Somewhere between navigating campus for the first time and learning how to cope with the stress of college-level courses, three freshmen find time to create a home away from home in a gray-walled dorm room.
Biology freshman Ally Haug and her roommate, communication freshman Allie Bond, prioritized planning the look of their dorm room all summer. Haug and Bond said they found deals and drew inspiration from catalogs, Pinterest and their mothers.
“We both brought pieces from our own homes that made us feel at home and feel comfortable,” Haug said. “We both just wanted to feel at peace here.”
Both women said it is important to them to have a comfortable place to make the high school-to-college transition a little smoother.
“I feel like it’s going to give me more incentive to sit down and study,” Haug said. “If it looks nice, I’ll be okay with spending time in here to work.”
Bond said a big part of decorating was ensuring there was a place suitable for hosting guests.
“That’s why we have so many chairs — we wanted to have people be able to come here and stay here,” Haug said.
Allie Kralis, sports management freshman and Wells Hall resident, said she went into the decorating process with the idea of creating an oasis amid the stress of school.
“I knew it would be important to have a place to totally relax,” said Kralis, “I wanted something that was nice and neat to look at.”
For Kralis, taking time to organize is pivotal.
“I knew I didn’t want to have to look at everything all out in the open, so I made it a priority to have places for things to go,” Kralis said.
Kralis said lighting was of key importance to create a cozy and comfortable environment.