Tips for making your dorm room more fun

Dorm living in college isn’t known for being glamorous. For some students, the idea of living on their own is still definitely something to look forward to, even if this stage of their life takes place in a sterile looking, cramped room that has to be shared with another person. But that doesn’t mean being in the dorms can’t be fun or that students can’t make their space feel like home. There are plenty of ways to customize a dorm room to make it functional, appealing and even inviting.

First things first: decorating (and this isn’t just for the girls, either). Both guys and gals have options to turn to for transforming an otherwise bland dorm room into something unique. One of the easiest ways to decorate a room is to paint the walls. However, not all campuses allow students to modify the rooms in this way. Some even charge very expensive fines for those that break this rule. It doesn’t hurt, however, to ask before taking action.

Stanford University, south of the San Francisco Bay Area, has certain halls/rooms with paint already on it, while the standard dorms are plain. But the school does provide a process students can go through to officially request permission to paint their rooms. Other campuses might allow for new paint but could require students to change it back to the original color at the end of the term.

Don’t want to deal with the headache of painting? The next alternative would be the use of paintings or other wall hangings to play up the walls. Hanging cool tapestries is another option, as well as posters or even removable fabric wallpaper.

Depending on the size of the dorm room, creating an entertainment center of some kind is a great way to show guests where the action is. This is especially beneficial for students that also happen to be avid gamers. The most convenient way to set up this project is to purchase a properly sized entertainment center, equipped with plenty of drawers and shelves, which make for ideal storage space. Outfitting the space with a television and gaming consoles is the finishing touch.

Want another way to make the entertainment center in a dorm room more appealing? Student gamers can look into modded controllers, which they can either work on themselves or pay to have it professionally done. These types of controllers are totally customized and designed to fit a gamer’s specific playing style. Sites like megamodzplanet.com offer this service, which student gamers will appreciate.

Need to make hang-outs more comfortable in a dorm room? The first step is to open up the space by using functional furniture that also serves as storage to keep clutter to a minimum. Instead of large bean bag chairs, invest in cushions that make sitting on the floor more attractive. Foldaway chairs are another option to help friends and other guests feel welcome.

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, SF Community Colleges Examiner

Nohel Corral has an M.S. in Counseling, specializing in Student Development in Higher Education. Currently, he is a counselor at Skyline College and has been providing guidance for students in the college setting since 1999. His knowledge and experience has been molded from his work at the...

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