Tips from a college student

Dumblittleman has a guest post that is great for college students. It has some great websites that every college student should use that are free. Check out the list here

-------------------------------------------------------
Don't forget to bookmark this site and sign up for the RSS feed so you can stay up-to-date on new posts!

Many people are going to provide you with a ton of study techniques for exams and tell you all these so-called secrets to passing exams, but lets be honest. There is no secret to passing exams, it is obvious. The basics is you have to know the material and regurgitate what the teacher wants you to know. There are some things that can help you do a little better on the exam though.

Definitly get plenty of rest the night before. If you don't you will be so tired that you can't focus on the exam and all the studying you did will be wasted.

If it is an essay exam, write wayyy more than you need to. In my experience I always get a better grade when I write way more information into it than I think I need to include, because it shows the teacher that you know your stuff. Essay grading is subjective, so you want to be on your teachers good side. Even if you don't know a lot about what you are writing about, if you write a lot of material, even if most of it is b.s., as long as it isn't just crap you will probably get a decent grade.

Take your time. Do not rush through the exam, but on the other hand don't second-guess yourself on every answer. I have realized that almost everytime I start to second guess I get the answer wrong. If you don't know the answer skip it and come back to it.

Always ask the teacher for extra credit. The worst thing they can say is no, but sometimes they will give you a very easy way to get extra credit. I think anyone would be happy to get some extra credit at the end of the semester!

Eat before you take the test. Do not eat a whole lot, because that can make you sleepy/groggy and mess up your concentration. But you do want to eat something because you can focus better with food in your stomach.

Pray. Alot. Duh.

Don't panic. Never ever ever panic during an exam. If you do, you may as well leave because you will fail. When you panic all of your logical thinking goes out the door, along with your good grade. Always stay calm and don't stress if you don't know one answer.

Make sure you give yourself adequate study time, and do a good review of the information. This one should be obvious also.

-------------------------------------------------------
Don't forget to bookmark this site and sign up for the RSS feed so you can stay up-to-date on new posts!

Several things have been going on lately that are important, so it's time to share them.

First of all, vitamins are worth every dollar you pay for them. Every one of my friends has been sick with everything from the flu to colds to stomach viruses, and many are on antibiotics now. I always take a daily vitamin, but when I realized that everyone was getting sick I decided to really crack down. I have been taking a one a day mens and 2 echinacea every day for 2 weeks and have felt the best I ever have without even a hint of getting sick. I also have doubled the amount of water I am drinking and have been using germx like crazy. There is no doubt in my mind that if it weren't for this I'd be sick as a dog with the rest of campus. So the lesson here is: kids, do what your momma says and take your vitamins and wash your hands!

The second thing that is important is never pass up opportunities. If you have a chance to go on a trip or meet some new people, do it if it is at all possible. College is a time when you are supposed to be having fun and meeting lots of new people and making memories, and if all you ever do is worry about working all the time and trying not to go to far in debt then you will never have any fun. This may sound contradictory as I am the biggest advocate of saving money and not going into debt, but in 20 years you won't remember those 2 days of work that weekend, but you will remember that beach trip that you took with your buddies when you skipped work. I am not advocating going into debt for this, but am just saying that if you have some money and have a chance to go do something then do it. Have fun, make memories, and do it as cheaply as possible. That, my friends, is college.

-------------------------------------------------------
Don't forget to bookmark this site and sign up for the RSS feed so you can stay up-to-date on new posts!

I have decided that I should go to college for free. College students are constantly bombarded with advisers and financial aid stuff saying that there are billions of dollars available in scholarships, and yet it seems like no one I know can ever find any of those dollars. So as of today, I am now on the lookout for free money for college, not loans, but free money and scholarships.

Today I called the financial aid office to inquire about any aid the school could offer me and they confirmed exactly what I expected: I'm not eligible for any more than I have because of my parents income bracket. I have been thinking about this and was wondering if I could file taxes independently from my parents and then be eligible for financial aid because I would be in the lowest tax bracket, but I was told that I have to include my parents information on my FAFSA until I'm 24 so that wouldn't work either.

Then I asked the guy at financial aid about any outside scholarships I should apply for, and he said that first of all DO NOT USE FASTWEB. He was very persistent in this and said that all they do is sell all of your information to mass marketing, and that hardly anyone gets results from Fastweb. He gave a longer explanation, but just trust me in that I will no longer be using Fastweb. He said to use search engines and put in criteria that you fit in along with the word 'scholarship' and it should turn up results. I have not had time to investigate this fully, so I will be writing again soon once I try that.

He also said to check local retailers and companies such as Wal-Mart and Costco for scholarships, as well as my parents employers. I have checked my parents employers in the past, but will be checking on that again soon. I need to check the local retailers, but haven't had time yet.

I really hope this new search turns something out, because I really need to get some money for school or I am going to have massive student loans, which is what I am trying to avoid. I have a job, but there is no job you can work in college that even begins to touch the amount you owe. It covers my gas money and has helped me establish some savings, but besides that I'm stuck.

If you have any advice or a success story on finding a scholarship feel free to leave a comment or send me an email at tipsfromacollegestudentblogatgmail.com. If you have some money you want to donate towards the college fund, I would gladly except that. There is a donate link on the right of this page, or you can email me and we can talk.
-------------------------------------------------------
Don't forget to bookmark this site and sign up for the RSS feed so you can stay up-to-date on new posts!

Most college students don't have any money. Some don't even have a car. I know at least for me every time that I go out on a date I'm racking my brain for something to do that is cheap and fun. So I have made a list of different things that college students can do for cheap dates, and if you're single you could do most of these things with your friends too.

1. Play a sport.
- Most college campuses have places available where people can play sports. These range from basketball and tennis courts to huge open fields. Many people enjoy Frisbee golf or ultimate Frisbee. These are a very low-cost activity that can provide hours of entertainment.

2. Go to the movies.
-Go to a matinée movie at a lower price, and check for low price movie theaters near you. We have a $1 theater here, and back home we have a $2 theater. That is cheaper than Blockbuster! Just be sure not to spend to much on snacks and drinks there, because that's where they make their money!

3. Play a game of Laser-Tag.
-Thinking back to high school, Laser-Tag can be fun for just about anyone, and it doesn't cost that much either.

4. Bowling.
-Bowling is a great date! Also fun with a group of friends. Also try going at night and see if they have blacklight bowling. Most of the bowling alleys near me do, and that is pretty fun also.

5. Play Miniature golf
-Watch for good deals, often times putt putt runs specials or you can get coupons.

6. Spend an evening playing board games by candlelight.
-or not by candlelight, whatever floats your boat! Board games are a great way to be easily entertained for hours. And after the upfront cost of buying, they are free! If you are too poor to buy a game, ask friends. Almost everyone has a game or two stuck in the closet.

7. Go window shopping.
- this can be a good or bad idea, depending on your money habits. My favorite way to do this is put $20 in your wallet and leave all your cards at home. That way you have a spending cap. An interesting variation to this is going to flea markets and places where used stuff is sold. That can be very entertaining.

8. Take a hike.
-Lots of places here to go hiking, ask the locals to see if there is somewhere near you to go hiking. You may also be able to get information from your school as to where there are some good trails.

9. Check the university schedule for school-sponsored activities.
-So basically, check your school home page for free events.
-There is almost always some type of sporting event going on, and if you are enrolled in the college they are often free. Even if you aren't interested in the sport, this can be a good place to hang out.
-Also watch for debates. Occasionally a school will host a debate on an interesting topic.

10. Visit the zoo or museum on a free or lower admission day.
-Good idea if there is one near you. Be on the lookout for discounts!

11. Star gaze. Ponder the mysteries of the universe.
-Really good idea.. free and romantic! also try sunsets.
-Probably one that you only want to do with your significant other.. your friends probably won't think this is too cool

12. Dance lessons.
-This provides entertainment for years to come. Once you've had dance lessons you can randomly just dance anywhere, which can be a fun or romantic activity.
-This is very entertaining. It does cost money, but is very fun.

13. Take a stroll through downtown.
-Window shop, people watch, make random conversation, talk to random people. Don't be scared, it'll be fun!

14. Play around: Visit a quiet playground (without kids). Share secrets or interview each other..
-Random stuff is fun, and it's free!

15. Take a walk.
-The ultimate free date. Just walk around and talk. Provides exercise, conversation, and scenery if you walk through an interesting area.

More ideas for college students...

Watch people. This basically can be a lot of fun. Go to Walmart or a mall, and just observe the people around you. There are some very interesting people everywhere, and I'm sure you will be entertained if you watch them.
If you get bored, do random stuff like sneak stuff into people's carts at Walmart, or glue a quarter to the floor and watch people try to pick it up.


There are infinite options for free entertainment available to you, you are only limited by your creativity. So be creative and go have some cheap fun!

As poor college students, my friends and I have had to discover ways to have fun without spending money. Normally, if we wanted to go out and do something we would go out to eat, go to the movies, do things that cost money. But now that we're in college, we don't have hardly any money and can't afford to do that much. So we have had to develop ways to have fun for free. Or at least cheap.

You're going to end up paying for food unless someone invites you over and cooks for you. A good way to get food for cheap is to get a bunch of people to go to the park and chip in some money, and then grill out on the grills that they have there. You have to be smart about getting everyone to pay though or you can lose money on this deal. That's food and fun for cheap, and you can get hours of entertainment from a park.

Another way to have fun is to have people over to a house, and order pizza and play games. The more pizza you buy, the cheaper it is. And you can get pretty good deals, like the 5-5-5 from Dominoes. The key to having fun for free is to be creative. You don't always have to spend money to have fun.

If you cut food out of your time with your friends, you will save a significant amount of money. You can eat something you cook at home, or eat on campus for free if you have a meal plan. There are many things you can do and make it fun that are completely free, like going to Wal-Mart and goofing off.

Check this page for more ideas on fun stuff to do for free or cheap.

Many of my classes require a subscription to a magazine or journal. For this semester I have to have the Wall Street Journal and Fortune magazine. I have found that I can access these through the school library online for free, or go into the library and flip through them whenever I want. This is an easy way to save some money!

Some of my large lecture hall classes have notebooks required to fill out. Since these are classes that almost everyone has to take, I started asking around and am going to try to get them for free or significantly cheaper. There are 2 upsides to this: 1) save money, 2) already filled out notes make class easier.

I still haven't purchased any books, except for one for my web class that I absolutely had to have to pass the class. I got an international version of that book, so it was much cheaper, and I am sharing it with another guy so it saves money.

By following these tactics, you can easily save 50-100 dollars a semester on books and required reading.

I hope everyone has a great, inexpensive semester!

-------------------------------------------------------
Don't forget to bookmark this site and sign up for the RSS feed so you can stay up-to-date on new posts!

I am hungry and have been looking around my dorm room for something to eat. My fridge has eggs, water and Gatorade in it. I have other random stuff sitting around that I could eat, but I just need something to hold me over, so I googled egg recipes and found some good stuff.

I discovered that eggs is one of the cheapest sources of protein that you can get. Protein is very important in your diet, because it will keep hunger away longer and it is essential to building and maintaining muscle. Now I am about to go make some hard-boiled eggs, the easiest snack available, and it will hold me over until dinner, when I begin the search for something healthy to eat again.

So, eggs are healthy, cheap, and easy to make. Every college student, no actually everyone in the world, should keep some in the fridge.

I hope this helps some hungry poor person somewhere, if not it helped me and I fit that description!
-------------------------------------------------------
Don't forget to bookmark this site and sign up for the RSS feed so you can stay up-to-date on new posts!

Last semester I bought books for all of my classes and ended up not using some of them, so I got ripped off. I think this is a system set up by professors to make them more money, since they write the books (sometimes). Granted, I did get good deals on some of my books and have already made money on 2 of them. This semester I decided that I am not buying a book until I am for sure that I have to have it.

I am going to go to class through the add drop period before I buy my books, because by the end of that time I should be able to tell whether or not I will need them. If the teacher puts everything online that I need, why should I buy the book? If the quizes and tests come from lectures, not the book, then why do I need the book? I am not paying 4-500 for books again this semester.

Like I said earlier, I think the teachers write their own books and then require them just to make money. Obviously they do, but this is ridiculous. College students can't afford to pay the outragious prices of textbooks nowadays as it is, especially if they aren't going to use the book!

I am going to try to get by with as little as possible this semester, which should save some serious money. I recommend that you try this also, unless you just like throwing money away on books you will never use.

And when you buy your books, DO NOT buy them at the campus bookstore. Look on facebook, many students list books there at decent prices. Also try ebay, half.com, amazon, and other online book sellers. You can save a lot of money by doing this also. This is how I make money off of some of my textbooks.

A great site to buy textbooks is Textbook X, and they have FREE SHIPPING on most book orders over $49!
-------------------------------------------------------
Don't forget to bookmark this site and sign up for the RSS feed so you can stay up-to-date on new posts!

Now that 2007 is over, it is time to look back on our mistakes and make changes in the new year. Everyone is focused on "new years resolutions", but these are basically very vague goals that will be broken within 2 weeks. It has almost become a joke now to make "new years resolutions." There are much better ways to make changes to your life in the new year than resolutions.

First off, you need to look back on last year and see what you want to change. Once you have decided what you want to change (ex. weight, finances, etc), make a specific goal. For example, if you want to lose 20 pounds, set a goal to lose 5 pounds by the end of January. Write down your goals and put them in a place that you will see them daily (mirror, refriderator, etc). By setting specific goals throughout the year, it makes the goal much more attainable.

If you miss one of your small goals throughout the year, you can tweak your other goals so you can catch up. If you only have one big resolution it is harder to get motivated to go after it, but with small goals you can actaully see progress.

When setting goals, they must be something you are passionate about. If you are not passionate, you will not meet the goal. It's simple, because to meet goals you have to work at it, and if you don't care then you aren't going to work for it.

I recommend these goals for 2008:

Increase GPA by .3-.5
Spend less
Make more
Read Tips from a College Student daily :)

Of course, you have to make these goals specific to you. Try to make them reasonable. You need to push yourself a little bit, but do not make your goals unreachable.

Here's to a great 2008!

-------------------------------------------------------
Don't forget to bookmark this site and sign up for the RSS feed so you can stay up-to-date on new posts!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I had to stay at school for part of Christmas break because of work. I was not able to stay in my dorm because they were doing maintenance on it, so I had to find another place to stay. I used this as an experiment to see how cheap I could live for a week.

*Note: This was only a week. It would not be possible to maintain this lifestyle permanently*

I was able to get 3 offers from people for me to stay at their house for free. This was big, because if it weren't for them I would have been paying big bucks for a hotel. So I got housing for free.

I figured out how to eat for free or cheap every meal. The way I got food for free was to a) get someone else to take me out, b) get someone to invite me over for dinner, c) get free food at work.
I got food for really cheap at sheetz and McDonald's. You can get a double cheeseburger and a 32 oz Sweet Tea for $2 + tax at McDonald's. Sheetz, just eat off the cheap menu posted above the screen. You can also eat for cheap by buying stuff like frozen fish sticks at Walmart or Sams and then cooking them later. I drink all water, so I didn't have to pay for that (except when I get tea at McDonalds).

Since I didn't have anything else to do, I picked up extra shifts at work and made even more money, thus easily clearing as much if not more as I usually make during school without living on dining hall food and dorms.

The main thing I learned through all of this is that the most important thing is who you know. By knowing lots of people and letting them know my problem, I get free housing and several free meals. I also have friends in high places that I use to pull strings sometimes when I need something.

When you have a friend helping you out, make sure you don't take advantage of them. If you take advantage of your friends, you won't have many friends. If they scratch your back, make sure you scratch their's later, in other words, always help out a friend in need and when you need something you will be taken care of.

-------------------------------------------------------
Don't forget to bookmark this site and sign up for the RSS feed so you can stay up-to-date on new posts!

I have been sitting here thinking about ways to get money to pay for college, and then I thought, "duh. apply for scholarships." So I went to the old fastweb site and updated my profile I had created in high school, then started searching. I am eligible for 43 scholarships listed on that site.

This takes some time to search through all of these, but after being in college for a year and a half I have realized how hard it is to get money, so even if I spend 10 hours searching for scholarships, if I can get one then it will be worth it. My ultimate goal is to graduate from college debt-free, and even though my parents are helping I am not on track to meet that goal. Even though working at my job 20 hours a week on top of school is helping, it isn't quite getting me there. This is where the scholarship search comes in. I am trying to take every possible angle on earning money for college, and this is the most obvious.

I would like to encourage any of you who are still in college to check out fastweb, as it is a great time saving database of scholarships that is recognized as the best one to use. You just put your info in and it tells you what to apply for. Scholarships are an easy way to get free money, and they aren't that hard if you can write a decent essay telling why you need money so bad.

Good luck on paying for college and getting those scholarships!

-------------------------------------------------------
Don't forget to bookmark this site and sign up for the RSS feed so you can stay up-to-date on new posts!

I've been looking for a while for Christmas music, because listening to the same Cd's over and over gets old fast. And I hate the radio because I don't get good reception with my stereo. I had been using Itunes and listening to shared music on my college network, which is a good option, but I now have found my favorite solution: free XM radio on AIM.

If you are logged into AIM then you can look at the bottom of your buddy list and see the headphones button. If you click that you have access to a lot of radio stations, I know some of them are XM, I'm not sure if they all are or not. These stations are commercial free and good quality, much better than over the air radio.

What I have done is hook my computer into my stereo through the front input on my stereo and a cord I bought at Radioshack out the headphones jack on my computer. With this setup I can hear whatever is coming out of my computer speakers through my surround sound system.

I liked listening to the shared network on my Itunes, but that is only available on campus, it takes a long time to load, and Itunes seems to slow down my computer. I normally have AIM running in the background anyway, so this doesn't hog any more system resources. I also don't have to download the music, so it saves me a lot of hard drive space.

I don't know how long AIM has had this feature, but I'd be willing to bet that not many people use it. It is a good service though, as it is free XM radio. So if you are looking for some holiday music or any other kind of music, give it a shot and see what you think. If you don't have AIM, you can go to aim.com and download it. I don't know many people who don't have it though.

Have fun listening to your music!

-------------------------------------------------------
Don't forget to bookmark this site and sign up for the RSS feed so you can stay up-to-date on new posts!

Check out this list of 101 things learned at college from College and Finance. Some of them are pretty funny, but from my experience and observations they are all true. Read them, especially if you are a freshman, and try to avoid problems that everyone else incurs.

-------------------------------------------------------
Don't forget to bookmark this site and sign up for the RSS feed so you can stay up-to-date on new posts!

College and Finance blog has just released the Fifth Carnival of College and Finance. Cheap Dates for College Students was featured in this carnival.

This is a really good carnival. There are a lot of useful and relevant articles, and I encourage you to check it out here.

-------------------------------------------------------
Don't forget to bookmark this site and sign up for the RSS feed so you can stay up-to-date on new posts!

Tomorrow is the first game for most schools football team. I don't know about you, but I love football. Even if you don't, it is a great place to hang out for free with friends and meet new people. Most schools you can get in for free with a college ID.

One of the main aspects of a college football game is tailgating before the game. For those who don't know, tailgating is basically a huge party in or around a truck before a game. You should try to find some people to tailgate with before the game, because that completes the atmosphere.

Just be careful to eat before the game because food in games costs a fortune and is a ripoff. I normally try to take some drinks in with me, at least a bottle of water if nothing else. If I don't then after about 3 hours of yelling I have no voice left.

College football is one of the biggest sports in America, and millions of people are either at games or watching on tv across the country. Take advantage of being in college and go to your games for free while you can, have fun and make some lasting memories.


-------------------------------------------------------
Like this post? Make sure to tell your friends about the site. Spread the word, and if you really like it leave a donation to help support the site!

My buddy and I were discussing today how much different we are treated when we dress up instead of just being normal. In college, it seems like no one really dresses up or cares what they look like, and everyone looks like they are walking around asleep. But when dressing up, we have discovered that we are treated differently.

My buddy mainly focused his results on women, and while I have definitely had better results with dressed up, I have observed more how I am treated by everyone. If I am talking to a professor, in general they will listen more intently and be more focused on what I am saying if I look nice, where if I am dressed more casual the professor is just like whatever and acts like they don't care about what I'm saying. My buddy got several numbers from girls today and said that he had girls hitting on him all day. Many of the changes I noticed were little things, but in my opinion they matter and I'll explain why.

I have noticed a difference in how many greetings I get from people. For instance, if I'm walking down a hall or getting on a bus, normally people would just dart their eyes away so there wouldn't be an awkward situation but when I'm dressed up people seem to make eye connection and say hi and introduce themselves. It is as if me dressing up is the difference between people noticing me or not. I consider this a big deal, because I don't want to be invisible. I think that everyone likes to be noticed, and chances are you will meet many more people if people notice that you are present instead of you being just another person.

Let me clarify what I consider dressed up. Most people in college walk around in t-shirts and shorts or sweat pants. To class they will wear jeans and maybe dress up a little bit more. In my opinion, dressing up is just going a level higher than everyone else is. My buddy wore pinstripe pants and a dress shirt, but I just started fixing my hair and wearing stylish jeans and shirts instead of a hat and the first clothes that I saw that morning.

So try dressing up the next time you go somewhere and pay attention to the way people act around you. Do the same thing we did, you and a friend dress up and then discuss your results later. I think you will be surprised at how much a little change like clothing or fixing your hair instead of a hat can make.


-------------------------------------------------------
Like this post? Make sure to tell your friends about the site. Spread the word, and if you really like it leave a donation to help support the site!

Most colleges have a student life or student activities department that arranges free or really cheap events on campus for students to attend. These are great places to meet new people and make friends. Most of the time there are events set up the first week or weekend for the sole purpose of students just hanging out and meeting people.

If you have problems meeting people, or just need something cheap to do, these events are the place for you. Check your school website and bulletin boards around campus for times and dates of activities put on by the school. Hey, even if you're not really interested in what's going on, you can still have fun just hanging out with people!

By the way, most of this can be applied to athletic events too, so when football season comes around watch out for a tailgate party! Kickoff for most schools is next weekend, so you better find some people to tailgate with now!


-------------------------------------------------------
Like this post? Make sure to tell your friends about the site. Spread the word, and if you really like it leave a donation to help support the site!

We all know a person who seems to know tons of people and has no trouble making friends. You probably have thought to yourself before that you wish you could be like that person and meet people with no problem, but you are introverted and are not good at meeting people. When going off to college for the first time, everyone is nervous because they are leaving their old friends behind and are worried about meeting new people. But this is one of the greatest things about college, you meet all different types of people and establish relationships that will last a lifetime. There are some secrets to meeting people that many people don't realize, and even people who are good at making friends probably don't realize why they are.

First and most obvious, you have to talk to new people in order to make new friends. If all you do is sit in your dorm room all day, you will not meet new people. You need to get out and interact with people on campus, whether at sporting events or just the computer lab. Start random conversations, it's not hard. If you're waiting in a long line, start talking to the people in line with you about how long the line is, then introduce yourself and roll from there. If you're at a sporting event, that's one of the easiest ways to meet people. Just talk about the teams to people around you, because they are obviously interested in them or they wouldn't be there!

A very easy way to start a conversation is with a question. When you ask it, don't act scared or nervous, because that will make the person feel nervous and awkward. Be confident and make eye contact. Listen to what the person says, and continue the conversation from there.

Don't have a really shallow conversation, like, "hi my names jon, have a good day!" Find out about them, where they're from, where they go to school, what they want to do when the graduate, common friends, etc.

An important point is that you must try to initiate conversations and take advantage of every opportunity you have to talk to new people. Always introduce yourself, and go beyond your name and the obvious. Listen to what the other persons says, don't just let one person do all the talking. If you feel like you're doing all the talking, stop and give them a chance to talk, and continue the conversation from what they say.

Soon you will have a large network of friends, which is a very good thing to have. The saying "it's not what you know, it's who you know" is very true. Obviously you can't be a complete idiot and go far in life, unless you're a professional athlete or something, but you can be the most educated person in the world and not be successful if you don't know people. The easiest way to get jobs, favors, etc is through friends. I have never gotten a job that I just went out and applied for. Every job I've ever had I have been set up with through a friend.

Friends are a very important part of life, and are crucial to your happiness in college and success after college. So why are you still reading this? Go meet some new people and create some new friendships!

-------------------------------------------------------
Like this post? Make sure to tell your friends about the site. Spread the word, and if you really like it leave a donation to help support the site!

Yesterday's move-in went pretty well. I have discovered a few more tips for moving into your dorm.
Don't forget to bring a lockable container. I brought a filing cabinet, because I like to have a lot of space to lock up food and dishes. They can also be useful for locking other things, such as bank statements, valuables, or anything else you don't want other people using or seeing.
Bring lots of stuff to put on the walls, because its better to have too much than too little. Make sure you talk to your roommate first before you hang stuff all over the walls, because you don't want to have any conflicts. Hanging stuff on the walls helps make you feel at home at college, and individualizes your dorm room to show a little bit of you. Personally, I hang up a lot of posters of bands and sports teams, as I have a lot of them and they take up a lot of space. I don't really like the colors of the walls, so I like to take up as much space as possible. Me and my roommate are both big Duke fans, so naturally we have a lot of Duke stuff in our room.
Another tip for move in day is don't get stressed about having stuff everywhere at first, because you will eventually find somewhere to put it, and will probably change the location 5 times before you decide where you will permanently keep it. I just throw my stuff in drawers all over the room, because I know that in the future I will be bored and have time to go through and organize everything, but at the time of move in I was more interested in meeting some new people than organizing my room.
And that reminds me, make sure you bring some storage containers. We have them all over our room, from pull out drawers to filing cabinets to bookshelfs. You will be surprised at how much junk you accumulate, and how much you can cram into a small dorm room with good use of storage containers.
You will probably also want to bring a fan, as it is hard for everyone to be comfortable at one temperature. It is also useful for drowning out noise at night when you are trying to sleep and everyone else is wanting to stay up partying. I run an air purifier and a fan to drown out noise, because I have trouble sleeping when hearing noises from people yelling or other random stuff.
Another very useful thing is either a curtain or a blanket to hang over a window. When you want to sleep in until early afternoon, and trust me sometimes you will, it is much easier if the light from the window is blocked.

-------------------------------------------------------
Like this post? Make sure to tell your friends about the site. Spread the word, and if you really like it leave a donation to help support the site!