Tips to add to your residence-hall toolbox

Published: September 29, 2023

Author: Minh Do

@Current and future students, you are tagged to this post!!

A fridge filled with food, a comfy bedroom with your choice of decorations, no time restrictions, etc. Everything stays the way you want it, and you can alter things according to your own preferences. It must be a huge transition from your house to a residence hall with a totally new routine you have to get used to. No worries! Below are all the tips and tricks from current Greenville University students sharing different aspects of living in a mutual space.

Room set up and decorations

• Style the wall your way, but please don’t damage it (you’ll pay for it later)
• Buy lots of command hooks
• For maximum space, I highly advise lofting the beds and/or having the beds on the highest rung of the first set of bed beams. You can fit your dresser under the beds this way and potentially still have some space for storage. If you have an overhead cabinet space, storing your totes and boxes up there is great.
• Add rugs/choice of lights/wall decor to make it more “homey”
• A dehumidifier and blackout curtains are highly suggested

Laundry and bathroom

• Laundry pods save you time
• Keep things clean, and everyone will be happy
• Get up early and set the timer to do your laundry
• Don’t take other people’s laundry
• Don’t leave food in sinks/garbage or in showers
• It’s definitely handy to have a shower caddy that hangs off the shower curtain rod. It’s very convenient, easily accessible, and keeps all your stuff in one place so you don’t forget it afterward.

Cooking

• You can cook anything with a mug and a microwave!
• Remember to open the window to let the smoke out or else you are going to trigger a fire alarm
• Clean up after yourself
• If you are on an upper division meal plan, eat breakfast at the dining commons, lunch at The Union, and cook dinner. The breakfast bar is good at the DC because you make it yourself. The Student Union has good midday foods, and making different dinners is awesome
• Clean dishes immediately after using them. Buy your own pots and pans
• You can twist the water fountain nozzles around to fill your water bottle. It is way better than using a sink

It’s worth having a nice space, even when it’s temporary! You may only stay in that room and that residence hall for one or two semesters, but having a place that feels like home will make a huge difference for your busy college life.

Please share this blog with anyone you think might also benefit!