Keys to Decorating

Hey WEPO girls! My name is Sam Alexander. I am a sophomore in Chemical Engineering and I will be a Rover in WEPO 2012!!

I’m sure you guys have a picture in mind when you think of dorm rooms, small, cramped, and all the same. And when you first walk into your dorm at Penn State, that’s exactly how it’ll look. You’ll see two beds, two desks, either two closets or two sets of drawers, a refrigerator, and a microwave…and that’s pretty much it. I know when I first arrived, I panicked thinking how am I going to get all my stuff in here, but don’t worry you’ll find space for everything! Decorating and keeping organized are key to making your dorm feel like a home.

Pictures: I’m definitely a picture fanatic! I love having all different kinds of pictures displayed, it reminds me of home and all my friends that don’t go to Penn State. You can’t really see, but I used command hooks to hang all the frames and the cork board collage. I know Housing allows scotch tape and sticky tack, but the command hooks worked great and didn’t take off any paint! I got the cute idea of the bows and ribbon off of Google, it was definitely a fun project my first weekend! 

Posters:  Posters are another great idea for decorations!  The HUB-Robinson Center always has a great poster sale in the beginning of the fall semester! They’ll have tons of flyers reminding you when the sale is going on, but that’s a great way of filling the blank walls of the dorm room. I got my posters on allposters.com, they have a really nice selection too!

Other homing touches: I love flowers, so they were a cute, cheap way to brighten up the room, plus they were Penn State colors! I also had some miscellaneous items, like a duck my cousin painted or a cute air freshener container. My neighbor always made me something for seasonal changes as well! I’m now the proud owner of an ADORABLE Penn State Christmas tree! 

Be creative: Personal touches are what is going to make your space feel like a home, don’t be afraid to try something unconventional!

~Lastly, one great thing about decorating your space to your liking is that it’ll give you and your new friends something to talk about! Plus, you can easily change your decorations throughout the year, maybe put some new pictures up from the football games, or from a late night study session!

I hope this gives you some great ideas and gets you excited for Penn State! I can’t wait to meet you all at WEPO 2012, it’s right around the corner! Have a good rest of the summer and we’ll see you soon!

Sam Alexander is a sophomore in Chemical Engineering. She is a Rover for WEPO 2012.

**Additional tips on an old blog by Erin Miller: http://pennstatewepo.blogspot.com/2011/06/guide-to-decorating-your-dorm-room.html