What to Do with Your Itty Bitty Living Space

College dorm rooms are plentiful, but full as well. When you are moving into a college dorm it is important to remember that your space will be shared and limited. Choosing how to accessorize your space can be an important part of college life. It allows you to accessorize your space, make it personal and help you transition to college life and living away from home, possibly for the first time.

Selecting accessories for your dorm room should reflect your own personal style, while expressing consideration for your roommate's style as well. Posters, bulletin boards, picture frames and school/fraternity spirit items can all reflect your style and the things that make you happy. It will help your roommates get to know you better if they can quickly identify something they may or may not have in common with you.

Keep in mind that there might be some style and preference conflicts to overcome in your dorm room. You may not have the option of handpicking your roommate. You might have some input into the selection process, but many times strangers are thrown together, some with nothing in common and other times they have tons in common. Be respectful of each other and communicate to avoid big conflicts. v Another key to surviving college dorm life is to maximize space. You can do this by limiting what you take on your first trip to the dorm. Taking two or three of the stuffed animals your boyfriend won at the carnival will be better than taking the whole bunch of them. Once you get settled, remember that new items will come into your dorm room and it is important that your entire lifetime collection of t-shirts not be taken with you. Utilize all the space you have, using under-the-bed boxes, shelving and plastic cube storage to keep everything organized.

Decorating your dorm room can be easy and even though there may not be space for tons of pictures and frames, making the most of your space is simple. Use cork boards to hang large quantities of pictures without using individual photo frames. For a more glamorous look, pictures can be placed in a French bulletin board, which is a pillow-type, fabric covered board with criss-crossed ribbon that you can slide pictures into.

The transition to college life can be made easier by making a few considerations. Consider the amount of space you will have and with how many people you will be sharing your space. Plan your move and prioritize what items will be taken and which will be left behind. These strategies will help you with the transition to college and dorm life.

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