Nothing but the essentials; Items to improve dorm living
Dorm rooms are small in the first place and they feel even smaller and crowded once you and your roommate unpack all of your stuff. Here are a few tricks and suggestions to turn your room into a haven of peace and fun.
I was lucky enough to have DVR for one semester and it was pretty magical. There really isn’t a greater college invention. It’s prime time TV at your disposal. No break between classes could be better than taking an hour to catch up on the new Modern Family. For me it also made Thirsty Thursdays that much easier to enjoy. I was able to go out, have a few drinks, and return to new episodes of my shows waiting for me. Of course this is a real luxury item, so if you can’t afford Tivo, don’t you fret there’s an easy solution.
Netflix / Hulu / or both. *must have
This is the one true necessity you need to have on this list, and in your dorm. College (especially freshman year) awards you plenty of two things, free time, and recovery time. What could be better than unlimited movies? Netflix will quickly become an essential distraction from your hangover, the push you need to skip physics, or your go to excuse in order to bring back some lucky lady or gent.
Netflix is great, but movies won’t settle any debates. Enter Game-fly. This is the perfect tool to settle your daily debates with your roommate as to who’s superior. Sign up through Studentrate and you’ll receive $15 cash back on a service that only costs $8 per month. That means you’re first two months are free.
From first-hand experience I recommend arranging an agreement with your roommate. One of you should get Netflix, the other should get Gamefly. This way you will always have a back-up for when there’s nothing to do.
Cards Against Humanity * must have
In a world that has gone so PC, Cards Against Humanity breaks all the rules. It’s literally the X-rated version of Apples to Apples. It’s a magical game really that allows you to make sentence such as
It’s the perfect game to pregame with as it’s a great way to be introduced to new people. Cards Against will quickly disarm any new friends out of their false modesty. You might even pee your pants as you find out how dirty, racists, and even appalling they can be. Simply put, you cannot go wrong with this game.
Best college party video game of all time, as well as being the best game you probably never heard of. This is the one game that makes the Wii worth having. It’s an incredibly simple game that makes you grab, pull, and throw objects. I bet that actually sounds dumb, but I’m telling you to give this game a chance. We owned every major system (PS3, 360, original xbox, Wii) and this was the capstone game we had in our arsenal. Anyone can just pick up and pay, and it makes a great drinking game.
If you have Game-fly than there’s absolutely no risk involved.
Who doesn’t like Trivia? Buzz comes with 4 buzzers and allows you and three buddies to take part in an interactive game show. It’s a perfect pre-game or party game. It’s also your chance to see which of your buddies is actually the smartest. Only problem is this may be tough to find. If you’re interested in finding the best trivia game out then you’re going to have to search Amazon or Ebay.
Centerfold table
I’m talking about a plastic fold up table that you can find at Wal-mart. Freshman, you’re going to get into your dorm and think you’re funny and cool, because of the crazy idea’s you’ll come up with to make a pong table. Let me spoil your fun. Nothing you come up with is original, and nothing will work as simple as this. Take the closet door off the hinges and it will get damaged. Use separate small desk for island pong, and it’s just not the same. Split a portable table with your roommate. It’s easy to store, easy to clean, and can be hidden on the fly.
A second mini fridge
Freshman I learned this the hard way. Twice my freshman year I was busted for drinking in the dorm. The first time I was having a rather loud pong tournament on a Wednesday night. I deserved that. However, my second write-up came when my RA (aka Wonder Woman) heard a beer can open through the door. To this day I wonder how she was able to distinguish beer from Pepsi, or why if my room was being that quite did she feel the need to key in and write us up.
The point is you need to be careful. A second mini fridge is last on my list of things I would recommend, but if you have one to use, use it. I’d hide it in the closet, under the bed, or somewhere just completely out of sight. This way should your RA key into your room you’ll have absolutely no worry when you open your fridge door.
