Coming to Berkeley as a freshman, it was difficult to make my dorm room feel like home. Moving from home to a bare room with blank walls and empty desks can make the college transition seem even more daunting. I’ve made my dorm feel like home over the past semester and a half, and here are some tips so you can too!
FAKE PLANTS ARE YOUR BEST FRIEND
One of my favorite things to do at home was to decorate my space with plants. However, with a crammed class and extracurricular schedule, college life isn’t exactly conducive to successful dorm room gardening. Fake plants have brought life to my dorm in the most low-maintenance way possible. Plus, nobody will even be able to tell that they’re fake.
SNACK DRAWER
During move-in, I had a large drawer leftover in my desk and nothing to fill it with. When the fridge began to get full, I decided to make it a snack drawer for any food I could keep at room temperature. Since then, it’s been a staple for late-night study sessions and makes my dorm feel just a little bit more like home. I use flex dollars to buy snacks for the drawer so I don’t have to grocery shop.
stock up on microwave meals
Sometimes classes, club meetings, and other commitments can conflict with dining hall hours. In this case, it’s been an absolute lifesaver to have microwavable frozen meals in the dorm freezer. The flexibility of being able to fall back on food in the room makes the dorm seem a little bit more like home.
Flowers
I am a flower fanatic. You’ll practically never catch me without flowers in my room, whether they’re picked from outside, or from the grocery store. One dorm-specific tip is to get flowers that look just as good once they’ve dried out. Baby’s Breath and Lavender flowers look practically the same once they’re dried out, so no need to replace them, saving you money, and a trip to the grocery store.
no blank space
I had a lot of space on the walls for the first few weeks of the semester, which made the room seem impersonal and unwelcoming. Soon, I printed out photos of people and places that I love and left no space unfilled. My wall, made of push-pin safe material, is now filled with photos of my friends and family, letters I’ve received since coming to Berkeley, and other decorations that reflect my personality!
speaker to play music
My biggest recommendation is to bring a speaker to college. During the first couple of weeks, my roommate and I would play music, and sometimes leave our door open. This made visitors frequent, and we’ve been told that our room has welcoming and friendly energy.