Dorm Rooms Desks & Study Areas

In my experience, the study spaces in the dorm rooms are pretty tight, and I encourage my kids to find places to study in all of the buildings across campus, especially the ones where they don’t have classes. It gives them a different perspective, and they may meet different people. It’s also a way to feel like the entire campus is their domain, not just their dorm, dining hall, and most frequented academic buildings.

That said, you also want to create an efficient and inviting study space in the room. Most desks have room for a laptop and some supplies, and that’s about it. If possible, I try to put a charging station there, and if not, I put it near the bed. This is my favorite all-in-one charger. I use it at home, and I recently gave one to my mother-in-law so she wouldn’t have so many separate chargers in her kitchen.

You can’t have too many cords, so get a three-pack. These are sturdy.

To save space, I personally use this mat in my home office so that I don’t need a mouse pad. I love it. It adds a little bit of personality, and it’s super easy to clean.

If there is space, I like these acrylic stacking organizers. I use these myself as well. They don’t take up visual space since they are clear, but give me the extra room to put my desk light and pens on top and use the bottom for notebooks and files.

Don’t forget the Post-it notes and pens.

If your student uses index cards or other favorite tools, send along some of those. In my experience, they don’t need all the school supplies they did in High School because so much of the college work is online but check with your student based on their classes.

I do recommend one accordion folder. I know it’s not cool, but it’s an efficient way to store papers that aren’t necessarily grouped together. Different tabs for different subjects and then stick it in a drawer. This is where all the miscellaneous paperwork goes.

I also encourage them to use a planner. Unlike in high school, assignments will be more widespread, and time management is one of the biggest challenges for new students. Even the most organized student can use the support of having it all written out in the planner when they get their syllabus for each class.

Instead of bulky binders, I sent each kid some spiral notebooks to get started. They are easy to carry and store and will work well until they figure out what they need for each class. I just could not send them off to college without pen and paper!

Because so much of their work is done using smart screens, whiteboards, and laptops, my kids use blue-light glasses. Even with perfect vision, these non-prescription glasses help prevent headaches and eye strain when looking at a screen all day. This pack from Amazon is inexpensive and provides enough that they can stash them in a backpack, desk, or wherever. There are a ton of choices. I like Peepers.com as well.

My son and daughter use the same desk light. They like its slim, space-saving design, three levels of brightness, and the ability to charge their phones from it.

I add a desk organizer if there is space. This one can be used for desk supplies, or I have seen girls use it for makeup and toiletries.

Here are some other options depending on the size and shape of the desk.

Last but not least, don’t forget the backpack.

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