Design Your Dorm

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A good night’s sleep is essential for a whole slew of reasons. There’s strong evidence that regular sleep keeps down weight, keeps up brain power, and generally, ensures you won’t doze off during O-Chem and miss the pop quiz.

But suddenly being with a roommate, in a noisy dorm, with way too much going on, sleep is often one of those first things to go.

Don’t let it! If you’re one of those people blessed with being able to sleep through a freight train (or the school marching band playing outside your window—been there, done that) then may the force be with you, but for the rest of us, here are some tips to be like this kitteh and fall asleep anywhere.

1. Set a bedtime

It may sound crazy, but mentally deciding when you want to hit the pillow will give you more motivation to get off Facebook and actually get into bed.  Crucial when you have a big day tomorrow. And just a note: it may make sense to work out right before bed, to exhaust yourself, but it’s one of the biggest mistakes you can make. Working out runs endorphins through your body, and actually, gives you a boost of energy, making you fidgety before bed.

2. Take some tech-free time

Before bed, take some you time to unwind. Do your bed-time ritual and then  read (not for school). Use a mini light if you have to, but turning off the laptop’s blue light and hunkering down with a book  or magazine you actually want to read will ease you into sleep. Especially if you’re reading one of these toughest books.

3. Or make tech your friend

Listening to music on full-blast is not gonna go well with your roommate, but grab an iPod and make a playlist. Make sure it ends after a few songs (so a sweet and unexpected  drum solo doesn’t wake you up at 4am) and lull yourself to bed.  It sounds cheesy, but try layering the sound of rain over a soft song. Just try it, and see how quick you’re zonked out. Got an iPhone? Check out this sweet app that analyzes your sleep cycle, and wakes you up gently.

4. Arm yourself

Having a roommate means you’re gonna get interrupted. Whether someone needs a light on when you’re trying to sleep, or you’re experiencing the lovely intocxicated-roommate-back-at-4am-and-wants-to-enter-a-discourse-about-Cheetos syndrome, you’re gonna be woken up. UNLESS You’re armed. Try a sleep mask and some earplugs. Hearing your own breathing and sleeping with something on your face can be tough, but give them a try for a week or so and see if it works for you.

5. Nap!

Studies have shown that taking a short (read: not three-hour in front of the couch watching Real Housewives) nap actually resets your brain, refreshes you, and prepares you for cramming a lot more in there.  Got early classes?  Slap on the eye mask and sleep for an hour in the afternoon. Just make sure you get up and get going again after.

Got any sleeping tips of your own? Let us know! And get some inspiration from CuteThingsFallingAsleep.com.

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Moving into your dorm means you’re finally on your own! But on your own. Sharing a tiny room. With a person you may or may not know. And being in charge of all your own food, schedule, and homework.

It’s not rocket science (unless that’s your major) but it still can turn into a disaster zone if you can’t keep organized.

Luckily, there are easy tips and cheap stuff to keep your life and space on track.

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR SPACE

Dorm rooms are, for the most part, tiny. And at school, you don’t have a basement to store all your spare stuff. So, to avoid seriously pissing your roommate off, make the most of the space on your side of the room.

Lift up your bed, and throw some drawers under there. Organize.com has some sweet storage and (duh) organizational tools to keep things in check.  The college closet must have?

An organizer that creates shelves (read: less hangers, and making the most of that vertical space). They come in sizes for everything from sweaters to shoes.

One of the best and underutilized spaces? The back of the door. Ladies, hang up a full-length mirror, or
add more space for those ever-present shoes.

And keep cables at bay.

DON’T UNDERESTIMATE BOXES

You’d be surprised how much random crap you can come up with to clutter your space. It’s OK to not have your pens color coded, or to hold onto every little souvenir from your first week at school.  Just don’t leave it piled on your desk.

Pretty boxes solve the problem. They look neat and pretty, and no one has to know that inside, you just tossed every random thing you couldn’t find space for. It’s like the grownup version of shoving things under the bed.

FOLDERS ARE YOUR FRIENDS

Somewhere (hopefully) in your parents’ house is a file with all your important junk in it, from birth certificate to bank accounts. Now that you’re on your own, a lot of that stuff, like financial aid documents and grade reports, are gonna come to you. Don’t let them get lost in the craziness of your other school papers. Grab brightly colored folders, one for each class, and then one for your miscellaneous important documents. Keep it all within reach in organizers, but out of the way of those late night ramen binges.

PLAN IT OUT

Planning your time, and remembering everything you suddenly need to keep track of, is a big deal, especially when your homework is largely reading and barely due the next day.  Take time each week to sit down and plan out what you need to do, update your calendar and schedule, and write down your homework from the syllabus.  Some tools to do so:

Knock Knock.Biz Amazing products, vital organization tools, and all with a hilarious spin. Folders that say “Useless Crap”? You get the idea. The weekly planner mousepad is quite literally a lifesaver.

Schoolhouse.app Go digital! Keep track of all your homework in an easy, free app.

Screenshot of the Schoolhouse application

Daily Planners Franklin Covey is that grand-daddy of all planners, but the $5 one you picked up at the bookstore will do just as fine.

Did we forget anything? Comment, let us know your thoughts and tips!

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Written By: Kelli B Miller of 3 Boys & a Dog

You might think it strange for me to be writing this post since my oldest is only nine. Is it really strange? Do you honestly think 9 is too young for me to start preparing him for college?
More kids today attend college than have in the past, but a higher percentage of college-bound teens flunk out now than ever before! Why? Americans, as a whole, fail to teach their students how to learn!
Nine years old, is a GREAT age for me to teach my child the skills he needs to excel in college.

1. Study Skills – Do you know how to study? No matter the age of your kids, they need to be taught to study effectively.

• Thinking Skills – Teach your children to think as they read or as they are listening to a lecture! Have them write down questions and main ideas.
• Survey – Everyone should look over the materials BEFORE attending class to get a feeling of what they will be learning. Obviously, if you tell me about Quantum Physics, it will go through one ear and out the other because I know ZERO about it. If I familiarize myself with it first, parts are more likely to stick.
• Recite – Stop reading ever so often and go through your head everything you just read. Write down questions as you read and answer them during reading breaks.
For more info, check out this great article on Effective Study Skills!

2. Money Matters – To go off to school, your child needs to understand how to budget and how to stick with it. Did you know that credit card companies prey on college students? According to a recent study by Sally Mae, the average college graduate starts their adult life already over 2,000 in credit card debt! That isn’t even counting the 20,000 dollars or so in Student Loans!
• Budgeting – Teach them to understand how to make their money last!

• Balance Checkbooks – How many college students all of a sudden have a checking account to handle when they have never done it before? Teach your child to balance their check book!

3. Basic Housekeeping – Whether your kid is going to have a dorm or an apartment in college, basic housekeeping skills are a MUST! Do you realize the number of people who get married and don’t have a clue how to do the basics?

• Cooking – Come up with some simple dishes and teach your child to cook them! This not only prepares them for later, but it saves money in the long run! It also helps them avoid the freshman 15!

• Laundry – Teach your kids the basics of laundry: reading labels, folding clothes, running the washer, etc.
• Clutter Control – Kids (no matter the age… 2-200) need to learn the basics of clutter control! Put it away when you are finished with it! Everything should have a specific home!

These are all very basic skills, but they are not always taught! Get your kids off on the right track NOW instead of trying to cram it in after Senior Year! Teach them when they are young! Remember, practice makes perfect. I don’t know about you, but I would rather my son practice now with his 2 dollars a week allowance than later with a couple thousand dollar credit card limit!
For more homeschooling and organizational ideas as well as great product reviews and giveaways, please be sure to visit my blog: 3 Boys & a Dog!
~Kelli

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What would you do if you went online and ventured over to TechCrunch and saw a story about Design Your Dorm? Well if you don’t know, then maybe you should click here and go to TechCrunch and see for yourself.

We know that the reason TechCrunch has featured us is because they have been hearing about us from many of their readers. So to all of you who wrote to TechCrunch about us, we appreciate it.

However, we were also featured on another enormous tech blog. It is actually one of Japan’s largest tech blogs, we just wish we could figure out what they were saying about us.

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Figuring it out
First off you need to figure out why you are joining a fraternity. This helps because it gives you an idea of what kind of fraternity you want to join. Some fraternities may put a greater emphasis on social life while others may put a greater emphasis on GPA, although most have a balance between the two. There are also fraternities that oriented towards certain religions or ethnicities. So think long and hard and try to figure out exactly what you are looking to get out of fraternity life.

Ask around
Now that you know what kind of fraternity you want to join, you should get opinions from people you meet about which fraternities may suit you best. Beware of people that slander certain fraternities, as they may either be incredibly uninformed or a member of a rival fraternity. Do not make your decisions based entirely off of what you hear about a fraternity, but do take what you’ve heard into consideration.

Rush
During rush go to all the houses that you would consider joining, and then go to a few that you don’t think you’d join (because you might end up changing your mind). Make sure that you meet as many of the brothers in the house, these people want to meet you and you want to meet them (after all, they are your potential future brothers). Also make sure that you ask questions: ask about membership dues, ask how long the chapter has been around, ask about alumni relationships, etc… These factors should come into play into your decision.

Making your decision
At this point you should have all of the pieces of the puzzle, but its time to put them together. Questions to ask yourself: Where did you feel most comfortable? Where do you feel you could see yourself being life long friends with the brothers of the house? Which house do you feel would best meet the needs of your college experience? Most importantly, you need to understand that nobody can make the decision for you. Ultimately it comes down to you and where you think you’ll be happiest.

So…. Good Luck!

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Say hi

It sounds simple, and it is. Introduce yourself to: people during the first week of classes, people in your hall, people in the cafeteria. It might seem weird at first, but you have to realize that everybody else there is just as lost as you are and they want to meet people as well. Give it a try.

Study groups

Joining study groups has two advantages. First of all you get to meet people, and second of all you can knock out some much needed studying at the same time. If you are adventurous and would like to set yourself up as a leader then you can always start your own study group.

Fraternity/Sorority

Look at the dates for Fraternity/Sorority rush. Even if you don’t think you’re interested in joining the Greek system you still might want to rush. This way you can see for yourself if it is something that might be fore you.

Student Groups

If you join a student group that interests you then you will obviously find people with similar interests. Some Student Groups host social outings and events. You can also start your own group.

Intramural Sports

Aside from being immensely fun, intramural sports teams allow you to meet tons of people. Most schools also have a lot of unconventional sports for intramurals, so if you are feeling adventurous you can always play innertube water-polo or broomball.

Leave your door open

Simple, easy, and very effective. Leave your door open and during the first week you will notice that a lot of people pass by, and some will stick their head in your room and say hello. This is a really good way to get to know the people who live in your hall.

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Here is the text from the Seventeen Magazine article:

Planning for college can be tough, especially when it comes to buying gear for your dorm room. But the new Web site DesignYourDorm.com can help! The site, which was created by two recent college grads, allows you to see an online version of your college’s dorm room. Various features let you virtually drag furniute (desks, chairs, beds) and electronics (iPod speakers, alarm clocks, lamps, etc.) to figure out the best and most effective use of your space. You’ll save tons of frustration (and energy!) on move-in day, when everyone else is rearranging their rooms for hours.

DesignYourDorm.com also lets you collaborate with your future roomie (or roomies). By arranging things ahead of time, you can split up who’s buying what. One of you can be in charge of buying the fridge, while the other takes care of the microwave. You can even buy some of those items right on DesignYourDorm.com – including funky blankets, comfy chairs, bookcases, even shower shoes – and it can all be shipped directly to your school!

17 Tip: Keep your door propped open during move-in week. It’s super-welcoming, and people will be much more likely to stop by and introduce themselves!

See the article directly at Seventeen

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1. Take out the trash
   Pizza boxes, water bottles, crumpled papers, get rid of them. Trash smells people don’t want to hang out in a room that smells. Gather it all up and take it out to the dumpster.
2. Wipe Down
   Go over all of your dusty surfaces with a wet paper towel. Also make sure you wipe up spills and crumbs. There’s no need to hit the surfaces that people won’t see, but it is a plus.
3. Make the bed
   A well made bed can always make your room look clean. Smooth out the wrinkles and tuck the sheets in. Also make sure they are clean, students in the dorms don’t change their sheets as much.
4. Put your laundry away
   It’s very easy to let your laundry pile up on your couch, bed or floor. Get a large laundry basket to help avoid this. Throw all your clothes in the basket and you can pack it down if you have to. The more often that you do laundry, the less this will be a problem.
5. The Floor
6. Buy or borrow a vacuum and clean up the dirt and crumbs. There’s nothing worse than walking around your room barefoot and getting dirt stuck to the bottom of your feet. It’s also a good idea to get rid of the all of the sticky spots.
7. Now that your room is clean, invite your friends over and enjoy!

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1. Mini Fridge
   Quite possibly the most essential item you can have. Eating and drinking things that are warm is not always desirable. A mini fridge will also pay for itself with the money you save from not having to eat out or order in as often, since you can store food. Opting for one that has an attached freezer is a plus, a frozen meal can be a life saver when they are serving something in the dining hall that you are not a fan of.
2. Microwave
   Microwaves are another essential, and they go quite well with a mini fridge. Obviously they are necessary for heating up frozen meals, but they also come in handy when you want to heat up water for instant coffee or tea for those late study nights.
3. Water Filter
   It can’t be stressed enough how important it is to have a water filter. Too many people living in the dorms don’t drink nearly enough water, which contributes to them getting sick and being tired often. Those that do drink enough water end up spending tons of money on bottled water and they also end up with half empty water bottles scattered throughout their room (or at least I did).
4. Shower Sandals
   This is purely a sanitary issue. If you are using communal showers then shower sandals are a must. You have no idea what kind of fungi grow on the floor of those showers, and depending on what school you are going to, they might only clean them once or twice a week. Do yourself a favor and pick up a pair of completely plastic or rubber flip-flops, you won’t regret it.
5. Toaster Oven (if they are allowed)
   Now if your residence hall allows you to have a toaster oven, then it is highly recommended that you get one. Microwaves are great on their own, but some things are better toasted. Bagels, toast, and English muffins are more obvious, but you can get more inventive by heating sandwiches and leftover pizza. This is a good way to help prevent from getting sick of the dining hall food.
6. Electric Fan
   Most dorms don’t have air conditioning, and even if they do it almost never works very well. A simple electric fan can solve this problem. It will also help circulate bad smells out of your room, just in case you don’t take your trash out as often as you should.
7. Computer Lock
   A simple computer lock that can be attached to your desk and then to your laptop should do fine. Computers are a very common theft among college campuses and it can’t hurt to protect yourself from theft.
8. Noise Canceling Headphones
   These are more optional, but they are still strongly recommended. When you are studying for that big exam and your hall mates are having a huge Mario-kart tournament, you will be glad that you brought these. They were a complete life saver to me.

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1. Socialize
   Socializing around your dorm is a great idea. You don’t want to be known as that guy or girl who always stays in their room and never talks to anybody. Some of the people you meet will be your friends throughout college and then some.
2. Accept your roommate
   You might not be best friends with your roommate, but try to at least be cordial. You are stuck with him or her for a year, so you might as well make the best of it.
3. Get off campus
   Go out and get off campus from time to time. The weekends are a great time for doing this. Make sure to have a good time while staying safe.
4. Get a part-time job
   It might be a good idea to get a part-time job. Even if your parents supply you with enough money it could be nice to have some savings on the side, or perhaps to pay for things that your parents won’t pay for.
5. Separate
   Sometimes it’s a good idea to get away from the people in your residence hall. Go out and meet new people and do new things. But don’t completely forget about your hall-mates, you still have to come home to them every night.
6. Be safe
   If you plan on going out on the weekends to do some drinking and partying, know your limits. Make sure you have a friend with you if you are going out, especially if you’re a girl.
7. Go to class
   It is very easy to get into the habit of skipping class often. Try to avoid this. It might seem easy to get away with, but at the end of the semester you will regret it when your GPA begins to suffer.
8. Keep in touch
   Don’t forget about your high school friends. These are the people that you will go home to over breaks, and many of them are life long friends. Also make sure to keep in touch with your parents, you don’t need to talk to them everyday but they will appreciate it if you speak with them once a week.