Swotting up on ways to make the most of university dorms
Moving into halls as a fresher is an exciting, stressful, and probably drunken time, especially if you’re also moving cities.
There will be a lot of new things you can’t plan for – like the location, friends and lecturers, who seem a lot more intense than high school teachers. Halls are designed to be an intro to young adult life, a home away from home. You’ll have more responsibility to take care of yourself than you did with Mum and Dad, but the meals are provided and your neighbours are hundreds of other 18-year-olds also trying to suss it out. The one thing that can be planned in advance is your bedroom. Before moving day, refer back to this ultimate fresher’s bedroom checklist.
1. Extra storage
Dorm rooms come in one size: shoebox. Most have a single, or double bed, single wardrobe, desk and strip of floor space stretching from those items, to the door. Almost everything you own will be on display.
That means you’ll have to leave your television and Queen bed behind, alongside your high school significant other. The biggest space you have to tuck things away is under the bed. Invest in one or two rectangular plastic storage containers, for all the things you inevitably will pack, and later realise you don’t need. Your suitcase also goes here. Box cubes can be found in almost every student dorm in existence because they’re small, cheap and easy to assemble. They’re a staple for a reason.
2. Bedding
The easiest way to individualise a cookie-cutter dorm room is with bedding. Don’t be afraid of picking out a duvet with bold colours because you’re almost guaranteed to pair it with white walls, grey carpet and timber furniture. Cotton will allow more airflow. Get a European pillow(s). These are the big square ones and they can sit behind your sleeping pillow as a make-shift, squishy headboard – Ideal for doing (or not doing) readings in bed. Spend the extra $20 on an additional fluffy blanket, it will get cold.
3. Small column or fan heater
Again, it will get cold. Our thoughts and prayers to those moving to Dunedin.
4. Clothes rack and slim hangers and/or small set of drawers
Unless the sum total of your wardrobe is five outfits, the wardrobe supplied is not going to cut it. Clothes racks range from budget plastic options, to elaborate metal setups with built-in shelving. This is something to buy after arrival because it takes up a lot of room in a car and what you can get will depend on your room’s layout. Unpack everything else first and see what you’re left with in terms of wall space. The best choice is likely to be something in the mid-range, a black metal bar (not as tackylooking as plastic) with a shoe shelf at the bottom for about $30. Slim velvet hangers will allow you to pack as much as possible and stop things falling off.
5. Emergency snack & coffee supply
There will come a time when the course-related costs are long gone and you have to make the call between spending your last few dollars on a jug at the pub and a nutritious meal.
Most first year halls are catered, so you won’t need to worry about a huge selection of kitchen things. However, the food is notoriously sub-par, so it’s handy to keep a couple of basics in your bedroom. Some people go as far as microwaves and mini fridges. At the very least, get a kettle. You’ll be able to make Mi Goreng and instant coffee without a trip to the commons in your PJs.
It’s worth giving yourself some non-Maccas options for allnighters with a dedicated snack drawer, and buy your favourites in bulk.
Bonus tip: During exam time, put in a call to your mum and persuade her to courier some additional provisions out of pity.
6. Deck the walls
The main space you have to show some sense of individuality is your bare walls. The most common choice of uni hall decor is a polaroid collage framed by a few strings of fairy lights or LEDs. A floor or bedside table lamp is another good option.
Posters are cheap, colourful and take up a lot of space. They also tell everyone who enters your room what music/movies/ artists you enjoy. There’s guaranteed to be at least one person who puts up Pulp Fiction, it is tradition. You can make posters look a bit more sophisticated with some simple black or white frames.
7. Fresher flu first-aid kit
Pack plentiful Panadol, Ibuprofen, and BandAids. Fresher flu is not an urban myth, it is an annual reckoning.
8. Things you haven’t thought of
Most halls are multi-storey with limited outdoor space and you’ll be expected to spend a certain amount of your time huddled indoors.
Bring some life into your shoebox with easy-to-keep-alive houseplants.
Not everything can, or should, go into the dorm dryers. A folding drying rack is the free alternative.
Rugs can add personality and warmth to a room without breaking the bank.