College life can be pretty exhausting. And being away from home while you’re studying doesn’t help in the slightest.
Working on creating a comfortable environment should be your first priority in this new and unfamiliar setting. Setting up a second home could mean a world of difference and help you feel at ease even in the most stressful situations life might throw at you.
Dorms are one of the most common settings you might find yourself in once you get into college. And while sharing a room with strangers isn’t the best thing that could happen to you, it’s certainly not the worst either. And it absolutely can become better.
Here are a couple of things you can do in order to transform your dorm room from temporary housing into a welcoming home.
Set the Ground Rules
The first thing you have to come to terms with is that nine times out of ten, you’re going to be forced to share your room with other people. Well, you’ve lived with your family for years, how hard can sharing a room be?
The thing is, you might not even notice all the unspoken rules that have been created and followed through the time you’ve been living with your parents.
Now you’ll have to work it out from the very beginning. You and your roommate are in the same boat. Do try to make a good first impression and develop a lasting connection. Make a friend out of them, lay out your ground rules for them; make sure to know and keep theirs.
Working together is paramount. Be patient and understanding yet firm, and everything will be great. Your relationship will set the mood for your entire stay at your dorm. Nothing can be more annoying than someone blasting music in the same room you’re trying to study.
On the other hand, if you’re lucky, your new friend will help you with your assignments. It’s much easier to brainstorm ideas for opinion essays when there are two heads instead of one. But if that’s not happening, try to at least avoid the worst-case scenario.
Keep It Neat
It’s difficult to think of a place as your home until you start really caring for it. So you better start doing that earlier rather than later.
Keep everything pristine and organized. Once you’re done with something, make sure to do a quick one-over and restore the order that may have been upset by your activities. Discipline is what will help you here. Better start working on it.
Don’t let chores pile up on you. It’s considerably harder to fix an entire room than to just clean after yourself semi-frequently. If you’re constantly postponing your grand cleanup, chances are you’re never ever going to get to actually doing it.
Have some sort of schedule and make sure it’s followed. Once you start putting some effort into maintaining your room, you’ll see it feels a lot more like home.
It’s All About Details
So, you are on good terms with your roommate, and your space is squeaky clean. Now it’s time to do some decorative changes. Turn your room from a generic chunk of space into something familiar.
Bring over particular things from home, something you are used to. Even the smallest thing can help you turn it around. Cover blank walls in your favorite posters, put up a photo or two.
But material stuff isn’t the only way to make yourself feel at home. Spend some time setting things up the way you are used to.
Organize your workspace after the one you left. Make your nightstand look like you never left home. You should be able to feel the similarities with eyes both closed and open. This will allow you some comfort until you’re all set and ready to experiment.
Final Words
Leaving your home is a step you’ll have to take sooner or later. At this point in your life, such kind of change of scenery can become a real problem, affecting your productivity and stress levels. With some effort, you can make your new base of operations look and feel just like your old place.
Follow some simple rules, such as:
- Make friends with your roommate;
- Clean frequently and thoroughly;
- Bring stuff back from home.
It can easily prove rewarding to go out of your comfort zone and explore something completely new. Experiment, meet new people, try out new things. Instead of staying in your shell, try to find a new larger, and more vibrant one.
The ability to adapt to any situation and feel confident and comfortable in any setting is an invaluable trait that will help you immensely along your way.
