Your Dorm Room Will Not Be Like Your Pinterest Board

I'm probably going to crush the souls of many of you, when I'm here to reveal the unfortunate truth that your dorm room will not look like the one you have spent so many hours perfecting on Pinterest. You could have it all down to the tee, but unless you have a cleaning staff that will make your room spotless everyday it will not be what you want. I must say my dorm room was pretty cute, my color scheme was navy blue and pink(...sound like my favorite brand to anyone?), but no matter how many twinkle lights or cute throw pillows I had it still did not live up to all my expectations.

If you're like most college students, you have underestimated how you will be using your living space. If you live in a traditional style dorm, then you probably didn't think about how you would be doing literally everything in your room: studying, eating, hanging out, watching tv, hooking up etc. There's no way you can do all of this and keep a perfect room. One of the first things you'll notice is that not all college students are very considerate, so if you invite a bunch of your friends to your room to hang out on a Friday night your room has the potential to be a hot mess. You might end up taking care of a sick friend, cleaning up spilled drinks, picking up food off the ground, or who knows what else.

If you live in a suite style dorm where you have your own personal room off of a small living room area, you'll come to find you will never be in your room. Chilling with your friends in the living room is much easier, and if you have a suite that's where you'll be eating also. Regardless of what style dorm you have, tons of college students study at the library or Starbucks, which is much better anyways because then your room is a place where you can relax and not be as stressed. Your room is where you crash at night. Of course you should spend the extra money for a mattress topper and some Sheex (best sheets that have ever existed) because you want to make your bed amazing, but you might find yourself spending a lot less time than you thought. Unfortunately, the fact that you are in college means you are not an interior designer quite yet, so the Pottery Barn perfect dorm room might be a little different than yours.

There are a billion and a half opinions on what you should bring for your dorm room, but I'm gonna tell you what I think you need to make it extra fabulous while also getting exactly what you need.

For your bed:

-Mattress topper

-Sheex (expensive but life changing)

It's understandable if this is too expensive, but invest in sheets that will be worth it.

Spend money on things that separate you from the earth: shoes, tires, and sheets.

-2 pillows

-Comforter

For your room:

-Laundry basket/bag (not ashamed to say mine is a Vineyard Vines laundry bag...I had to get it because it matched the theme)

-Fan

-Desk Lamp

-Shoe rack (buy after move in to make sure it works with your space)

-Christmas lights (be basic it's okay)

-LOTS of Command Strips (canvases from your big don’t hang themselves)

-Jewelry Organizer

-Power Strip and Surge Protector

-Full length mirror

-Additional storage

-Whiteboard (if you have a white refrigerator or big mirror you can write on it with dry erase markers and it comes right off!)

For your bathroom:

-Makeup organizer

-Hair products

-Towels (hand,bath, and washcloths)

-Lufa

-Hair Products

-Shower Caddy (if you share a bathroom)

Cleaning supplies:

-Detergent

-Clorox Wipes

_Paper towels

-Duster

-Handheld vacuum

If you have a suite:

-Sponge and dish soap

-Broom

-Large vacuum

-Cups, plates, bowls and silverware (the ones from Target are perfect)

Remember that your dorm room isn't as large as your room at home, and you will appreaciate not having a cluttered space. You will probably take a picture of your room on move in day and then that's it, so don't feel dissatisfied if it's not perfect!