Making Your Dorm Feel Like Home

Living with a stranger can be tough, and deciding on how the layout of the room should be can be a real struggle. Obviously there is the whole first come first served mind set and if your roommate has not expressly said they want a certain side of the room, then feel free to choose if you arrive first. 

Once you have sides of the room, you may find that you want to move things around a little. I would advise not doing this until the roommate is present to get their input, but once there their feel free to discuss changes to the room. It can be a bonding experience where you can have a friendly introductory discussion while unpacking your bags and making adjustments to the rest of the room.

Things to consider before making changes to the room:

• What are the dormitory rules? (you probably don't want to be in trouble on your first day)
• Where is maintenance? (very useful for when mistakes are made (they will be made))
• How much space do you really have? (you don't want to live in a clutter) 
• Will the changes be functional? (Don't make getting to things difficult)
• Most importantly do you both agree with the changes?

Making changes can be a multi day process and even when its done you'll find yourself still making adjustments here and there. The important thing is your comfortable and that there is a healthy room dynamic between you and your roommate.

The final step in setting up your room is to bring in personal elements. One of the best ways to make your room feel less like a sterile jail cell is to put up posters. Most dorms have simple plain white walls and are often pretty ugly to look at. By putting up posters or pictures from home, you turn the room into a more inviting and comfortable environment for yourself and your roommate, who will appreciate the extra effort.

Hopefully you can transform your bleak dorm room into and ideal living space. Visit Healthy Liv's blog to find more ideas on how to make your room more homey while your in college and to see other tips and tricks on surviving college.