The harsh reality
This is the reality of what most dorm rooms look like after the first day. Although much time is spent planning what to buy and envisioning how great the room will look, the reality is, most dorm rooms only look good on the day that everything is installed. Knowing these 7 tips for decorating your son’s dorm room will help alleviate the stress of the unknown!
How is it really time for decorating your son’s dorm room?
At some point during the summer before your son’s leaves for college, it happens. Reality hits you in the face, and you realize it is time for decorating your son’s dorm room. The task is to make a 10 x 14-foot shoebox of a room into a comfortable space for him to live in for the next nine months, while not making it over-the-top. And there won’t be just one person living in the shoebox, but two 18-19-year-old boys.
Then, you realize you have to plan and purchase the items. I never saw the shell of the room prior to moving in although I did have the measurements. Also, I lived in its sister dorm 30 years ago, so I remembered what my room looked like and figured it couldn’t be too different.
It is odd, however, purchasing items for a room, sight unseen. You can see exactly what I purchased for my son’s dorm room in an article called 43 Essential Dorm Room Ideas for Guys
Once reality sets in, planning and buying items for your son’s dorm room can be a stress-free, fun experience. Think of it this way: at least it’s not for a girl’s dorm room; now, that, would be stressful! But, knowing these 7 tips for decorating your son’s dorm room will help make it fun!
1. He does not care at all about what you purchase for him.
Let that sink in. It is true. My son saw all of his items the day we moved in. Throughout the summer when we received a delivery, I tried to show him what I bought from Amazon or Walmart. Mumble mumble, “I will look later,” is all that I ever got out of him. This should take a layer of stress away from all of this because he truly won’t care what you buy, as long as you don’t go too over-the-top.
2. You will only see the dorm room the day you move him in.
This one surprised me. I had visions of my sitting in the room throughout the year catching up on the latest events of his life. Well, not really. But, I certainly thought I would see his room at least a few more times.
3. The refrigerator will become unusable within the first couple of months.
Do not spend lots of money on a nice refrigerator. Try to picture your son actually removing items from the fridge upon expiration. Ok, now picture what reality tells you. Word was that by the second month, the fridge was unusable, and by the second semester, they threw it in a dumpster. I didn’t ask for the details for what caused this.
Thank goodness his roommate already had a refrigerator and brought it, so I didn’t have to purchase it.
4. Rely on advice from friends whose sons are similar to your son.
Some boys are more high maintenance than others; some are neater than others. Although I sought advice from several moms, I quickly recognized that for us, minimal would be best. If your son likes a bunch of stuff, then these tips might not be for you.
5. Don’t be too matchy or cutesy when decorating your son’s dorm room.
I was mortified when I saw some of the rooms. Boys do not want over-the-top rooms! Keep it simple. Don’t embarrass the poor kid by having everything too perfect. Besides, when you drive away, he will probably chuck a few of the items to prevent embarrassment. Don’t waste money or harm your relationship with him by trying to turn him into a girl!
6. If there are any programs available for your son to get an early move-in date, do it.
This would include Jump Start, which is a two-week summer school class, or any type of leadership workshop that the University offers. (Double check on the Jump Start people being able to move in early. Last year, I remember his guy friends could move in early, but I recently talked to a girl mom who didn’t think the girls could.)
We didn’t take advantage of any of this and moved in with the masses.
Even though they stagger the move-in days for students, the parking is bad, and they have the very front and back of the dorm blocked off to vehicles. We had to unload from a parking garage a fourth a mile away uphill from the dorm…in the August heat because the parking lot at the dorm was full. You can read about how much money that parking garage ended up costing me (him) that year in the article about the 7 hidden money traps–part 1.
7. Make a list of the essentials that must come home upon move-out and tape it in a drawer in the room.
We did not do this, and I regret it. By the end of the year, they are “over it”. The sacrifice of being in the “cool dorm” instead of the newer dorms with their own bathrooms admittedly wasn’t worth it by the end of the year. The last thing they want to do is bring all of their stuff up and down the stairs back home since the elevators will be broken the day of move out. Also, they won’t remember who bought what.
This will also prevent being fined for leaving items in the room. My son left the mirror on the back of the door and a bulletin board on the wall because he thought they came with the room. He forgot to check out with the RA, so he was fined for that plus the items he left in there. Aggravate!
In conclusion, have fun decorating your son’s dorm room.
With these 7 tips in mind, remember that you only have one time to do this for this particular son, so make the planning and purchasing for your son’s dorm room a fun experience! Enjoy every minute that you are in the room pulling all of your hard work together because as I said earlier, this may be the only time you see his room all year. Click here for a list of what I purchased.
How was your dorm decorating experience or what questions do you have about decorating his dorm?
Read Laurie’s story of how her recent life experiences led to the birth of this site, White Cotton. Feel free to send her a message.
