Life in the Dorm

Yesterday was the day!  We moved our son into the dorm.  I don't mind to say it was a bittersweet day but, that's a story I'll save for another day.  Today, I'd like to share his dorm room with you.
I've already shared that he is a freshman at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Al. He is majoring in chemistry and is one of Huntingdon's merit scholars.  He will be marching in their band this fall and play bassoon in their concert bands in the spring.
The incoming freshman are divided into a male and female dorm that are across campus from one another.  John is in a shared dorm room as the majority of the students are there.  Since John is a band kid he was able to move in ahead of the roommate, other than his name we know absolutely nothing about him!  Here is what it looked like before we moved in his belongings.

As you can see the beds are lofted...think bunk bed basically.  More on my opinion of that in a bit.  Below the bed the freshman dorms have a desk top.  They have the option of putting the bed on the bottom and using the desk top as a storage area above.

The plastic drawers by Sterilite are a good options for dorm rooms, they are inexpensive, lightweight and offer adequate storage.  We opted for a small set along with a larger set and you see the really small set is on his desktop.  The larger sized set of drawers have various things like snacks, extra sheets and towels. Extra school supplies fill the small drawer set.  The set on the desk will hold various paperwork.

In the photo below you see a clip on lamp from WalMart along with a shelf.  Ya'll this shelf is the most ideal thing to have if you are in a bunk bed.  The shelf is from Bed Bath & Beyond and was only $24.99.  It easily attaches to the side rail of the bed.  Honey installed it and kept saying what a great idea!  A dorm room must for bunks!

The chest below comes with the room.  It has really good storage , so much that he didn't even fill it up with his clothes!  The hutch was a thrifting find for only $15.  He has paper plates, bowls, disposable cutlery, Keurig, a few photos and the all important fan!  Last night John text me to say he was hot and that he wished we had opted for a clip on fan.  I suggested he put something under the fan to elevate and he reported that it worked well.  I'll still look for a  clip on fan!

The storage space above the closet has lots of space.  You can see we do not have it full by any stretch.  Most kids put a television and gaming system in that space.  To max his space he has the hanging piece that holds his towels.  Now we live close enough that he can easily rotate his clothing.  You may have noticed that none of his long sleeves and long pants are there.  He did take his sport coat, ties and dress pants for fraternity rush that takes place soon!  At the bottom of his closet he has space for assorted beverages and other supplies.

Along about here is where I'll tell  you what I think about bunk beds.  I've never owned or slept in one.  Yesterday was my first experience as a 50+ year old woman that climbed on top of this set to hang these photos.  Now I know what you are thinking...gee Tamyra you didn't do a great job getting those pics all straight...NO I DIDN'T!  Ya'll after the major ordeal it took to get me up there and then to sit upright all the while of hanging these...I should have had John instagram live it!  You'd have been in stitches or scared for me...that I might end up with stitches.  

We debated art for this space all summer...like ya'll ALL summer!  We never found anything in our budget or that he liked. Late in the game we opted for photos that meant something to John.  We framed them in very inexpensive frames from WalMart and attached them to the wall with 3M velcro strips.  I'd never used those before and they are GREAT!

In the photo below you will notice the rug.  This is a piece of bound carpet that I found at WalMart.  It will serve him well for the next year and then we can just toss it out!  Since there had been no communication with the other  roommate we went with a smaller rug that way the other student can put what he likes on his side.

John wanted a comfy chair.  I believe he will do most of his studying at the library but if he does do some in his room he will have good lighting and something nice to sit on .  

This is the roommates side.  The fridge and microwave came with the room.  If I were him I'd see if I could fit that between their nightstands.  Wish I had thought of that before I left and rearranged it for them!

Each floor has a has a lounge area with a ping pong table and television.

Since I won't be there to snap a pic on his "first day of school" I snapped the obligatory photo before I left.

John has always made us proud.  He is a smart, generous, helpful, devoted, enthusiastic young man.  The advice I've given him was to stay true to himself and what he believes in, to not be easily swayed by others.

GO DO GREAT THINGS JOHN!!!