by Holly Huffstutler

Created on: January 24, 2010

            The eternal problem with college dorm rooms is, of course, space. There you are in an 11’ by 15’ room that you are entitled to exactly half of. You and your stuff must fit there.

Time to organize.

The first few days of any new year at college are going to be chaotic so it’s a good idea to tackle storing your clothes, shoes and accessories before anything else. That way, you’ll at least know where your clothes are the morning after you move in and have to run around gathering text books.

Honestly assess the amount of space you have in your closet, wardrobe or drawers. Hang up as much clothes as you can, because you’ll most likely have to use the drawers for other things like movies or food

Find a way to store shoes in a way that isn’t throwing them in a pile in the corner of your room or at the bottom of your closet. Dorm rooms are too small to waste floor space this way and you’ll probably need to stack many things in the bottom of your closet. Consider getting a hanging shoe sorter or dedicating a drawer to your shoes.

Coats and jackets are big, bulky and will take up space in your closet. Buy some hooks that stick to the wall or hang over the door.

Now that you have your clothes squared away, turn to your desk. It has drawers, too, doesn’t it? Don’t think that these are reserved for school supplies. Use them to hold whatever has overflowed your closet. Small desk drawers can be perfect spaces for underwear and other flimsy clothing like it.

Most of what you need to do your school work with can be kept on top of the desk itself. Leave room for your computer and printer of course and a little blank space to write on, but notice that books, folders and notebooks look neat even when you keep them in a perpetual pile in the corner of your desk. Use a cup or small box for your writing utensils or they’ll scatter everytime you bump your desk in the morning.

Now, square away any food you’ve brought with you. Work with the roommate you most likely have to decide what might be the best organization system for your food and dishes. If you trust your roommate keeping all your foodstuff in one space in a common area will leave you both room in your personal spaces.

Lastly, if the furniture isn’t bolted to the ground, don’t be afraid to rearrange it until it yields the most open space and storage for you.  

Learn more about this author, Holly Huffstutler.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.