10 Dorm Room Tips, Tricks, and Hacks every College Student needs to Know

By Jane Hurst

Going to college is likely going to be the first major change in your life, and for many people, it can be pretty overwhelming. But, if you are fully prepared, you can easily make the transition from home to college life. Take advantage of the following 10 tips to help you get through your college years.

1. Stay Organized – If you are disorganized, you are never going to accomplish anything. The better you are at organizing, and we mean organizing everything, the easier your life, and your college career, are going to be. Keep a weekly planner and write down every important thing that you need to do, from studying for exams to keeping appointments and then some.
2. Use Your Resources – While you are in college, you will have loads of resources available to you, from tutoring to library services to clubs to counseling and more. Take advantage of as many of these resources as possible.
3. Get Involved – While it is never a good idea to take on too much, especially in your first year, you should check out some of the campus clubs and organizations to see what interests you. This is a great way to make new friends, make connections for future employment, etc.
4. Get Cheap Textbooks – Textbooks are ridiculously expensive, but there are plenty of ways to get them without having to pay full price. Check out websites like Textbooks.com, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon. Don’t forget to ask students if they are selling their old textbooks, and look for other ways to get used textbooks.
5. Follow Campus Rules – While this may seem like a no-brainer, there are a lot of people who will try and push the boundaries, because they are on their own for the first time. Remember, you are paying good money for your college education. The last thing you want is to get kicked out because you weren’t following campus rules.
6. Take Care of Your Pets – Because studies show that students often perform better when they have pets in their lives, more and more campuses are allowing students to keep small pets in their dorm rooms. If you have a pet, make sure that you take care of its health by having good insurance (start with comparing pet insurance at Pet Insurance University) to pay for vet care.
7. Take Advantage of Your Student Discount – There are loads of places that will offer student discounts, and you can save a lot of money by taking advantage of these discounts. Use as many as are available to you, for everything from school supplies to meals to electronic devices and more.
8. Get a Mattress Topper – Dorm beds aren’t necessarily the most comfortable beds in the world, but you need to get plenty of sleep to do your best in college. You can make your dorm bed a lot more comfortable by investing in a good mattress topper. The more comfortable you are, the more sleep you are going to get, and the more alert you are going to be in classes and when you are studying.
9. Check Out Internships – If you want to see if you are going to like a career path, an internship is a great way to do it. You get to meet people in the industry, and you will learn a lot. Some companies even offer paid internships. Ask the guidance counsellor about internship programs in the area.
10. Relax and Enjoy Yourself – Obviously, your main goal is to graduate and go on to a great career. But, don’t let yourself become overwhelmed by study. You also need to take time out for yourself, so you can relax and do things that you enjoy. If you let yourself get burned out with study and don’t have fun, things may not go as well as you had planned.

Byline:

Jane Hurst has been working in education for over 5 years as a teacher. She loves sharing her knowledge with students, is fascinated about edtech and loves reading, a lot. Follow Jane on Twitter!