Top Five Dorm Organization Tips

Ali Addington- Opinion/ Lifestyle Editor

Top five dorm organization tips from someone who religiously organizes everything in their life… and everyone else’s.

1. Keep it small. Obviously dorms are a lot smaller than the rooms that most students are coming from and are often shared. It is super important to get things that are going to compact your possessions. Some tricks that are popular include buying bed risers and fitting clothing and other bulky items under your bed, utilizing command hooks (these will be your best friend) in order to use wall space, and hanging shoe organizers. Basically, any way to keep your bulk out of the horizontal space that you have and into your vertical space will be life saving.
2. Be picky about what you bring. Of course you will need to bring the essentials, but bringing all of your possessions is simply not practical. There are obvious things that you will need such as toiletries, basic clothing, and some extras. However, all of your clothes will not fit in your dorm room nor should you try to fit them all in. Before your move in try bringing all of your clothes that will work with the weather for a bit and when you go home switch things out. This will save you so much space from things that you will not even be wearing.
3. Do not buy everything at first. Some students come to college with everything and then change their mind. While this may work for some people, as you meet others and see how other people are organizing their dorms, you may feel inspired to change the way that your dorm is or add something new. Therefore, it is so important to leave some space for new add-ins. 
4. Write it down. White boards, organizers, and planners. These things and other things to write on will be something that you’ll want to use religiously. Keeping a white board in your room is a cute and eco-friendly way to keep your lists and class assignments/tests organized. If you wake up and something is written on a big white board, you are much less likely to forget it. Another great use for whiteboards could be getting organized with your roommate or writing down goals.

Coordinate with your roommate(s). Communication is key when you are living with others. You’ll want to make sure that two of you are not bringing something that you’ll only need one of. Likewise, it is important to make sure that you know what you will each need your own. This may seem like common sense, but some people really lack coordination with the people that they are living with. Just be sure to communicate and coordinate with your people.