Stepping into one’s first dorm room is an exciting part of the college experience. It’s a blank canvas that offers the opportunity to express personalities and create a space where students can thrive academically and socially. But with limited square footage and strict dorm rules, it can be challenging to know where to start.
Alicia Browne, director of housing administration, has worked in housing since 2019. Browne said that the department of housing and residential communities encourages students to personalize their space, but to do so with the guidance of the department’s rules and regulations.
For students wanting to decorate their walls, Browne said that command strips should be used on cement block walls while nails can be used on sheetrock in order to cause the least damage. Students are urged not to try to fix wall damage on their own, but to leave those issues for the department.
“Flags and wall banners are a cheap way to fill up wall space and easy to hang up while sticking to dorm rules. Lamps and string lights can also help make a room feel personal while also helping provide lighting,” Cameron Crow, a sophomore majoring in psychology, said. “Nothing too stimulating but nothing too boring, a sweet medium.”
Browne added that LED lights cannot be attached to University property, such as walls or furniture, but they can be added to personal items. While candles, hot plates and air fryers are not allowed in dorm rooms, students are allowed to have pet fish and can have visitors stay with them for up to 72 hours.
Gabrielle Messer, a master’s student in athletic training, reflected back on her freshman year and said that she decorated her place with lots of pictures of her family.
She discussed how she planned with her freshman-year roommate to share a room and keep things budget-friendly.
“We split our shared room down the middle while coordinating colors,” Messer said. “Most things you want for your room can be DIY’d. There really are tutorials for most things online. My mom bought dollar store laundry baskets that we ran ribbon through to make it ‘on theme,’ and my photo wall was constructed out of a curtain and some clothes pins from the dollar store.”
Crow recommended that incoming freshmen purchase noise-canceling headphones to ensure that they have the ability to focus and study even when their roommates feel like socializing.
Sharing a space can encourage accountability like keeping up on cleaning, Messer also said.
“You want it to be fair, so that nobody’s resentful that only one person is cleaning the floor or taking the trash out. That’s one of the biggest causes of roommate issues that we hear … people don’t think that everybody is carrying their weight,” Browne said. “So I think a written schedule helps keep everybody accountable.”
A dorm room can be made more than just a place to sleep. Through thoughtful touches of home and cozy decorations, a dorm room can help make college even more memorable.
