Are you overwhelmed about trying to plan a cute dorm room, work a summer job, and get your life together before college? Trust me, I get it! Seriously, I've been there! Today I will tell you 10+ Things I Wish I Knew Before Moving Into My Dorm Room At College.
Hey, y'all! My name is Isabella, and I’m a college student learning how to navigate adulthood right alongside you!! Today, I am going to tell you 10+ of the most IMPORTANT things I seriously wish someone would have told me before I moved into my dorm room at college.
1. Don't spend a lot of money on your rug
My oh my, will that rug get disgusting. That tiny space of rug will get so much foot traffic that any white on it will turn to gray, seriously...speaking from experience. When that room is your kitchen, vanity, bedroom, bathroom, closet, and everything in between, AND on top of that, you are sharing it with another person, that rug will be so disgusting...trust me.
Since it gets so disgusting, you will likely need to throw it away at the end of the year or donate it, so it is smart not to spend great sums of money on your rug for your dorm so you aren't wasteful.
2. Buy slippers & a robe for your dorm
I was not a slippers or robe girl before coming to college, but I will die on the hill that you have to be if you're living in a dorm.
You will need it to get back to your room from the bathroom, to wear in case your roommate brings a friend to y'all's dorm, to take the trash out, or even just to avoid the nasty dorm room floor and hallways.
I highly recommend getting a robe and a pair of slippers. You don't need to spend much money on them, just get something functional!
3. Get as much soft lighting as you can
Dorm lighting is absolutely horrible; it is fluorescent and aggressive, so you will probably want to leave your overhead off and only use your lamps and soft lighting. This is what I did the past 2 years of dorm life!
The soft lighting will make your room feel more cozy and homey, and in my opinion, it is way cuter than the terrible overhead light.
I got a nice makeup mirror with multiple light mode settings, put multiple lamps in my room, and had a hanging lamp over my bed. I honestly wish I had even more soft lighting sources!
4. You have to maximize your space
It can be easy to think that you won't need very much storage and to skimp on spending money on things like bed risers, over-the-door organizers, rolling drawer organizers, and so on.
But seriously, I wish I had optimized my space even more than I did! Don't be afraid to take advantage of every little area of space in your room. For tips on dorm storage & organization that I learned firsthand, check out the 30 Best Dorm Room Organization and Storage Items & Tips.
5. learning how to live with someone new can be hard
When living with people you probably don't know very well for the first time, chances are there will be some challenging times.
This may be obvious to you, but I wanted to include it because I didn't realize just how hard living with roommates could be. You will have to learn to communicate well and directly, and listen to your roommates without jumping to defend yourself.
I just want you to know that it may be hard, which is normal! I promise you are not the only one experiencing that, and it gets better. Try not to let the little things get to you because freshman year absolutely flies by, and you don't want to look back with regrets.
6. Keep track of who has your clothes
When living in a dorm full of other young women, one of the best parts is that you have access to so many people's closets (with permission, of course). You will meet new people and become friends with them, and then, when a boy asks you at the absolute last second to go to a date party and you have nothing to wear, you will have lots of new friends happy to lend you an outfit!
BUT through all of this lending, it can be hard to keep up with who has what clothing item and if you got it back or not, so I highly recommend just keeping a notes app in your phone of who has what clothing piece.
Mine is just titled "Borrowing," and if I have a friend borrow something, I just write down their name and what the clothing item was. For example, "Isabella - Prom Dress from Junior Year," and then when I get the item back, I delete it!
7. Get a Delicates bag for washing your laundry
Get a bag like this to wash your underwear, socks, and bras in so that the poor-quality washing machines in the dorms don't mess up your stuff.
Additionally, it can be so easy to accidentally drop a sock in the laundry room and never see it again, so this helps prevent that! I like the spray Oxi Clean Spray and Wash on any of my delicates that have a stain or need extra help in the wash.
8. You will need appliances other than a microwave
Only eating microwaved food for 9 months would be so difficult, trust me, I tried. You will want other small appliances to make more than just microwaved food.
For example, a toaster, panini press, airfryer, egg cooker, and anything like this that you feel you would get good use out of and that would provide you with more meal options. Talk to your roommate and consider what y'all may like to have!
9. GET A DRYING RACK
For some reason, I was really anti-drying rack, but I ended up just having to use my roommate's all year. I highly recommend getting one before dorm life.
Especially because the washers in our laundry room would often be done drying, but some of my clothes would still be damp, so I just opted to hang dry a good bit of them.
10. There are virtually no outlets in the dorms
I think we had maybe five total in our room, and two were blocked by furniture. Extension cords and outlet towers will be your best friend! They are essential and one of the recommended dorm items that I seriously couldn't have lived without.
Be intentional about your arrangement of furniture, lighting, and electronics to optimize your outlets.
11. get a clothing hanging rod for trips home and back
This seems kind of random, but this is genuinely the most functional items I got for moving into my dorm room. I used it on college move-in day, I use it every time I go home for break, and all of the time in between!
This makes any trip out of town or back home so much easier and practical.
I truly hope this post answered questions you didn't even know you had about moving into your dorm room! For more tips to know before moving into your dorm room, check out 6 Dorm Move-In Day Tips That Are Essential. I hope you have the best time at college!
With Love,
Isabella XO
