The summer before I started college, I remember being super nervous about living in a dorm.
I wondered what it would be like and how I would survive. I wanted to know what I needed to bring. And so I perused Pinterest and read blog after blog trying to understand what this mysterious concept of “dorm life” would really be like.
I ended up living in a dorm for one and a half years out of my college career. I lived in one my freshman year, then moved into an on-campus apartment for my sophomore and junior years. And then for my last semester of college (I graduated early), I ended up moving back into my freshman dorm because my roommate for that semester was an RA there. :)
Living in a dorm again as a senior definitely had some pros and cons, but it also gave me a good perspective on the whole dorm living aspect and now I get to share what I learned with you! Yay!
So here are my best dorm life tips for you
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1. Pack Wisely
I took sooooo much less stuff with me to college my senior year than I did as a freshman. Freshman year I didn’t know what to expect or what I would miss, and so I opted to take almost all of my worldly possessions with me to college.
Senior year I took a more minimalist approach. I knew I was going to be gone most of the day student teaching and that I would only be in my dorm in the evenings… and that’s when I would be studying too.
For example, freshman year, I didn’t know when I’d want to read and what I’d want to read, so I brought all of my favorites. Senior year, I don’t think I brought any books with me other than the current Harry Potter book I was reading and my Bible.
Also, freshman year I brought A TON of decorative pillows. Senior year, I brought 3 pillows total. If you have a hard time making your bed in the morning, I recommend not bringing a bunch of pillows. It’ll make making your bed harder and take longer, and if you don’t make it you then have a bunch of pillows everywhere LOL!
Anywho, the point of this is to pack wisely.
Think critically about everything you want to bring. If you end up bringing your entire room from home because the thought of not having anything when you need it stresses you out, bring the stuff. It’s okay!
Just think about it before you start packing everything up. If it’s okay with your parents, leave stuff at home.
Also- Depending on where you live, don’t bring all of your clothes to college on move-in day.
If you live in the south where it is boiling hot and doesn’t get cold until the end of October or the beginning of November, leave all of your sweaters and hoodies at home. Bring one just in case the weather decides to be weird, but then go home one weekend and trade your summer clothes out for your winter clothes.
This will save you so much closet space. :) And I don’t know how your dorm closet will be, but mine was pretty small… (I got some felt hangers as a graduation present and I loved them because they were super thin and I could squeeze more into my closet.)
Another thing to think about is storage space. I recommend getting plastic drawers from Walmart or Amazon to store things in. Then stash these under your bed. You can also get plastic crates from Walmart or Amazon and these are great to keep things in as well.
2. Get to Know Your Roommate Beforehand (if possible)
My college told me who my pot-luck roommate was when I attended a day camp to sign up for classes. They provided me with her email address, so one day I nervously sent Cassie an email introducing myself to her.
Then, over the next several months, we started emailing back and forth. We would send extremely long emails to each other (we both love writing!) and we got to know each other so much through those emails.
Our university was 20 minutes from where I lived, so when Cassie came into town for her camp to sign up for classes, she and I (along with our parents) got dinner.
Then, that summer before we moved in, we met up half-way between our towns at a Target and shopped together for our dorm with our moms. That was so much fun, because, not only did we pick out matching decorations, but we also got to know each other better then too!
If your college tells you who your roommate is before you show up to move in, I totally recommend reaching out to her!
I’m a very shy person, so I felt awkward sending Cassie that first email. But I’m so glad I did!
So if you get the phone number or email address of your future roommate, send them a text or email! Say hi! Ask them where they’re from and what they hope to study! Ask questions about what furniture they’re planning on bringing so you don’t both bring a TV. Stuff like that :)
And I totally recommend meeting up to shop for your room if you’re able to do that. It’s so much fun and a great way to meet without the “AH I’M LEAVING HOME!” feeling that can hit on move-in day.I had a great freshman year roommate experience. Cassie and I lived together for two years and I was a bridesmaid in her wedding. We’re still friends today even!
However, I know not everyone is so lucky. In a few weeks, my friend Bonnie is going to be sharing her story and advice for what to do if you have an awful roommate, so stay tuned for that :)
3. Prepare for a Community Bath, If Need Be
Ohhh community bathrooms. How we don’t love you!
In my dorm, we had an interesting setup. There were various suites in the dorm with 3-5 rooms that held 2 girls each. Then, those 6, 8, or 10 girls shared a bathroom in their suite.
So, I had a community bathroom in that it was a bathroom lots of people used (there were 8 girls on my suite freshman year. Senior year we got lucky and only had 4 girls in our suite!). But it didn’t feel awful because I didn’t have to go far down a hallway to get to the bathroom.
I ended up not minding having a community bathroom that much.
For one, we didn’t have to clean it, which was awesome!
Two, we didn’t have to buy toilet paper! (Something I missed when I lived in the apartments lol!)
And three, I met some of my closest friends that year through the community bathroom LOL! I remember introducing myself to one of my suitemates one night that first week whilst brushing my teeth.
There are a few things you need to bring if you have a community bathroom:
- A shower caddy to carry your shampoo and conditioner and soap in for the shower itself.
- A caddy for your toothbrush etc. This could be the same caddy or a separate one. I used a different one because I wore contacts back then and so I had to deal with solution etc. plus I have a retainer.
- Some sort of bathrobe to wear to and from the bathroom.
- Shower shoes. Please do NOT go barefoot in a community shower. Ew! I got some flip flops with holes in them to wear in the shower and that worked fine.
I always used a caddy like the first one listed here, but I had friends who used ones like the other two.
4. Figure Out How You Are Going To Eat
Are you going to be on a meal plan? How many meals will you have? Can you cook food in your dorm? Which sort of kitchen supplies are okay if so? Does your dorm have a public kitchen you could use?
^These are all great questions to ask before you move into your dorm, or even as you take college tours.
My college required that you have a cafeteria meal plan if you live in a dorm. I was on the smallest meal plan both freshman year and senior year (8 meals per week) and that was fine for me because I planned on eating in my room or at the restaurants around campus a lot.
Each dorm at my school also came with a micro-fridge which was awesome! It was a tiny refrigerator with a microwave on top. (Cassie and I named our microwave Fredrick. He didn’t like us very much…)
Anywho, If your dorm doesn’t provide one and they’re okay with you bringing one, I definitely recommend buying one. They’re amazing!
I can’t remember much of what I ate in my dorm freshman year, but these were a few staples:
Pizza rolls- Bagels
- Canned microwavable soups
- Sandwiches
- Cereal
- Granola bars
- Salsa
Keep in mind if you have a community bathroom and don’t have a sink in your room that you’ll have to wash dishes in the community bathroom sinks… pack dishes accordingly.
P.S. Grocery shopping with friends is way more fun than shopping solo :)
5. Bring What You Need To Sleep Good At Night
I didn’t invest in a sleep mask until Cassie and I moved into our one-bedroom apartment sophomore year. I so wish I had bought one freshman year! Cassie stayed up later than me on a regular basis studying and I’m a light sleeper so the light usually bothered me.
My favorite sleep mask I’ve ever had is one that curves out so that your eyelashes and eyelids don’t actually touch the mask. They’re super comfortable too!
Also, bring headphones if you like listening to music. Bring a white noise machine if you need that. Bring earplugs if you need silence. And, of course, bring a comfortable pillow.
Below is the white noise machine I use now. (I love it! It has 24 sounds to choose from and 2 USB ports so you can charge your phone with it!)
Lastly, invest in a foam mattress pad. I got one of these before my sophomore year and I’m still using it four years later! They’re so comfy and last for such a long time and make sleeping on a dorm mattress so much more bearable.
Those are all of my dorm living essentials!
I hope they were beneficial for you :) If you want to see what my freshman dorm looked like, you can check out my dorm tour post here.
If you’re going to be living in a dorm next year and have any questions, fill free to drop them in the comment section and I’ll do my best to answer as soon as I can.
On the other hand, if you’ve lived in a dorm before and have any other tips, please leave those in a comment so others can glean your wisdom :)
Lastly, if you know someone who is living in a dorm for the first time, would you please send this post their way so it can help them? Thanks so much!
