For many people, their first experience with living on their own or away from home involves a college and a dorm. For some the idea of branching out, becoming their own person, and discovering their style is exciting; for others it's overwhelming. Whether you’re in the former or latter group you’re bound to get homesick at some point. To lessen the shock, bring some favorite items from home that are not just functional but comforting as well.
Photos, photos, photos. Instead of fussy framed photos that probably won't stick to the concrete walls of your dorm room, get creative and print some posters. Create collages or artistic versions of your favorite photos. Remember to include photos of your family as well as your friends. Your new friends will like seeing where you come from and what your life was like before school.
Create wall art. Most dorms do not allow students to paint, even if you’re willing to repaint at the end of the year. Your photo posters are just the beginning of the wall decorations. Consider printing enlarged photos of flowers and filling some of the centers with friends/family faces. Use the rest of the flowers to create your own funky wallpaper or border. If you don’t like flowers, try something else. Print the helmets of your favorite football teams or go simple and print dots that can be arranged in unlimited ways. The sky is the limit and with a little two-sided tape or poster gum you can go as crazy as you want.
Bring some familiar bedding. Yes, the new bags of bedding at the department stores are super cool but they are also an expense you probably don’t need and less comfy than your favorite blankets at home. If you feel you must get a new comforter, then bring a secondary blanket that feels like home. Blankets are a basic and vital connection to comfort and can get you through that first cold without mom’s chicken noodle soup.
Studying and school take up a large portion of a college student’s day but there is also ample free time without a chore list. Fill your time with some of your favorite home activities. Create an entertainment center in your dorm that will accommodate your favorite CDs, game consoles, and movies. Face it, this type of tuning out is a stress reliever and is important, so dedicate one portion of your room to studying and one to relaxation.
Decorating your dorm room is fun and exciting but can be overwhelming, so take it one piece at a time and don’t forget to include things that are important to you and that remind you, at least a little bit, of home.
