An uncontrollable nervousness overcomes you as you wait outside the freshman dorm door. Anxiously waiting to walk through the doors you will soon call home. Unsure if your roommate will like the same music as you or even think that your poster of One Direction is cool.
The first major decision of any college student is not enrolling in classes or determining which club to join, it is decorating your new pad. The intricate detail that goes into your room reflects you as person, whether you are a messy Jessie or a neat Nate.
Marykate Kelly says, “I’m definitely a messy Jessie.” Kelly a sophomore psychology major, came into school with an open-minded view for her new room décor. As you walk into her room you see her bed pushed against the wall, a desktop Mac playing Gilmore Girls on her desktop and a eye catching Disney princess poster on the wall.
“I just packed everything I had and unpacked it in the room. I laugh at how much stuff I have as most of it ends up on my roommate who is also a sorority sister of mine.” There was no method to Kelly’s madness, yet the madness in her room screamed free spirit college student.
Josh Schulte far from a messy Jessie takes great pride in his room set up. Schulte a senior triple major, lives with all guys but says they do not have your stereotypical bachelor pad.
“I like my room neat,” Schulte said “This is the messiest that it will ever be.” However, if you look at his room, you would never consider it dirty. It is a smaller room compared to his suite mates’ but definitely full of creativity and incorporates a lot of organization.
Schulte can relate to most guys with his media set-up. “Other than my games, Netflix is a big thing,” Schulte said, “this makes the perfect opportunity for friends to come over, hang out and enjoy themselves.”
As you look around the walls of Schulte’s room you’ll see a variety of posters from Japanese art to sports and video games. The influence of Japanese art derives from his interest in the culture. “I have accumulated posters since freshman year. Majority of them up now are from just this past year and this year,” Schulte said.
For senior suite-mates Erin Bowker and Rebecca Rambo, decorating their college room has been enjoyable. It has been a bonding experience for both them and their roommates, whom they’ve both had since freshman year.
Rambo uses pink curtains to hide the contents of her closet and add a glamorous accent to her room. The Eeyore pillow pet on her bed adds a youthful touch to the room.
The set of the room was strategic. “My roommate moved everything around,” Rambo said, “we wanted open space on the floor.” Her room serves as a communal area for friends to hang. “The more open space the better,” Rambo said.
As you walk around the room you notice a section of post-it notes pasted to the wall. For Rambo there is a special reason why the notes are on the wall. “The notes are from friends,” Rambo said, “reading them sometimes makes me feel better when I need to hear something nice.”
Suite-mate Erin Bowker can relate to having nostalgic decorations that reflect her experiences at Cabrini. She has posted above her closet every name tag given by a resident assistant or quirky drawing from freshman year. “The name tags make the room feel like a timeless memory,” Bowker said.
Your room is uniquely designed, the perfect set-up and a place to retreat when you don’t have to been in class.” I wouldn’t change anything about my room,” Schulte said, “I feel good knowing that my room was put together just the way I like it.”
