5 Things Every Dorm Room Needs

When I first started college here at UAT, I brought some clothes and my work computer. As you could imagine, my dorm room felt bland and empty. So, during my second semester though, I bought (and bartered for) tons of posters, trinkets and furniture. It finally felt like home. Pick up these five items to make your dorm room feel more like your own personal space and less like a rotating room at summer camp.

Desktop

No room can go without a computer. A desktop is an area where students can work on homework, find answers about problems, play games and build their brands on social media. 

Most people think of computers as being really expensive. You, however, can easily make an affordable computer for your dorm room at a reasonable price. Once you set up your computer, you will be able to utilize everything that is necessary to complete college. 

Air Fresheners 

Buying air fresheners makes a huge difference when it comes to living in a dorm room, especially when you live with multiple people. Especially when those people are sweaty 19-year-old boys. The environment gets a little hot.  Now, an easy way to fix this problem is just to have an air freshener handy to combat that smell. 

You don't have to spend all of your money on air fresheners either. You can find them at dollar stores and supermarkets. They sell spray bottles, plug-ins and little plastic jars with smell-good insides. I like the Glade Solid Air Freshener. 

Television

Having a TV inside of your dorm room does wonders. If you have a TV, then your dorm room could quickly become the hang out spot, where your friends come to you. It also helps you wind down after a long day of studying and having fun. 

It wouldn't make sense to own a TV, if you don't have the necessary pieces of entertainment to use it. So, make sure that your TV comes with all of the necessary items. In our room, we have a Roku Stick, Playstation 4, two Nintendo Switches and some speakers to top it off. Our TV is battle-ready for when we have some time off from our studies. 

Couch

Have you ever came back from an exhausting day of work and passed out on your couch at home? Yeah, having a couch for that specific reason rocks, but there are many other reasons why you should have a couch inside of your room. Not only is it convenient to have for visitors, it's also awesome to have an alternative sleeping option.

Some people may argue that having a couch inside a dorm room may take up too much space. Now that may be true on some cases, but there is a work around for it. Bunking beds inside a dorm can give way more space for a couch to sit on. In addition to that, setting up your room so you can fit a couch inside is a worthwhile investment for your comfort.

Posters

Posters make a fine addition to any dorm room because they not only showcase your interests to your friends, but they make you feel at home. Depending on the type of posters you want to hoist up in your room, you may want to make sure you have the necessary equipment.

Command strips are essential when hanging anything up in a dorm room. They work perfectly for posters because they are easy to remove and easy to apply. Make sure when you place your posters that you also have a ruler so you can accurately place the posters. 

My dorm room turned out to be one of the most comfortable places to hang out on campus thanks to these items. My friend Andrew also took my advice. He picked up his couch for free! As long as you and your roommate get along, you will be able to have fun with these items. Hopefully you can replicate what we did for your dorm room in the future!

You can learn more about campus housing at UAT here.