Making Your College Apartment Feel like Home When you move into a college apartment for the first time, it can be hard to make those cinder block walls feel like home. Many people struggle feeling like their dorm is actually a place that they can relax and enjoy their spare time. To make sure that your college dorm feels like home, it is important that you put some effort into the process. It won’t happen overnight and it won’t happen unless you are willing to invest some time and some money into the process.
Hang Pictures and Add Lighting Start by hanging some pictures. Hanging pictures can be difficult if you are not permitted to put any nail holes in the way, but talk with your building administrator about acceptable equipment to hang pictures throughout your new home. Talk with your roommates about ways that you can add some personal touches to your dorm or your apartment. Decorate with throw rugs or even with posters and you will find that your personality can surely be manifest in your dorm. You may also want to buy more lighting. Purchasing some lamps or even string lights can be a great way to make sure that you have enough lighting and it can even add a lot of personality to your apartment. After you have decorations up, you may then want to focus on getting your apartment to smell like home. Many college students do not realize how much of a difference the smell of their apartment can make.
Utilize a Candle Warmer If you cannot burn candles in your home, you may want to purchase some scentsy warmers for your dorm. A scentsy warmer will warm a candle like substance from the bottom rather than burning it from the top. As the wax is warmed, it will emit the smell that you usually get from your candles. Many companies have even developed scented light bulbs and these can be a great option to ensure that your home always smells good.
Communicate and Keep Your Space Clean Finally, make sure that you establish a habit of open communication with your roommates. The people that you live with are going to make the biggest difference in the way that you feel at home and establishing open communication is essential to feeling at home. You should be able to talk with your roommates if you are every bothered by something. You also want to make sure that your roommates feel comfortable talking to you if there is something that is bothering them. Establishing a cleaning schedule and sticking with the schedule can be a great way to minimize much of the contention that is often felt in college dorms. When you establish your cleaning schedule, you should make sure that you schedule your chores into your schedule. No matter how you choose to make your dorm feel like home, make sure that you put some effort into this process. As you are adjusting to being away from home and as you are adjusting to college classes you will want to make sure that you have a dorm that feels like home. Photo Credit: Running Wolves, calebwilkerson, & kcolwell via PhotoPin cc