Author: Edward
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Dorm Room Essentials Checklist: 11 Things Actually Worth Buying (and What to Skip)
The summer before my freshman year, I spent $340 at a big-box store on a “complete dorm kit” and showed up on move-in day with a trunk full of stuff I never touched. Three novelty light strips, a fold-up ottoman that couldn’t hold a backpack, and a set of sheets that did not fit my…
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How to Loft a Dorm Bed (Step-by-Step) and Finally Get Your Floor Back
My first dorm room was 11 by 13 feet, and I shared it with a roommate named Priya who owned a lot of shoes. By the second week of September, we had a floor that looked like an airport security checkpoint. There was exactly one path from the door to the window, and it involved…
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How to Set Up a Dorm Room Desk for Studying That Actually Keeps You Focused
My sophomore year, I wrote most of my essays on a dorm desk that was 24 inches deep, with my laptop balanced on two textbooks and a lamp I’d borrowed from the common room and never returned. By October my neck hurt, my charger was permanently knotted around a water bottle, and I’d started studying…
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How to Maximize Storage in a Tiny Dorm Closet (15 Tricks That Actually Work)
I once watched my cousin Priya try to close a dorm closet door with a winter coat, six pairs of shoes, and a laundry basket wedged inside it. The door bounced back open like it had opinions. Her closet was about 22 inches wide, and she was trying to fit a full wardrobe into it,…
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How to Decorate a Dorm Room Without Damaging Walls (and Still Get Your Full Deposit Back)
My first dorm room had painted cinder block walls, a single fluorescent light, and a laminated sheet on the door that listed every fine I could possibly be charged. I put up four posters with regular tape on move-in day, and by October two of them were on the floor and the other two had…
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25 Shared Dorm Room Ideas That Actually Work When You and Your Roommate Have Opposite Styles
Three days before move-in, my freshman roommate texted me a photo of her Pinterest board. It was all dark green walls, moody candles, and a vintage record player. My board was white linen, light wood, and about nine hanging plants. We were assigned a 12 by 14 foot cinderblock box with one window and a…
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19 Dorm Room Color Scheme Ideas That Aren’t Boring (and Won’t Get You in Trouble With Your RA)
The summer before my sophomore year, I bought a bedding set solely because it was on sale, and then spent nine months living inside a color combination I can only describe as “dentist office waiting room.” Gray comforter, gray rug, a beige desk lamp. Nothing was wrong with any single piece, and that was exactly…
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21 College Apartment Decor Ideas on a Budget That Don’t Look Cheap
My first college apartment had one overhead light that made everyone look mildly ill, carpet the color of cold oatmeal, and a landlord who treated nail holes like a personal betrayal. I had $212 left after rent and a Target run I felt guilty about. Six weeks later, people were actually asking to hang out…
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20 Lofted Bed Dorm Room Ideas That Make Tiny Rooms Feel Twice as Big
My cousin Priya moved into a 12 by 14 foot double at her university and spent the first three nights stacking her suitcases under a lofted bed like a very sad game of Tetris. By week two she had a desk, a reading chair, and a clothes rack under there, and her roommate kept wandering…
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18 Aesthetic Dorm Room Ideas That Look Pinterest-Worthy (Even on a Tiny Budget)
The first night in my freshman dorm, I sat on a bare plastic mattress under a flickering fluorescent tube and genuinely wondered if I had made a mistake. The room was 11 by 13 feet, shared with a stranger, and the only decoration was a laminated fire safety map. It took me about three weeks…