Three Essential Dorm Hacks to Get You PUMPED for College

So, you’re ready to (finally) fly the coop. You’ve got your college all picked out and know the approximate address of your first post-parental place, and you’ve tapped it into your GPS app at least 50 times in anticipation for the fall drive because you’re ready for this to happen, like, yesterday. 

*Come onnnnn, August.*

To help fill the endless lag-time ‘til then and get you as dorm-ready as you can possibly be, we put together a list of some super key prep tips that’ll help you glide right into your new digs without a single snag. 

Making The Bed Is Priority Number One. Fact.

Problem: You might have heard us mention the madness of move-in day before, but to repeat: Move-in day is just nutty. If you arrive safely, manage to survive the crowds, get all your stuff to your room in one piece, and maintain your sanity all the while, congratulations! You have won the day! 

But the boxes. The boxes will still be scattered ALL OVER the place, staring you down with a dare to go and ahead start ripping off tape. But we can almost guarantee you’ll be worn slap out with exactly zero metric units of energy to make it through even the ones precariously perched on your new chair over there. 

Solution: Put all your overnight essentials into one bag or box clearly labeled “Open Me First” so you’ll know exactly which of your heaping piles-o-stuff is gonna have what you need to settle in for those much-needed Zzz’s ‘til you can catch a second wind and get cracking on the rest. 

By essentials, we mean: your bedding, must-have hygiene items (toothbrush and paste, floss, contact case and solution, e.g.), your phone charger, laptop/tablet, whatever chapter of Harry Potter you’re back on in re-read phase #92, some writing utensils, a snack (verrrry important), and whatever else it is that makes your heart successfully tick tick tick on the daily.  

You’re Gonna To Have To MacGuyver The Mess Outta That Closet.

Problem: It won’t take you long to realize that the storage space built in for you is a joke. And not a funny one. Your closet’s probably going to be the size of a shoebox, your desk’ll no doubt consist of one small drawer set (if you’re lucky) and a few overhead shelves, and uhhh, yeah. That’s about all you get. 

Bonus bad news? You’re also not going to have room to lug in that trusty dresser or nightstand, so creativity is the name of this game. 

Solution: Use hanging shoe storage pockets on your closet to put the miscellany, like toiletries, hair supplies, and your stash of emergency chocolate. Also, definitely whip out the measuring tape to find a few drawer bins that are Goldilocks-approved to squeeze underneath your bed for wearables and accessories. 

You’ll also start to really appreciate the value of stacking things — like putting your TV on top of that microfridge (but only if it’s safe, obvi) or turning your bed into a loft. 

Tension shower rods can create an extra row of hanging space, BTW, and soda can tops (yes, really) can suddenly loop your hangers into stacks of hangers.

There are also a few clever ways to optimize your drawer space, like vertically folding your t-shirts, rolling your PJs and gym clothes into tight cylinders to fill the space more efficiently, and using silverware drawer dividers to keep things from getting cluttered. 

Also? USE MAGNET BOARDS. These are soooo clutch and easy peasy to pull off. What you do is get some metal boards that you can hang on your walls (using mounting strips, if your dorm has that impenetrable concrete thing going on) and attaching little stick-on magnets to things like pieces of makeup, tweezers, office supplies, and other knick knacks. It’ll be cute and useful—win-win. 

Uhhhh … And How About A ‘Lil Ambiance, Team?

Problem: Let’s be real here. Unless you’re going some amazingly fancy quad that we’ve never even heard of, your dorm is gonna look (and maybe even smell) pretty drab. And at first blush, it might not seem like there’s much you can do about it because the walls are too thick to hang any curtains up, you can’t paint anything, and there’s definitely no room for non-essential decorative items, like, ANYWHERE. 

Solution: Using a few pieces of easily removable wall putty (or, better yet, some festive washi tape), fashion yourself a feels-inducing photo wall that has all your favorite people, places, and things. Removable wall decals are also a decent mode of bringing in some fuss-free flavor. You can also spruce up a few suction cup caddies with decorative paint and fill them with faux floral arrangements to embellish your walls/doors/mirrors/whereever. 

As for the olfactory offense of your spot, well, here’s a tip: clip-on car fresheners work wonders in a pinch when attached to your A/C vents. But yeah, invest in the industrial-sized bottle of antibacterial cleaner, too, and scrub that puppy inch by inch before you settle in.

Do you have any tips for moving into a new (teeny) space?