Dorm Room Necessities, Amenities & Style Items

DormSome adults take a great deal of pride in our ability to decorate and setup our homes.

Developing a style, sticking to a theme and making the home feel right are all very important to many families. In this same way, college students want to feel comfortable and excited about their dorm rooms and require the same necessities that adults need in their homes.

Travelling away from home is often exciting but also a little scary for young adults that have never lived alone for an extended period of time. Creating a unique dorm room is one way to help turn initial college jitters into excitement. However, this also means yet another added expense for the family.

According to this survey by The College Board, the average cost of room and board for students attending a public four-year college is just a tad under $9,500.* But what exactly does this include?

In terms of the actual dorm room, not all the much is provided for students. Outside of a bed, desk, microwave, small refrigerator, closet space and sometimes internet, families are responsible for providing the rest of the room (some schools may provide additional amenities).

Since the dorm room is first and foremost a bedroom, we begin looking at bedding needs. On the surface, it’s clear that students need sheets (often extra long bed sheets due to bed size), pillows, pillow cases, covers, blankets and usually a comforter for the cold winter months. Additionally, students often need memory foam due to the mattresses lack of comfort and a mattress cover to protect against bed bugs.

Storage space is also important, which can include cabinets and drawers (some will be provided but often not enough to hold the amount of items that an average college student has) Storage space is also needed to help with food as a meal plan is just part of what students require.

Plastic plates, silverware, cups, trash bags, dish liquids, paper towels and additional food itself (such as snacks) are all very important to college students. Other necessities often include laundry supplies, additional school supplies, lamps, garbage cans and safety items such as Band-Aids and cold medicine.

In terms of promoting style, many students enjoy having a futon to help ease the tension of stress and a television(s) to watch while lounging. Speaking of lounging, most dorm rooms do not provide a rug and finding the right rug is a great way to tie the room together.

In an attempt to bond with floormates, a dry erase bulletin board is a popular item to hang on the door to provide a surprise when students return from classes. Lastly, we began our review by pointing out how a unique dorm room can help students feel at home and pictures of loved ones are a necessity for the bulk of students.

Don’t worry mom and dad, even the student that has been counting down the days until “freedom” for four years will want at least a photo of the family!!

For additional information on what is needed and what items can promote style, click here

*While tuition is considerably higher at private universities, room and board does not often go up at private colleges and universities. It is important to note that living in a city or a more expensive state can increase the cost of room and board.