Today: Mar 29, 2024

Making a dorm feel like a home

Emma Judy – Special to the Southern News

After living on Southern’s campus, I now know what I need and don’t need in my dorm. I know what makes it feel cluttered and what makes it feel just right. But I still remember, clear as day, laying in my freshmen dorm for the first time. It was a surreal feeling, and I just kept repeating, “I can’t believe this is my room, I still feel like I’m visiting.”

Now I’m confident that when I move into my newest dorm room, and I have must-haves from food, decorations and comfort items, I can make the place feel like home.

The most important thing to have when you move into your first dorm room is comfort items. Whether you secretly hide your baby blanket in your pillowcase, so none of your friends know you still own it, or proudly display the teddy bear that has always been on your bed, either way, if you sleep at home with it then you’ll have an easier time sleeping if it’s there with you.

You always need to remember that your dorm room is going to be your home for the next year, so when it comes to certain things you need to know where to draw the line. Whether it’s having the main overhead light on past a certain time or having overnight guest in your room. If you ever feel uncomfortable in your room, then you won’t thrive the way you should and it definitely won’t feel like home.

For the most part, people’s favorite part of dorm living is decorating. Anyone who has a Pinterest account probably has created a board and have pinned many ideas. If you and your roommate have the same taste, take time to bond, and create a DIY creation. If not, don’t be afraid to create some on your own because it is your room and you should be able to display your things proudly. 

But for me, the most important thing in my dorm room, that makes me feel like I’m home, is the pictures that I print and put up on my wall. Whether it’s a picture of my best friend from back home or making stupid faces with my best friend from school, seeing their faces up on my wall makes me feel less alone and more at home. Plus, if you create a wall of pictures, as you create new memories, you can add new faces that bring the memories to life when you look at them.

All in all, whether you are a freshman living in your first dorm or an upperclassman moving into a suite or apartment-style room, all you really want during the stressful days of college is to feel at home. Whether that means bringing your favorite stuffed animal from you childhood, or hanging pictures of every important person in your life, all you need to really remember is to let your personality shine. That’s one way that your room will feel like home.

Photo Credit: Nataly A 

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