Dorm Needs

Sharing is nice, but certain items are not to be shared.  Toiletries are good examples of things that should be kept for personal use.  Having a nice, small caddy or case that can hold your essential toiletries, such as toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, mouth wash, razor, and soap, is important.

Yes, do not share your soap.  It is a good way to spread fungi.  But, how can soap be stores?  I learned a long time ago about plastic soap holders that are the right size and shape for one bar of soap.  You can place the soap inside the plastic holder and not worry about the fact that the bar of soap is wet.  Your hands can be rinsed and dried, and the soap can be stored without problems.  This is a cheap solution to a problem of storing a wet bar of soap.

There is a good chance you will not be allowed to put nails into the walls.  And, some tape that can adhere so well as to remove paint.  So, how can you decorate the room?  There are three possibilities.

 First, I just watched a televised report on decorating the dorm room.  It covered the first of these three items, Wishi Tape.  Wishi Tape is new, and is a decorative masking tape.  You can get several designs at a time.  These were recommended for taping pictures to a dorm room wall.  What you get is a decorative border around the picture, but it has the function of holding the picture in place without using nails. 

Wall decals are also available.  You can use them to express yourself more completely than you can with just Wishi Tape.  No, wall decals are not used to hold pictures onto the wall, but are available in beautiful images.  They are art in themselves.  You might even provide a glimpse into your major with a decal that is from your field of study, or you might opt for an inspirational message to keep you going when things are not going so well.  Just make certain your wall decals allow your roommate space for expression as well.  Do not take over all of the available wall space, unless it is agreed to by any other person sharing the room.

Picture hooks now are available in a form that does not use nails.  Suction holds the hooks in place.  But, do not just use a suction cup and expect it to hold a picture for a lengthy period of time.  Use hooks designed for the weight of the picture you are hanging.

You will need a calendar to keep track of your schedule.  Making certain preparations for tests must be planned.  Allocate your time, and keep a calendar to help you stay on track.  It might also include such important things as noting when to have the balance increased on a food card, or social events you plan to attend.

A bulletin board can help you with a collection of menus from local eating establishments, along with phone numbers for those that deliver.  And notices to roommates such as the time the rooms will be inspected can be important.  There need be but one bulletin board per room, so share with others.  In a dorm room, smaller is better.  Below is a very small, but adequate for a dorm room, bulletin board.  Push pins are good, and different colors can be assigned to different roommates.

First, if you must share a closet, keep your things separated.  But things tend to move as other articles are squeezed into a too small closet.  You are likely to own similar items as your roommates.  School logo shirts, or pants of the same color can easily become mixed up.  To identify your clothing use colored hangers.  Pick a single color, and let everyone else know that if an item is on that color hanger it is yours.  And use only that one color for your hangers.

Dirty laundry just stacked in a pile is a problem.  It makes the room unsightly for all, can be a health issue, and can easily spill into someone else’s pile.  A simple bag for your dirty laundry will help solve the potential problems.

A dorm room should provide you with a desk, but a directed light for studying when others in the room are asleep is courteous.  LEDs give bright light, and can be directed right onto your book of paper.  

Heating food might not be allowed, or be restricted to a microwave.  If you are allowed to have a hot plate, or an electrical single burner, they can help with heating food.  But, they take time to cool down, and because of that people can be burned by touching them even after they are off.  This might be hazardous to roommates who enter the room after you have gone to class leaving a hot item to cool gradually.

Microwaves are safer, and may or may not be allowed.  Just remember liquids like coffee can explode when being taken out of a microwave. 

Buying coffee at a coffee shop and keeping it warm may be your best option, but this requires thermal mugs if you plan to sip the coffee during a late night study session.

Preserving cold food is possible with a dorm room refrigerator.  You can buy a small refrigerator.  It probably will not have a freezer compartment, but can keep things refrigerated.  One with allocated space should do for an entire dorm room, so check with your roommates and do not duplicate the efforts of another.  Work out an amiable solution to who has what space, and what is considered for common usage.

Living off-campus has advantages and disadvantages.  You probably will have kitchen privileges, but may need transportation to and from campus.  Another drawback is you probably will have to eat out, not on a meal card in the cafeteria serving the dorms.  But each person could have a private room, an area of retreat.

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