It’s finally here. After all those tantrums and constantly telling your ‘rents that you can’t wait to move out: you have actually moved out. Now, of course, you’re faced with the daunting task of living on your own and taking care of yourself. But learning how to cook or do the washing isn’t at the top of everyone’s list. It normally starts with the hardest question of all: how will I do my room up?
The rooms on campus are practically all the same: you’ve got a bed, a wardrobe and lots of shelves. Shelves are your friend. After living in town in my second year with all of my files finding a permanent home on the floor, I’ve learnt to cherish my shelf space. Leave at least one section free as you might not think you have stacks of books right now but they will most certainly pile up!
After making an academic space in your room there’s so much more to do. Photos are a constant thing at university and suddenly there will be more photos of you just from Fresher’s Week than there have been the whole time you’ve had Facebook (and that’s including prom.) As you join more societies and have more nights out the photos will pile up and there’s nothing more comforting than having them all up on your walls. The beauty of campus rooms is that there are cork boards covering the walls so all you need are some drawing pins (you know the type – where you only needed a few and now you have a thousand everywhere) so you can pin up all of your beautiful photos. Maybe even a timetable to show your parents when they visit that you do have lectures to go to!
One thing to make sure of is that you have to make the space your own. You are going to live there for the next twelve months so it would be best if you liked it.
I realised that I needed a comfortable place to sit and watch Made in Chelsea over and over again on my laptop, so I turned my bed into a makeshift sofa by using what looks like a mountain of pillows. Now I have a supported back whilst I watch my laptop and a very cosy looking bed to dive into after a stressful seminar.
Ultimately, make the space anything you want as long as you do something with it. There’s something slightly odd about a bare room. Decorate when you first move in otherwise you’ll never do it and make it a room that people want to come into and that won’t startle people by the lack of anything in it!
