Everyone remembers the first time they were allowed to decorate their own room. People’s rooms are part of their identity, it gives visitors a reflection of who they are and it provides an outlet to express themselves.
When college students leave their rooms at home behind for a dorm or even an apartment, it can be hard to bring their personality into their new space. They can’t paint the walls, they have a limited amount of space and money and they’re sharing a room with a stranger who has to like the room, too.
The Michigan State University Housing Terms and Conditions state that students can not paint their rooms, drill any holes or permanently attach any objects to walls, floors, ceilings or doors. They must use discretion when decorating windows and can not remove, replace or modify furniture.
Despite these obstacles, it’s important for college students to have a room they feel comfortable in.
Premedical freshman Carmine DiPiero and his roommate used posters and additional furniture to give their room in Holden Hall a personal touch and a homelike feel.
“You need an environment that you’re used to and it’s easy to get stuff done in,” he said.
DiPiero brought his guitar to MSU and hung posters that reflect his interests He said these little touches are important to making your dorm room a place to call home.
Prenursing sophomore Mikayla Armbruster lives in a University Village Apartment. She said having an apartment opens up more possibilities for personalizing your room because you don’t have to run everything by your roommate.
“I have my own room so I get to decorate solely how I want to decorate it and don’t worry about what my roommate wants and make it my own place to come back to,” she said.
There are many stores around East Lansing with furniture departments specifically catering to college students. These provide everything from basic furniture like chairs and futons to curtains and picture frames to decorate the room.
Food management senior Kevin Hendrick, who works in the furniture department at Target, said finding a theme for the room adds personality.
“You can personalize it with what matches,” he said. “You could get curtains to decorate your room to match the colors that you like and coordinate it so it feels like home. It’s good to get carpets so it’s not just a bare floor in the dorm room.”
Animal science senior Alexa Dunn said she likes to mix in things with personal meaning along with a color scheme in her dorm room.
“A good way to make it more comfortable and easier to move into is covering a bulletin board in pictures. If you’re sharing you can have a designated area that’s like ‘your side’ and decorate it with pictures and such,” she said.
Having a space that reflects your personality and feels familiar to you can be an important part of settling into college.
“I think it’s important at such a big university to have somewhere you can go home and find comfort in and not be overwhelmed by all the stresses that you have to deal with here,” Armbruster said.
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