no one really does).
Stubbornness
You are starting to think that your more artistic friend who is crafting up a storm in preparation for college has the right idea: Why would you pay $40 for a print of a pineapple wearing sunglasses in the first place? If you wanted irony THAT badly, you would just watch the first half an hour of Titanic again. You are practically a wizard of Pinterest, after all, and you are prepared to DIY a dorm room that would put Martha Stewart herself to shame. You have watched too many episodes of Project Runway to walk away from a challenge like this. Forget Pottery Barn and Garnet Hill, you will make your own towels!
Acceptance
The towels turned out terribly, but it’s the thought that counts. You have since kept your crafting to a manageable (yet totally cute) minimum and returned the extra Keurig that you had bought “just in case you needed it”. You get to thinking: your dorm room may not be as glorious as you hope and it may not look like a page ripped from a PB Teen catalog, but that is a-okay.
At the end of the day, you may be in a less than picture-perfect dorm room, but you will be there surrounded by new, fantastic friends, and that kind of satisfaction cannot be bought or beat.
The HCND application is now open! For more information contact Rebecca Rogalski at rebeccarogalski@hercampus.com or Katrina Linden at katrinalinden@hercampus.com
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