About the Dorm:
So I’ve definitely been to Monroe before. In fact, my twin brother lived on the fourth floor there last year, so I heard about “mofo” all the time. So warning residents: this issue of dorm raiders carries with it the nostalgia of a sophomore. I’m sure other upperclassmen agree—it’s just kinda weird to see some “random” girl walk out of your best friend’s room from last year. And don’t even get me started on what it’s like to see your own freshman dorm room tainted with two unfamiliar names on the door.
Incase you haven’t figured it out already, this week dorm raiders took Monroe. Monroe is one of the two most sought after places to live for freshmen. It has the reputation of being a social dorm. And did I mention its quad is perfect for tanning? Standing 12 floors high, this building’s blue and red details can be seen across campus. Residents live in mostly doubles, but there are a few single rooms found here. Floors rotate between having a study room or social lounge. Remember, although Monroe and Sharp are the social dorms, everyone at Tulane goes to a social school and will have a great experience regardless of not getting their dorm of choice!
About the Residents:
This week I took that long walk down memory lane, I mean Monroe 4, to visit Sage and Zoe’s room. Sage calls Doylestown, Pennsylvania her hometown. Like many other Tulane students she escaped the northeast to come to the warm, sunny city of New Orleans. Standing by her choice to go cross-country, Sage says, “New Orleans
just gets in your blood, like New Orleans pride”. Between the people, the food, the culture, and just the fantastic city we all reside in her roommate Zoe definitely agrees. Zoe is another one of Tulane’s students who lives over 1,000 miles away from our campus. She’s from New York City! Tulane’s architecture program helped drag her away from one fantastic city to another.
The Best 18th Birthday:
Move in day this year actually fell on Sage’s 18th birthday! It was definitely a day to celebrate, her first day at Tulane doubled as her first day as a legal adult. Ok, maybe your idea of an ideal birthday isn’t carrying bags through Monroe, but you all have to admit the excitement that comes with your first day in the dorms—tired from all that heavy lifting or not. Sage’s sister and mom surprised her on her special day by decorating her door with birthday signs so all her new neighbor’s spent the day welcoming her with birthday wishes!
Time to stop reading Sage’s signs and come inside!
Sage’s Paradise:
Everything down to even the color scheme of Sage’s side of the room screams beachy. Her bright blue and green comforter lightens up the room while being reminiscent of the ocean and sandy shores Sage loves so much. Her string lights also help make the room have that cozy feeling we all seek to achieve in our homes away from home. Not convinced this is Beach Sage? Take a closer look! The words “Live Aloha” stand out on a sign against the wall. No, this sign didn’t come with Sage from Pennsylvania, it came all the way from her trip to Hawaii! “When I went to Hawaii, I learned about aloha and what it meant: living your life with ease and relaxation.” Sage hopes to make this message a part of her life at Tulane—and yes, I do mean along with all her classes and activities, there’s nothing wrong with making life your beach sometimes. Her Malibu, California poster and flower clips scattered around the room also help add to its beachy feel.
Also important to Sage, of course, are her family and friends! Their pictures are hung up above her bed. Putting the pictures onto boards helps them stay organized. I also had to comment on how sage hung her jewelry up—it was so unique! Sage had the idea to put her jewelry up on a corkboard—it’s convenient because she can see
all her jewelry options, and it looks decorative as well!
Getting Girly with Zoe:
How many girls out there actually planned a color scheme with their roommate before dorm room shopping? Don’t worry, the whole we’re roommates so let’s get matching comforters idea isn’t for everyone—in fact, it’s something you actually don’t find all that commonly. You and your roommate are different! And you probably don’t know her all that well before you even meet her in person, so the odds of the two of you ending up with the same style on your sides of the room is slim. If you accidently ended up with the same comforter as your roommate chances are you’re a boy. Boys just aren’t given the same variety as us girls are in those Bed Bath and Beyond catalogs.
That said Zoe’s side of the room shows a unique style of her own. She opted for girly pinks and purples as her color scheme. “I wanted something different than my room at home,” said Zoe as she explained her color choices to me. “At home my room is more blue and grey so I went for pinks in my dorm”. Zoe is definitely onto something here, if you’re one of the lucky ones stuck with a room that hasn’t been remodeled since middle school, your college dorm is the perfect way to express yourself and how much you’ve changed since the day you covered your room in Justin Beiber posters.
Zoe chose to hang up pictures like Sage did, giving the room a nice balanced, symmetrical feel seeing as this part of their walls match. Just like Sage pointed out the importance of her Live Aloha sign, Zoe told me about her love for dream-catchers. She loves the idea behind them, that they catch all your bad dreams! Her dream-catcher catches her bad dreams and the attention of anyone who stops by this room.
Make it Your Own:
I said it last week and I’ll say it again: print pictures at Walgreens! Photos of friends and family remind us of home much more than would a poster of your favorite celebrity.
1. I said it last week and I’ll say it again: print pictures at Walgreens! Photos of friends and family remind us of home much more than would a poster of your favorite celebrity.
2. If you haven’t shopped at Urban Outfitters for anything but clothes so far, check out urbanoutfitters.com to find their apartment section. Zoe loves it and you will too! And don’t worry, you can still order that cute shirt you’ve been wanting from Urban too!
3. Sage hung up her favorite vacation souvenir and suggests you do too!
4. Try online shopping on Amazon for any of your various dorm room needs. They tend to have pretty college-friendly prices.
5. Corkboards are easy to find if you want to hang up your jewelry like Sage did.
6. Get a rug! Even if you and your roommate have different styles, a black and white patterned rug is bound to match the whole room while making it cozier.
7. Be you and let it show!