College Living Ready: Your Ultimate Guide to a Stylish, Organized Dorm Life

College move-in day is arguably the most exciting—and stressful—time for many students. It's their first time living alone, which means they are free to make new memories, friends, and inevitable laundry mistakes. Keeping a good school/life balance and learning independence can be a lot to juggle, which is why we're here to make college dorm shopping and organizing easier for you.

When it comes to making and maintaining a comfortable dorm, we have you covered. Read on to make your dorm room feel like you, find the best places to shop for college move-in day, and get great organizing advice for college living and beyond.

We're Sharing the Ultimate Checklist to Shop for College Move-In Day

College move-in day can be almost as stressful as it is exciting. It doesn’t matter if it’s your first or your fourth—there are many things to consider and many ways to make your new temporary living place feel like home.

While some must-haves are obvious, like bedding and laundry essentials, there are others that might not have crossed your mind to bring along, though are hugely helpful in staying organized and on your game this coming year. 

In an effort to help keep everything in one, handy place, we’ve assembled the ultimate checklist of move-in essentials you’ll need this school year. Plus, we even talked with a few pro organizers to find out their top tips and suggestions on things to bring to your new abode. 

5 Tips for Decorating a Dorm Room, According to Bobby Berk

Starting college is a huge undertaking for young adults; many are living on their own for the first time and creating a space they love from scratch. It's a time of self-exploration and figuring out how to best express their personalities in their decor. And who better to help get them started than "Queer Eye"'s interior designer, Bobby Berk?

Lucky for us, Berk has partnered up with Command™ Brand—best known for their non-damaging Command Strips—as their first-ever Director of Dorm Design. To help inspire dorm dwellers to decorate their own spaces, we got his best tips for dorm room decorating.

20 Dorm Room Decorating Ideas to Personalize Your Space

Add some personality and whimsy into your new home away from home: your dorm room. Getting creative with wall decor, bedding, and organization approaches will ensure that your space feels like a reflection of your style and needs.

Read on for 20 stylish dorm room decorating ideas that'll make it easy to personalize your space, even when you're working with a blank canvas.

8 Tips to Make Your Dorm Room Functional and Relaxing

Dorm rooms have several big responsibilities. They're meant to be your own personal hub for studying, working, relaxing, and socializing, but in a place often limited by square footage and decorating rules, it can be difficult to combine all of these aspects into one tiny room and keep it functional.

It might feel frustrating walking into one of these empty cement boxes, but think of them as blank canvasses ready to be morphed and melded. With a few inspirational images and handy tips, it can be just as personalized as your room back home (or at least close to it). These tips will transform stuffy dorms into sanctuaries conducive to late-night study sessions and cozy enough for getting a good night's sleep.

How to Decorate Your Dorm So It Doesn't Feel Like a Dorm

Dorm living can be notoriously sterile. While dorm rooms are meant to be a neutral space for students to decorate on their own, it can feel impossible to add warmth to cinderblock walls and shiny grey tiles.

Whether you’re a brand-new freshman or a seasoned senior, living on campus doesn’t have to be beige. We turned to a few experts to ask for their insights on how to make a dorm feel chic and functional rather than drab and dated.

Though Bed Bath & Beyond Is Gone, We Found 7 Other Stores Great for Dorm Shopping

So long, Bed Bath & Beyond—we miss you already. The mainstay retailer was an obvious stop when stocking up on dorm room essentials, like bedding, towels, and a bathroom caddy that you aren’t embarrassed to carry down the hallway. With all Bed Bath & Beyond stores now closed, you’ll have to take your long list of "must buy" items and shop for college move-in day elsewhere. 

Not to fret. There are plenty of retailers—some quirky, some classic, all quality—that stock everything you need to design a dorm room. We may not be able to help you study for that exam, but we can get you started on styling the coolest dorm room in your entire residence hall. Read on for seven great places to shop for college move-in must-haves.

25 Dorm Room Organization Ideas That'll Elevate Your Space

Dorm rooms are truly multi-tasking spaces: they're made for sleeping, studying, eating, and hanging out with friends. But what they aren't known for is being spacious or particularly orderly.

These dorm room storage ideas will help you think of creative ways to make the most of the space you do have. Whether it's under the bed or behind the door, vertical storage, or organized drawers, there are actually a surprising amount of ways to organize a dorm so you can fit clothes, books, cleaning supplies, and all other college living essentials.

Pick Up These 13 Dorm Room Organizers to Keep Dorms from Looking Cluttered

Among the many things that college students juggle—class schedules, campus maps, meal plans, social lives—a dorm room full of belongings shouldn't be an added stress. If you're wondering how to pack, store, and organize your life for dorm living, rest assured that there are lots of great options and inspiration readily available.

There are some tried and true categories that we've researched and rounded up the best dorm room organizers to help you create the dorm room of your dreams.

4 Easy Under-Bed Storage Ideas for College Dorm Rooms

When moving into a college dorm, you might find that your room is small and there isn't a lot of space to put things. Even if you have left a lot of your things at your parents' house, as the semester moves on and the seasons change, you'll inevitably accumulate more clothing, decor, and the odd book or two. The trick is to find places around your room to store your stuff. And under the bed is the perfect spot.

Before you begin, make sure you take measurements of the space to ensure you have the right dimensions. That way, you will know how high storage units can be and how many containers will fit within the space.