College is not home-away-from-home.
At home, you might not have to worry about the folks in the room next door being too loud or having your ID with you 24/7. You probably don’t stress too much over remembering every little thing. Someone will remind you. If you set something down in your house, it will probably be there when you want it.
College will present some different situations. Some serious ones, like watching your bank account so you don’t bounce it, and some just annoying ones, like the smell of your roommates shoes. But serious or silly, no one is going to solve the annoyances but you.
Here are a few annoying situations you might face and some simple, organized solutions.
“Hey! Where did everybody go? Why didn’t they ask me?” Shoot, how in the world will you know all the fun you are missing without a way to get messages. Not everyone wants to use their phone minutes to track you down. Stick a wipe-off board on your dorm door to leave and receive messages. You won’t want to be left out of the midnight movie and pizza feast down the hall.
“Oh man! Do I really have to carry this ALL of the time?” Want to get into the dorm? Swipe that college identification card. Need a library book? Swipe the card. Reserve a racquetball court? Swipe the ID card. Grab a tray and a meal on campus. Swipe the card. You get the picture. That card is your lifeline. Might as well attach it to your dorm keys so you don’t have to carry a wallet everywhere you roam. Get a key chain that has an ID pocket attached.
“Did Benjamin Franklin build this dorm?”- Your room might have so few outlets that you feel like it dates back to the dawn of electricity. Imagine lamps, alarm clocks, computer equipment, TVs, hairdryers, and video games all going into a few outlets. Now multiply that list times two to cover your roommate’s goodies. Since there are two of you, there will be too few outlets and most likely, not at all where you need them. Power cords and extension cords are a must.
“Could you just pipe down- PLEASE?” Forget getting cool. No matter if your dorm has AC or not, you need a fan. The white noise generated from the fan running at high speed will allow you to sleep and to study.
“They’ll tell us again. Right?” Even if you got through high school without a planner or calendar, you can’t do so anymore. Day one, you’ll be handed a syllabus in class. It will probably never be mentioned again. There will be no reminders. Your project and paper due dates will be in the syllabus. Your test dates will be in the syllabus. If you don’t take all the dates from the entire stack of various class syllabuses and transfer them to a calendar, you will be behind from the start.
Seriously dude, how am I supposed to hang a whole year’s worth of clothes in this mouse hole? Make use of all of that microscopic closet. Buy a second bar. The ends of the bar are shaped like the top of hangers. They simply hang on the upper bar. This gives you double the space for your clothes.
“Ewww! Why is there hair stuck to MY bar of soap?” If you aren’t worried about the cost of shampoo and soap, then just leave yours in the shower a few times. Come back and it is gone. Say good-bye to five bucks at a pop. No matter if you live in a suite, a dorm with a down-the-hall shower or a frat house, people will pick up and use your stuff. Get a caddy. Keep it in your dorm room when not in use.
“I can’t be overdrawn. I still have checks left!” Eliminate the panic. Statements take too long to arrive in the mail. Bills get lost under desk chaos. Set your college account up for on-line banking. You will be able to monitor that balance and purchases daily and pay bills quickly. You have better things to do with your money than pay over-draft fees.
“Seriously. It is not funny! What is THAT smell?”- Unless it is your microwave mac and cheese and your sneakers, you probably are not going to love the smell of dorm rooms. Air freshener may not make dorm life sweeter but it might keep you from gagging.
Lea Schneider is a professional organizer and member of the National Association of Professional Organizers. She has hauled things up nine flights of stairs and organized dorm rooms at Ball State University, University of Kansas and Florida State University. Her company, Organize Right Now provides solutions for home, office and life through consultation and hands-on organizing. Visit her web site, which includes a free complete dorm packing list, at
Organize Right Now LLC or call 850-477-2582
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