With many Archie Williams seniors looking forward to college, now is the time to consider day-to-day life. One of the most significant aspects of classic college life is the dorms. Dorms don’t just serve as your bedroom; they are your home base and where you will make your very first friend (or foe). In this article, we will break down how to maximize your dorm room and ensure you are living the best dorm life possible.
The first dorm-related decision you will make is choosing which type of room you’d like. When choosing a dorm room, you will have to navigate numerous college portals, all with different passwords, none of which will work the first time. Ultimately, the decision will likely be down to three options: a single, double, or triple room. Each one comes with increased difficulty, like levels to a video game, with a triple representing the maximum difficulty of living. If you want to lower your difficulty, try to find a “habitable roommate.” Random rootmates are exactly that: random, and you have a 50/50 chance of landing a decent roommate.
So how do you find a habitable roommate? Most people’s first instinct is to go to their college’s freshman year Instagram class page, where people essentially market themselves to find a roommate. Bad idea. Most of these people are straight-up pick-mes, and their real personalities are not apparent from the page. Your best bet is to reach out to people who are at least connected to you, geographically or through friends. This way, you can meet them before deciding to sleep in the same room as them…
Once you have your roommate settled, it’s time to plan out the actual dorm. When it comes to dorm decorating, some people spend practically equal to their college tuition on the latest Pottery Barn line just to make their 175-square-foot room stand out. Others take one trip to their new local Target and call it a day. While these tactics both have their drawbacks, all that is needed are the necessities. We’re talking sheets, a fan, and a trash can. (Did you catch that rhyme?) While posters are a nice addition, and maybe a candle, freshmen fresh out of the nest often forget to pack seasonally and responsibly, setting themselves up for utter disaster.
The first step is to understand your location and dorm setup. Are you somewhere hot? Is there air conditioning? Are you going to deal with snow? Do you have a space heater? Are you somewhere dry? Do you need a humidifier? Once you have these questions answered, it’s time to get down to the nitty-gritty. The essentials that people forget. One of the most important items that is overlooked in dorm room shopping is a noise machine. I’m not talking about a karaoke system, I’m talking about white noise. White noise is not only great to cover up whatever suspicious sounds your roommate makes, but it can also benefit your sleep. Speaking of improving sleep, you’re gonna need something to put over that god-awful rickety mattress that makes a creaking noise every time you move a pinky. We suggest investing in a mattress topper that addresses all of these problems.
Other than the sleeping situation, you must also prepare for dorm hygiene. It’s crucial to remember that you are not the first person living in this dorm room, so proceed with caution. Shower shoes may not be glamorous, but they are a must when you’re encountering new experiences like a communal bathroom. Bringing a shower caddy is highly suggested for overachievers. And remember to bring your own distinctive towels, laundry must-haves, and toiletry products. You may not have your own bathroom or washer and dryer, but you control whether you’re a fabric softener user or not. Take the wins!
Last and certainly not least, don’t go to Target and spend hundreds of dollars on performative and useless decorations that you will forget about after a week. For some people, a week in the dorms will tell you what you need rather than flat-out buying everything a month in advance. Dorm rooms can either be a wonderful or a horrid experience. But as long as you follow these steps, we can all but guarantee a better dorm room experience.
