Category Archives: dorm life

campus security, dorm life

Wednesday’s Parent: The Safety Formula in College Prep

 

safetyCollege prep not only entails the typical kinds of prep: college applications, scholarship searches, test prep, essay prep and financial aid; but it should also include safety preparation. When you talk about safety, parents cringe. Their biggest fear in sending their student off to college is the concern that they will be safe away from their constant supervision. But keeping your student safe personally is just part of the equation.

Wendy David-Gaines, the Long Island College Prep Examiner and POCSMom, has this advice:

Concern about safety comes with the parenting territory. For parents of the college-bound, the word safety encompasses both the physical and the financial varieties. Fortunately, the following safety tips for the former also apply to the latter, making it easier to teach.

It makes perfect sense to prepare your students for the ramifications of financial irresponsibility and physical threats. Before they leave for college, have discussions about the topics listed below and set your mind at ease about their safety.

Physical and financial college prep safety pointers

For more information on safety concerns, read these posts: Top 5 Posts about Parent Safety, 6 Safety Apps for Students, and Preparing for College: Safety First.

 

dorm life

Sending Your Student to College With Music

 

College move in day is approaching and families across the country are packing their cars to drop their new college students off at the dorm. Dorm rooms are traditionally small and cramped, with little space to bring all the comforts of home. But a must have for your student is a smartphone. They will use the apps for texting, tweeting, communicating with other students, keeping tabs of dates on their calendar, and of course, listening to music.

Bluetooth speakersStudents spend a great deal of time listening to music in their dorm rooms. Whether they are studying, entertaining, or simply relaxing at the end of the day, their music can be a stress reliever. They probably have headphones, or if they are a boy, massive speakers. But the Insignia™ ultra-lightweight Bluetooth Speaker from Best Buy is the perfect mode for your student to listen to music. Not only are they portable and compact, but they are also affordable. (You will appreciate this after spending all your hard-earned money on dorm supplies). With each Insignia™ Bluetooth Speaker, you get the speaker, a USB charging cable and an owner’s manual, which easily walks you through the steps to connect to your other Bluetooth enabled products.

IMG_5712 (2)I love this speaker because it is practical for the college student. Whether in their dorm or on the go they can take this speaker with them. They can easily strap the speaker to their backpack, purse, gym bag, bicycle or even the visor in their car. Since the speaker is splashproof, you don’t have to worry about a spilled drink, splashed shower or sink water, or even rain when it’s outside.

Here are just a few uses your college student might find for this portable speaker:

  • Take it in the bathroom with you
  • Hang it on your bed in the dorm room
  • Take it to the gym and hang it on the treadmill
  • Hang in your car for trips to and from college
  • Take it to the beach during Spring Break!

This speaker is sold at Best Buy for less than $20 and is available in a variety of colors: Cobalt Blue, Horizon Blue, Sea Green, and Hot Pink. But you can save money NOW by taking advantage of Best Buy’s sale of 30% off any Insignia Portable Bluetooth Speaker.  Be sure to access the link for the coupon code. The offer is valid 8/03/15 – 9/05/15, in store and online. 

Plug In (2)_0While in the dorm, your student will like the Insignia™ Plug In Bluetooth Speaker to listen to music. You can stream music and audio from any Bluetooth enabled device: a smartphone, a laptop or desktop computer, or even the television (if they are lucky enough to have one!). It has a built in power adapter and the battery is rechargeable, giving you over 2 hours of enjoyment on one charge. Since it is also portable, your student can take it anywhere. It’s equipped with a USB port and a speaker port to make it even more versatile.

PluginHere are some suggested uses your student might find for this speaker:

  • Plug it in to save space in the dorm (in lieu of bulky speakers)
  • Carry it outside on the greenspace to share your music with others
  • Plug it in in the common room to listen to music while socializing

This Insignia™ Plug In Bluetooth Speaker is also sold at Best Buy for less than $30.

Both these speakers produce excellent sound quality, along with portability. For around $50 your student can have both and you’re giving them the gift of music!

You will also want to stay connected with Best Buy through Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Disclosure: The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.
dorm life, Guest Posts

Creative Organization Ideas for College Dorm Rooms

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My guess is it happens to at least one of every two college freshman each fall. Living on campus has been something they have dreamed about since that day they caught their little brother reading their diary in seventh grade. Everything about it is new and exciting, including the freedom and the novelty of it all. Yet sometimes it may come as a surprise when they arrive and realize just how cramped their new college dorm rooms can be. In most cases it doesn’t matter because the simple truth remains: they are living on their own.

Along with that comes the opportunity to personalize the new space, which we think can be made a little more fun by using some of these creative and space-saving ideas:

Dress up that plastic storage

Chances are at some point in college, you will find yourself in need of plastic storage. Not only are these handy vessels essential to staying organized in small space, but they are portable for those multiple moves you may make throughout the college years. Make them a bit more private and a lot nicer to look at by giving them an inexpensive makeover.

college dorm rooms
via LW Designs

Think outside the box

Why buy one of those tiny space-saving ironing boards you will only use for four years when you can repurpose something you most likely already own? A foldable TV tray can serve the same function when covered with some batting and fabric. Not only is it space-saving, but it’s cute and could double as a desk or other surface in a space that generally lacks surfaces to work on.

college dorm rooms
Via Like A Saturday

Don’t waste hidden storage opportunities

Finding a place for everything is probably among the biggest challenge in dorm living, especially if your roommate also has way too many pairs of shoes. Make life a little simpler by remembering to use every empty space that could be otherwise forgotten, including under the bed.

 

college dorm rooms
Via The Berry

Simplify the shower

If your dorm room has its own bathroom, chances are you are sharing it with at least one roommate, if not several suite mates. Simplify your shower storage by adding a second shower rod inside the shower where you can hang extra essentials like loofahs and shower caddies, without having to lug them around everywhere each time.

college dorm rooms
Via By Dawn Nicole

Get crafty

In a small space there may not be room for a bedside table, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need a place to keep your book and glasses after all those all-nighters. To avoid having the little things accumulate in random places, consider making a bedside caddy that suits your space needs.

college dorm rooms
Via My Poppet

 

Reinvent the white board

White boards and calendars are a must in dorm rooms for keeping up with multiple busy schedules. But it’s okay for you to think beyond the white. Dress up the traditional organizational concept by using fun alternatives, like a photo collage piece.

 

college dorm rooms
Via Dormify

Make the space your own

Function meets style with the right furniture choices. If your budget allows, consider investing in cube storage that can not only create additional storage options, but act as a room divider.

 

college dorm rooms
Via: Ikea

Today’s post was written by Tyler Schmidt. For more design ideas, head to Modernize.com.

dorm life

Get Your Dorm Room Organization On!

 

dorm organization

Who wouldn’t like a dorm makeover? Those dorm rooms are small, cramped and devoid of any style. If your college student is heading to college in the fall, you can sign up for the College Savings Weekend at their nearest store, students will be entered to win one of ten $1,000 Dorm Room Makeovers!  Don’t miss the Container Store’s Weekend event:

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college dormAt The Container Store, we’ve been helping college-bound students and their families prepare for the big move-in for almost 37 years now!  We’ve also been hosting fun shopping events for over 20 years to help make the dorm prep process an easy A. No one focuses on dorm room organization like The Container Store does all year round – and especially during the summer months leading up to college move-in!!

This year we are SO excited to host a College Savings Weekend in our stores nationwide, Friday – Sunday, July 10 – 12, where college customers will receive 20% off their purchases ALL WEEKEND LONG!  We will have surprises, prizes and great savings in stores for our college-bound customers and their friends all weekend!  To sign up and to check out our expert dorm tips, checklists and more, students and their friends should visit our Dorm homepage at www.containerstore.com/college.

REGISTER BY JULY 8 TO RECEIVE ALL THE SPECIAL OFFERS

In addition to our shopping weekend, we offer many great tools, resources and services to help college-bound students and their parents stay organized with their college move. Our website features videos from real college students utilizing our products in their dorm room, an organized dorm checklist and our tried-and-true Dorm Room Basic Six™ – the six areas to focus on when organizing your dorm.

Also, we know many students will be traveling near and far for their first day of college this Fall. At The Container Store, we make it easy to shop and transport purchases to save space and time during the big move. No more worrying about fitting everything in the car in one trip! When customers use our GOSHOP! Service, they can shop at their favorite store or online and we’ll make sure their order is ready to pick up at a store near campus when it’s convenient for them! How cool is that?!

dorm life

Making the Dorm Feel Like Home

 

designer dorm roomOne thing that can help with empty nest syndrome when your children move away for college is the knowledge that the environment your kids live in is the best for what they need. That means going with them to check out their choices of dorm, and taking a good look at what’s on offer.

The all-important location

Location is more important than you might think. For a start, is it a safe neighborhood? Teens are very vulnerable when they’re first away from home; and the safer the area, the better. If you don’t know the city or the areas in which the dorm choices are offered, it’s a good idea to spend a day there to check it out, and do a bit of research online to see what the rest of the world is saying about it.

Room size matters

Not all dorms are configured the same. Some are effectively studio flats with one main room for eating, living, and sleeping, while others have communal living areas and kitchens and sometimes shared bedrooms. How much space your child needs will be dependent on what they’re going to use their room for, as well as how many people are going to be housed in that room. Small is cozy, but can be a little too cozy; bearing in mind that no one really knows each other at the start of the semester.

Convenient bathrooms are necessary

Not all dorms have en suite bathrooms. In fact, in some cases, the bathroom may be shared with other students in the dorm. Not an easy prospect, and for that reason alone, any dorm with a bathroom shared across more than two students should probably be either abandoned, or at the very least, pushed down the list. Other people’s personal habits can be a little too much to take in addition to the myriad new pressures that meet a student when they first move away from home.                                                                                            

Room furnishing

It might sound a bit picky, but you can tell a lot about a place if you look at the way in which it’s furnished. What kind of carpet is it? What’s on the windows? If your child is sensitive and allergic to dust and other things that can be found in the room, it’s as well to keep an eye out for a place that has shutters on the windows instead of blinds or curtains. They’re easier to keep clean for a start, and a set of sleek and stylish shutters can really modernize a place, keeping it a positive, pleasant place to live in, even when your kids are feeling homesick. Shutters also let in a lot of light during the day, either thrown completely open, or with adjusted movable slats.

Whatever the choices, you need to rock that space with your kids so that you both feel that it’s the best option for when they go away. You might feel a bit bereft for a while, but your kids will probably also miss you too, so the cozier, more convenient and similar to home that you can make it for them, the better it will be for everyone.

dorm life, Guest Posts

Dorm Decor Must-Haves for Your High School Grad

 

With high school graduation in full swing, finding the perfect dorm decor for your teen is next on the list. Take a look at these graduation gift ideas to be prepared for fall move in!

Dorm decorDecorative Curtains 

Students are going to want privacy when sharing their small space with a new roommate. Hanging a chevron curtain to the ceiling by their bed serves as an innovative room divider and also blocks out unwanted light. Choosing curtains with a bold print will bring in a youthful pattern to the space. Be sure to purchase curtains with ties or hunt for a contrasting ribbon to hold back the curtains when they’re not in use.

Dorm lightingLight it Up

String lights are one of the most popular decorations found in dorm rooms. Since candles are rarely allowed, string lights provide a similar ambiance to the room and create a cozy environment.  You can even find lights with small lanterns attached for a bohemian, outdoorsy theme. Take a look at Target and World Market, as they have a large selection of decorative lights to choose from. World Market’s burlap star lights are a personal favorite because they’re neutral and aren’t too bright.

Make it Cozy

The next four years are going to go fast, but it’s important for your teen’s dorm room to feel like home. Bring in area rugs to add warmth to the room, layer mix-matched throw pillows for contrast, and work in monograms where you can to personalize their space.  Coming up with a color scheme will also give the dorm a cohesive look.

Matching ottomans or floor poufs are an easy buy and are small enough that they can be tucked away when not in use.

Get Artsy 

Don’t forget about the walls! Hanging art on those drab, white dorm walls will truly transform the room. Wall decals, such as sticker frames, Etsy prints with inspirational quotes, and decorative mirrors are creative options for your new college student. The For Like Ever poster from Super Rural doesn’t miss a beat with its bold color and typography, and fun saying. Mood boards are another way to personalize their side of the room.  Buy colorful pushpins, paint a corkboard a bright color, and collect family photos and other memorabilia to collage with. During the next four years, this board will be a source of comfort and inspiration for your teen.

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This is a guest post by Erica Bryant of Roomations. Roomations is an interior design and e-decor site that connects you with professional designers for custom room concepts online. Work with up to three different interior designers to visualize your project then make it happen by taking to the streets (or your computer) with a shopping list that includes everything you’ll need. Custom interior design has never been so accessible, affordable and convenient! Start by finding your personal style with our free Style Quiz.

dorm life

Designer dorm rooms–the wave of the future?

 

designer dorm roomThe trend: parents hiring designers to deck out their student’s dorm room. Are designer dorm rooms the wave of the future? According to an article on bizjournals.com, parents are hiring interior designers for college dorm rooms:

More students and their parents are paying interior designers $90 to $175 an hour to turn drab dorm space into spaces worthy of magazine spreads, complete with upholstered headboards, wallpaper and crystal chandeliers, reports USA Today.

“There’s a (typically deep-pocketed) subset of the population that sees this as sort of an extension of their home,” Vennie Gore, president of the Association of College and University Housing Officers – International and the head of housing at Michigan State, told USA Today. “There’s a (typically deep-pocketed) subset of the population that sees this as sort of an extension of their home. They want to create in their room more of a home environment,” to the tune of $1,500 to $3,000 — although $10,000-plus makeovers are not unheard of.

Now you may not be one of those parents that will to drop that much change on a one year dorm makeover. But if you need a little help, there is some help available at a reasonable price.

Roomations offers e-decorating and virtual room design services that can help you transform a room in your own home (in addition to interior design tips and inspiration on our blog). Upload photos of your room and choose one or more interior designers who will prepare style boards based on your personal style, budget and preferences. Once you’ve approved your favorite style board and provided feedback, you’ll get a 3D rendering to help you visualize the design plus a complete shopping list, so you know where to get all products for your room makeover. Visit  and try their “Find Your Style Quiz … mainly because it is super fun!”

dorm room decorators


If this sounds interesting to you, you’re in luck because Roomations has provided my readers with a coupon code (BLOGHER13) for a 25% discount. As you can see, it takes 3 easy steps and your dorm design suggestions are yours!P.S.–Parents-have you thought about redecorating your son or daughter’s bedroom or that basement that was a dedicated video game space. You can use the coupon code for yourself!

 

 

dorm life, student health

Smart snacks to eat while studying

 

Studying is hungry work, but choosing the wrong foods to satisfy this hunger can actually decrease your energy levels and sabotage your healthy diet.  Chips, cookies and other snacks consisting of simple carbohydrates provide bursts of energy, but this energy quickly dissipates, so you experience crashes.  Instead of binging on junk food, eat healthy, balanced, smart snacks, like the five suggested below, to ease your cravings, fuel your brain, and keep both your diet and your education on track.

healthy snacksApple Slices or Celery and Peanut Butter

Apple slices or celery sticks paired with one to two tablespoons of peanut butter provide a good mix of carbohydrates, fat, and protein to keep you full and alert while you pursue your education.   Celery sticks are lower in calories and sugar than apple slices, so if you need to munch constantly, these are the smarter choice.  If, however, you are feeling sluggish and sleepy, opt for apple slices.  They will give your blood sugar more of a boost.

When choosing a peanut butter, select a natural brand without added sugar or hydrogenated oils.  Eating brands that have added sugars, like corn syrup or table sugar, may give you a sugar rush, but the energy boost will not last.  Because the sugars in these peanut butters are simple sugars, your body processes them rapidly.  This means a crash will quickly follow the initial sugar rush.

Continue reading Smart snacks to eat while studying →

college housing, dorm life

Off to college? Tips for getting along with roommates

 

college roommatesWe’ve all seen movies about the college experience, ripe with parties, drinking and new experiences. The reality of it is, living with roommates isn’t always one big love-fest. How you get along with your roommates impacts your entire college experience, so follow these tips designed to help you coexist peacefully.

Create a System

When more than one person shares a small space, it tends to become a matter of who left the thermostat up, why there’s a pile of dishes in the sink, and whose turn it is to clean the bathroom. Head off trouble by creating a chore list that clearly outlines who has each duty on any given day. Work together to come up with a fair list, so no one carries an unfair load.

Continue reading Off to college? Tips for getting along with roommates →

dorm life, parenting, Uncategorized

6 Dorm Safety Tips for Students

 

dorm safety

While student dormitories are not exactly danger zones, students who reside in dormitories should observe safety measures to keep their property safe from thieves or accidents such as fire. For the most part, it only takes common sense to prevent potential accidents in student dormitories. For instance, you should not leave candles or hot cigarette butts burning inside your room. According to the National Fire protection Association (NFPA), the number of dormitory fires reported between 1980 and 2009 increased by 17% and on average, dorm fires destroy property worth about $20.9 million, cause 3 deaths, and 38 fire injuries every year. These statistics show the importance of taking fire safety seriously. Here are some dorm safety tips that you can take as an individual student to keep your dorm safe.

Continue reading 6 Dorm Safety Tips for Students →