3 Tips & Tricks For A Great College Dorm Experience

For thousands of students every year, living on campus in a college dorm will be their first experience living away from home. While this is a great experience and pushes many into a new level of maturity and responsibility, it's important to plan properly in order to have a positive experience. Here are a few of our favorite tips and tricks for students planning to live on campus in a dorm.

#1: Secure Your On Campus Housing In Advance

One mistake some students make is not applying for on campus housing early enough. Whether you would like to live in a dorm, on campus apartment, or a sorority or fraternity house, make sure that you apply and fulfill all requirements needed to guarantee your spot in advance. Waiting until the last minute can result in you not being able to find a residence on campus and having to rent a room or apartment off campus and possibly at a more expensive price. This is especially important if you won't have transportation.

#2 House Rules

Your residence will have house rules on company, overnight guests, alcohol, maintenance, and other topics. Be sure to abide by the rules even if you may have personal views. You don't want to risk being kicked out. To prevent any major issues, when applying for residence, ask for a list of the rules in advance. If you have roommates or dorm-mates, it's also a great idea to have a house meeting at the start of the semester to solidify everyone's own likes, dislikes, chore schedules, and house rules - as well as the consequences or expectations if they are broken. By coming together at the beginning when things are fresh, it will be easier to establish these rules versus waiting until issues arrive later on.

#3 Keep It Clean

College is stressful enough - a dirty study environment will make it even more stressful. If you live in a private dorm room, it may be easier to keep everything clean, but it will also be just as easy for things to get out of hand. Try to make it a habit to wash dishes as soon as they are dirty, or at least every day if you do not have a dishwasher. Also, set a day every week for your deeper cleaning such as taking out the trash and doing laundry. Unclean living environments have been linked to poor performance academically and has a negative impact on your mental and emotional health.

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