Moving into college for the first time, or just feeling stuck on how to make your space more inviting next year? Here are some decorative tips on how to make your dorm room indescribably you!
FREEPRINTS
When I was getting ready to move in, I researched where I could get pictures from that felt personal to my interests and expressed my true identity. From a quick glance at college advice TikToks, I stumbled upon FreePrints. FreePrints is an app where you can purchase up to 85 4×6 photos a month for free! This makes things extremely convenient, especially with other expenses that come with living in the dorms—mini fridges, microwaves, cleaning supplies—and can make move-in day a whole lot easier. I selected photos on Pinterest ranging from cool album covers to TV shows I liked, and uploaded them to the app. From there, I only had to pay the 85-cent shipping fee and wait for it to come. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for ways to make their dorm space feel like home.
Side note: At the University of Michigan specifically, poking holes in walls to hang pictures isn’t allowed, so I suggest using double-sided tape instead!
Fairy Lights
I made a huge mistake not spending more money on these, but I would say fairy lights in a dorm are an essential accessory to have. When you’re hanging around in your dorm or winding down after a long day, the last thing you want hanging above your head is the striking fluorescent building light on your dorm’s ceiling. This is why I suggest fairy lights. Most come with a remote so you can control how much light is emitted in your room, which is especially helpful if you’re a night owl like me and don’t want to sit in total darkness while winding down on TikTok. It’s also nice to have in the early mornings instead of getting ready for the day in total darkness. I’ve found the ones that last the longest are on Amazon, but there are also some cute and trendy options on Urban Outfitters! LED lights are also a good option if you like different colors!
White Board Calendar
If you’re anything like me, you’ll have at least three different calendars dedicated to different areas: school, clubs, and life. Having a Google Calendar is great for keeping track of what you’re doing throughout the day, and Notion helps me see which assignments are due this week. But having a whiteboard calendar for upcoming birthdays, scheduling visits home, and school breaks is insanely useful. As someone who’s made calendars for my family since a young age, I find that a whiteboard calendar also helps remind me of everything I need to complete in my dorm. For instance, I like to clean every two weeks. Writing “clean” on my calendar every other weekend keeps me responsible for my own space, and this is immensely important if you end up sharing a space with a roommate. It can also be fun just to take a couple of minutes decorating your calendar with different colors. For me, this is definitely a form of decompression and resilience!
Corkboard
Corkboards are one of many ways to get excited about your dorm, create a space to decorate with memories from home, and include new experiences from college. If you don’t have a digital printer at home, I recommend printing out pictures from your local library! They usually cost around 5-10 cents per page based on where you live, and they’re super easy to cut out. It’s also fun to include stickers or your school’s pennant flag. I found the most inspiration on Pinterest, but go wild!
Side note: At the University of Michigan specifically, poking holes in walls to hang pictures isn’t allowed. If you want to bring a corkboard, I’d suggest hanging it on a sticky hook!