(CNN) – One of the best things about college dorms is that you get to leave them eventually. They’re bare, they’re cramped, they’re never at the optimum temperature – in other words, they’re not home. There are a number of ways in which college students make them feel even more remote and dingy. And by avoiding these mistakes, you can make your dorm-room memories a little less regrettable. You don’t have room for everything; you barely have room for anything. Taking along the extra pillows and stuffed animals and lava lamp and 14 pairs of shoes and unneeded sports equipment is not going to work out well. One key to surviving dorm life is making the most of the least space. Think of the area under your bed as your closet, and try to fit a season’s worth of folded clothing, shoes, and a much-needed-but-still-mini ironing board underneath. Plastic bins can help here. Hanging shoe organizers are also a good idea for whatever closet space you do get – or the back of your door, if necessary.

You're gonna need some basics, though. Start with sheets, and find out early if you'll need the regular or extra long twin size. ways to decorate a tree houseThen, choose something comfortable (cotton jersey is a good, affordable option); decorate your home for a baby showeryou might feel a little uneasy sleeping away from your home bed, and you won't want to curl up on sandpaper.wall decor ideas shelves You'll also need a pillow and a comforter, a shower caddy (filled with products that'll get you clean), and a toiletry bag for your toothbrush, cologne, deodorant and makeup. new exterior house colors for 2012

A robe is also a good idea for getting to and from the bathroom. Leslie Sherman Jackson, a contributor to the Dallas Morning News, points out that "in addition to a folding hamper for dirty clothes, a plastic laundry basket comes in handy for transporting" whatever you need it to transport.best way to paint a metal front door So when you go shopping, head to the bed, bath, and container departments and ask what they've got for a college dorm room. cheap ways to decorate your apartment for christmasThen, try to fit what you’re bringing to school into what you buy for school. Lighting can change everything from the "mood" to your ability to cram at 3 a.m. without infuriating your roommate. Yes, your new home will come with some sort of overhead florescent, but it will make your living space look like a 1980s kitchen.

(Your parents will get that.) You’ll want your dorm room to feel more like a living room. Some inexpensive, rugged floor or desk lamps will get you through a couple years, and they’ll make your room seem warmer. And a clamp lamp will let you read while your roommate snores. It’s understandable why people living in a sea of strangers want to show their individuality through trophies, flags, dilapidated bouquets and posters. But you might not have much wall space, and your roommate may not share your passion for Justin Bieber. Start with a couple mementos of home: one or two framed photos of family, a book your best friend gave you, and the alarm clock you got as a going-away gift. If your room looks sparse, you can always decorate more later on – and even tag team with your roommate on curtains and an area rug. One thing you don’t want to do is decorate with items you’d otherwise throw away. Torn-out pages from magazines should probably be recycled. So should cans: They look bad, smell worse, and tip over easily.

(Plus, they attract bugs if they’re not rinsed, and how many people who decorate with cans actually rinse them? Your dorm room should not resemble a neglected frat house. But while we’re on the subject… The game is to stack discarded fast food bags and containers as high as they’ll go until the whole structure crashes down to the roaches. The one who tipped it has to clean it up and take it out. This is the intersection between fun and unsanitary. The problem is that it lures pests and repels friends when you want to do the opposite. And it’s not just trash heaps that offend. …sounds like a grunge band. But any kind of pile – clothes, shoes, papers, food – is a bad thing in a dorm room. A little housekeeping goes a long way in making a room more desirable. If that means taking out the trash when its height is equal to that of its container – or shoving shoes under the bedskirt when company comes calling – the payoff will be a reputation as the clean one.

And if you don’t like your roommate (you probably won’t like your roommate), you’ll have a better chance of finding a new roommate if you’re the clean one.When everyone’s room looks like it’s been churned out on a factory conveyor belt, one of the best ways to show off your personality is how you decorate your university room. Yes, you may only be there for a year (or less), but as you’ll be studying (a.k.a. sleeping) and spending a lot of time within those four walls, you might as well make them feel as homely as you can. So, here are ten of the cheapest ways to spruce up your university bedroom: This is the best invention since the Internet (not an overstatement), and this way of wall mounting leaves zero residue – perfect for swerving heavy deposit reductions on your student house. Not only can the tape be used to ‘frame’ pictures, posters, and memories, it can also work to jazz up bookshelves, doors, and basically anything that needs a geometric injection of colour.

First of all, guys can have lights too; they’re subtle, homely, and great for evenings in watching a film with your flatmates. You can get some cheap, plain fairy lights for less than £5 online, and hanging them up only requires some washi tape or some 3M hooks – both easily removable. Sadly though, most university halls won’t allow candles, so if you want to use those ornate holders you got for your birthday, instead opt for electric tea lights. 3) A DIY door stop Granted, normal doorstops aren’t expensive, but you can easily add another homemade touch to your room. There are plenty of ways to do so, mostly involving sewing a fabric pouch, which is then filled with rice. But why do you need one? Well, a doorstop leaves your room open for flatmate visits, especially important during those early weeks when you want to be seen as approachable and eager to make new friends. 4) Use old picture frames as whiteboards Need to be able to quickly map out your thoughts, but don’t want to waste paper?

Well, a whiteboard of some kind would be perfect, especially when you remember something you need to do, but it’s 4.13am. Yet, whiteboards can be pricey – and bulky. So instead, pick up an old picture frame from a charity shop, throw a sheet of white paper under the glass layer – et voilà! 5) Add a colourful rug These aren’t that expensive, and easy to pick up in charity shops too. However, if you’re feeling ambitious (and skint), find out how to make your own vibrant floor piece from old T-shirts. An injection of colour of this kind will help make your room feel homely, cosy, plus a little nicer on the toes than the usual university cardboard-like carpet. 6) Need a bedside table? Use an upside down bin! Obviously I don’t mean a grubby kitchen bin, but a nice wire waste-paper basket, or something similar – check back at home and see if your family can spare any for your bed-side needs, or the various high street home stores near you will have something cheap and easy to convert into a surface.

7) Hang photos on fairy lights If you’ve already bitten the bullet and got some twinkly lights, use them again as a cute way to hang photos. All you need are some pegs, clips, or even just some sticky tape. Head to your local high street home stores for cheap blankets and cushions that will liven up your room with both colour and comfort. If you don’t see any designs you like, just use the cheap interior fluff and fashion yourself a cover out of some old fabric/T-shirt material. Not only do they look nice, but they’re also practical for when you all decide to crowd into someone’s room – no more sitting on the floor and pretending to be comfy. If you’re anything like me, you’ll have brought way too many clothes to uni with you, not to mention shoes, accessories – and more shoes. But who can bear to part with those heels you wore once (at prom), when you can just jazz up some plain storage boxes and save space elsewhere? Think stickers, washi tape (again), fabric, and spray/poster paint.