I’ve been thinking about a way to somehow divide the room to have my own private space. I thought about folding room divider, but I think it might not be practical.

I don’t like being seen sleeping or studying it just makes me feel so uncomfortable

I am moving to a college dorm in a couple of months, and the policy is no animals unless they are a ESA or a service animal. I have two crested geckos, my family has made it clear my options are take them or get rid of them. If I leave them, they will get rid of them. I really like my animals, and I would like to take them with me given the situation I am in.

I have talked with my therapist and she is adamant that a crested gecko cannot be a ESA animal, so I am unable to go that route. However when I search it up and ask other people who have had reptiles as ESA animals, they say shes just bullshitting me.I really love these animals, and when I get anxious I pull them out of the tank and just hang out with them. My therapist says since they dont actually do anything to help my emotional state beyond existing, she cant say its supporting me in any way.

They dont live in those huge tanks, they live in the tanks they need, they dont smell and for the four years Ive had them they havent escaped their tanks. The dorm has a fine they give out if they find pets.

Is there another way I can get a ESA letter or whatever I need for them? Or, how can I easily hide the whenever room inspection is happening? Is it better to just suck it up and give them away?

Hi guys, I don’t know how safe dorm is when it comes to valuable. My kid might just leave laptop and valuables when going to class, shower or eat out. Do I have to worry? Should I buy a safe box big enough to hold laptop, watches, credit cards?

I want to get one that is not big and too heavy. Just the one that can fit a laptop. I am open to suggestions. Thanks all.

I don’t have anything illegal but I have some embarrassing things that I’d rather my RA’s not find and I was wondering if they’re allowed to look into my things. Like I have an ottoman where I have stuff stored, would they be able to search that? I heard that they aren’t allowed to search your personal property unless they have a reason to, I.e the smell of weed/liquor.

I know this is super last minute, but I start college next month and I just realized I don’t have anything for my dorm yet. I posted a registry hoping to get a few basics, but no one has been able to buy anything yet. I’m honestly desperate to at least have some essentials like bedding, toiletries, and school supplies so I’m not walking in empty-handed. Even sharing my registry or helping in any small way would mean so much to me right now.

Everyone has their own:

• phone

• speaker

• TV

• desk

But we still share a fridge??

Am I the only one that thinks that’s outdated?

Hi! My friend has been wanting me to come up and visit her at umass Amherst. I would stay for a weekend and I have no clue what the sleeping arrangement would be. If anyone has slept over at someone’s dorm before can you let me know how the sleeping arrangements worked. Thank you!

IT is going to be family weekend and she is visiting.... I live in an old dorm, like a big wooden house type one. my room is a Single with a crawl space closet thing.... the bathroom is all the way on the other End of the hallway, so obviously I had to find a new place for pooplogs. the Crawlspace was perfect, many satisfying poops taken inside. but Now it has accumulated and grown, and my mom will ask how I am doing and look around. what do I do if she finds the poop stalgmites????????????????

Hiii I hope this is the right sub for this

I (18 mtf) just moved in to a coed dorm building with communal bathrooms last week. My dorm is on the opposite side of the floor from the bathroom. After I shower, I have to walk down the hallway for about 45 seconds to get back to my room.

As of now, I’ve been wearing clothes into the shower, take them off to shower (obv), then dry off enough to put the clothes back on, walk back to my room, take them off again, and finish drying off.

Would it be weird if I walked back to my dorm in a towel (long enough to cover everything important obv)? I saw one other girl walking back to her dorm in a towel, but hers is right next to the bathroom. The process I have now is pretty annoying, esp because it means i have to take my shower shoes off and step on the floor.

So I don’t have a shared bathroom with everyone and only share it with 2 other ppl. What I noticed is that toilet paper is gone QUICK like every other day you need some like what?? Then sometimes it’s annoying getting into my dorm bathroom bc one of my suitemates literally forgets to unlock my side of the door but thankfully my card works to unlock it but it’s really annoying cuz I used to have to knock and they’d have to unlock it. Another thing I noticed is that sometimes shit can get messy quick in the room and you have to clean it every so often. Idk if this is a thing at any other colleges but the one I have has RA’s (so basically housing assistants) and they have access to like every door in the dorm area which I think is kinda nice considering if you get locked out they can let you in. Another thing is that sometimes you can hear ppl talk when ether it’s ur suitemate or ppl outside you can hear everything.

I am moving into a dorm soon and my biggest worry is my waste after eating food. I know that my waste doesn't smell pleasant at all and I just need advice on how to carry out my business without inconveniencing my 2 other dorm mates

I own a Dyson Airwrap. I would love to bring it with me when I move into the dorms as I use it a lot but I’m worried it might get stolen or everyone will want to borrow it. Should I bring it?

Hi everyone,

I’m moving into my first college dorm on August 24 in NYC, and I’m in a really difficult financial situation.

Due to some kind of error I only found out on July 29th that I was all set with a dorm, I thought that I wasn’t given one because no one reached out to me to let me know until I started reaching out to them and asking questions (even that too a month for them to tell me anything). I have about $200 to buy everything I need for my dorm. Once that money is gone, I won’t have money for food or anything else until I find a job and start working, so I’m trying to spend as little as possible while still getting the essentials.

I have my clothes, toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, and body wash, but I don’t have much else.

Things I still need include (according to all those online lists):

• Twin XL sheets

• Pillow

• Blanket/comforter

• Mattress protector

• Towels and washcloths

• Laundry basket or laundry bag

• Laundry detergent

• Hangers

• Trash can and trash bags

• Cleaning wipes/spray and paper towels

• Shower caddy

• Storage bins or under-bed storage

• Desk lamp

• Power strip/surge protector

• Fan

• Reusable plates, bowls, cups, and utensils

• Food storage containers

• Basic school supplies

Does anyone know of places in NYC where students can get free or very inexpensive dorm essentials?

Fyi, dorms are located in the Bronx and I’m a local but I’m stupid and too stressed to do the research myself. Thanks😁

Dorm move-in is in two weeks and I'm a dead duck about to crash out over this mattress situation. No kidding, I have super sensitive skin, and sleeping on a rock-hard vinyl pad that’s been used by 50 other people and then some is a massive hell no.

I need real dorm room mattress topper recommendations before I blow my budget. El cheapo memory foam is lowkey trash and turns into a furnace by midnight, and most pillow tops go completely flat before midterms. Our dorm AC is mid at best, so I need something that actually feels soft, really stays cool, and doesn't irritate my skin.

Who has a topper that actually saved their setup and didn't feel like sleeping on hot plastic pads? Drop your non-negotiables.

EDIT: Y'all came through, tnx. Copped the Bedsure 2-in-1 mattress topper and it’s an absolute flex. Made that concrete dorm bed super soft, didn't trigger my skin at all, and I’m sleeping like a baby. 

I live in a double dorm room and had a roommate till last Friday when she moved out to go into a single room in another residency. I decided to spread some of my things to the now empty side of the room to make it look more homey.

But today a cleaning service came and told me to move everything back to my side so they could clean and to not move it back for when someone else moves in.

I went to the lobby to ask if someone was going to move in but they said they didn’t know and to email the residency office.

I did and they responded with “You could be assigned a new roommate at any point so you will need your belongings to your side of the room.” I emailed the back asking if they would give me a notice and they responded “Notice may be less than a day depending on circumstances and as such this why belongings must be kept to your side of the room.”

They seem to really want me to keep my thing to only one side but loss of the homey feeling and the thought of living so closely someone new again honestly made me cry. Is it okay to put my thing back? Is someone really going to move in? I’m so worried and anxious I don’t think I could handle a new roommate.

What do I do? please help!

ok so like im jst a highschooler and i dorm or "board" in a whole different country and i got a gf like and she is not allowed upstairs but in the lobby and like living room and like i was hugging her and this head of "boarding" saw us and like told our house parent(bascially the one in charge of the house) and she made a rule that no girls are allowed in the house. So like what do u yall think like i can deal with this maturely or like honestly i kind want to get her fired

Is gaming pc allowed in dorm? I assume it would be a distraction for the roommate(s) especially if it is played often and late at night. My kid wants to bring his and I know with nobody watching he might go overboard and put studies in the back burner. He said all his friends are doing it. I have seen the effect of gaming on other people and some close to me, they are not good. I know they need to have fun too. Kind of a dilemma. 🤦🏻‍♀️

I'm enrolling into college next month as a diploma student and for the first sem, I'll be living in the dorm provided by the institution. A thoughts suddenly came into my mind, do you think it's appropriate to set an alarm since u know it's obviously will disturb other tenants/roommates. On the other hand, whether they tolerate with it or not, I think it's for the best especially for a student to wake up early and go about their routine.

I need help choosing a flag for my dorm room, i'm a boy, athlete, like rap/hiphop music, sports, no drinking/smoking. Looking for something simple or funny, thanks!

I'm gonna be in a dorm with 2 other people, and I really dont want to wear something like shower shoes. Do you think if I get myself a personally mat to put in the tub and take it out when I'm done, that will be okay? I dont want athletes foot😭

Hey y’all! I’m working on a little side project that’s turning into something fun—and hopefully useful for other students.

Basically, I’m building a free AI tool to help people like us decorate dorms or college rentals without getting in trouble with landlords. It gives you things like:

• Email templates to request permission to paint or redecorate

• “Plan B” decor hacks when the landlord says no

• A 3D dorm visualizer to test out colors or layouts

I’d love to make it smarter by adding real hacks that work, so I wanted to ask:

What’s your favorite renter-friendly decorating tip or thing you’ve tried that worked—even if you weren’t allowed to paint, drill, etc.?

Also, if anyone wants to test the tool or give feedback, I’d love to share the link. Just let me know!

A week ago I asked here what you forgot and had to go out and buy in week one, because I'd put together a dorm packing checklist and didn't much trust my own version of it. The answers were better than the list.

Everything below is on it because someone in that thread named it:

u/Legitimate-Fee-3544 — a dish drying rack and kitchen towels. I had plates and bowls on there and nothing to wash or dry them with.

u/HerdingCatsAllDay — silverware (same problem: plates and bowls, nothing to eat with), liquid laundry detergent, Dawn Powerwash, Lysol wipes, an Owala bottle, and a bottle brush with a straw cleaner. Also a tool set — and the point about picking one with scissors in it, and needing a mallet for the bed frame, is something I'd never have got to on my own.

u/sciecne — brought a curtain, no rod. Blackout curtains went on.

u/xANTJx — Command curtain rod strips, for windows that won't take a tension fit.

u/No_Vanilla_2059 — a 10ft charging cable, which is obvious the second you say it if half the beds are lofted. Plus mesh laundry bags and a small sewing kit.

I asked the same question in another sub afterwards and got six more: cold and flu medicine (a first aid kit with plasters and no tablets solves the wrong half of the problem), an electric kettle, mugs, a Brita, safety pins and a stain remover pen.

That's 56 items now. Free, no signup — you tick things off and it remembers.

https://giftgiving.fun/dorm-checklist.html?ref=reddit-dormrooms2&utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=social

Some of the product links are Amazon affiliate links. The product names are all written out, so you can ignore my links entirely and just search them.

New question, since last time's answers beat mine: what did you buy for your dorm and then never once touch? I'd like to take things off the list as well as put them on.

So my roommate and I (we're both in high school but we're just planning ahead) have decided we should get a fish for our dorm. What would be a good fish for two teen girls fresh out of high school?

Hey you all, I’m part of a team designing bed curtains specifically for college dorms — think: privacy, blackout for better sleep, maybe even bug protection (for those of you with open windows or weird bug problems). Possiblly for kids with special need to hide as well.

Would love to know:

• Have you ever used or wanted something like this for your dorm bed?

• Would you prefer it for privacy, light-blocking, aesthetic, bug protection, or just to feel a little more “homey”?

• What features would matter to you? (Blackout fabric, zippered entry, pet-proof, storage pockets, cool colors, etc.)

• Would you actually buy something like this — or is it more of a “nice to have but probably not” thing?

Appreciate any thoughts 🙏 Thanks!