Hello to all our lovely readers! It’s been a while since our last blog post. Today was an especially busy day because we were helping our friends and fellow interns Kara and Jadyn move into their new dorms. Luckily, there were a lot of friends to help out and it only took us an hour and a half to move all their stuff! Podette and I do not have any arms and we move at a slow pace, but we played a crucial role as doorstops to allow for the efficient flow of pack mules.
I am so excited to move into our room next year! We both love decorating, and I can’t wait to turn our room into our home for the next semester. As we prepare for our move, we wanted to compile a list of tips and tricks for dorm life at Amherst.
- Shoe Rack Hack
Our human roommate Finley swears by this hack. Many of the rooms at Amherst come with a bookshelf that sits on top of your desk. If you remove the bookshelf and place it next to the door, you now have a rack to store your (and your roommate’s) shoes! The top of the shelf is also super convenient to place your shower caddy, keys, or accessories.
- Collapsible Storage Bags
These giant collapsible storage bags are a game changer! They are made of a very sturdy tarp material and they can fit so much stuff. Unlike plastic bins or boxes, these bags can be folded up and stored easily until the next time you need to move.
- Take Advantage of the Free Start-of-Year Yard Sale
During Spring move out, Amherst collects dorm supplies and decor that people are no longer using. Then in September, there is a free-for-all yard sale where you can take anything you need! You can find fans, rugs, sheets, hangers, vases, posters, puzzles, pillows, and all sorts of fun things. Going to the yard sale saves money and the environment! In particular, plastic decorations (like fake plants, vines, etc.) are very easy to get second hand. If you’re interested in sustainability in dorms, you can also talk to an EcoRep (like Podette!).
- Things NOT to Bring
Here’s a quick rundown of things you might regret bringing:
- Mini fridge, Microwave, and Full-Length Mirror: These things already come with every Amherst dorm room!
- Whiteboards and Bulletin Boards: Finley brought a whiteboard and they haven’t used it once. There’s also bulletin boards next to many of the dorm room doors.
- Mattress: A whole mattress is very bulky and hard to move. But a foam mattress pad is a MUST and makes the beds so comfy and soft. Mattress pads are much easier to store and move.
- Books: Podette is an avid reader and brought more than 20 books with her. She regretted it. It’s super easy to get books from the library and books are very bulky!
- Things that are Surprisingly Useful
On the flipside, here are some nonessentials that have been surprisingly useful/entertaining:
- Speakers: Speakers are in high demand—it’s nice to have a portable speaker for social events, playing music in your room, or soundtracking a pick up basketball game. Good speakers can make or break an event.
- Picnic Blanket: During the fall and spring, many students like to be outside enjoying the beautiful weather. Picnic blankets become the sites of jam sessions, study groups, or baseball watch parties.
- Electric Kettle: Having a kettle makes it so convenient to make tea, hot chocolate, or miso soup. The one Podette has boils water in about a minute and it’s so useful for winter drinks/late night ramen.
- Sled: Come winter, everyone will want to borrow your sled. Memorial Hill is so much fun to slide down, even if there wasn’t as much snow this year. If you are a snail, you can use an upside-down frisbee. If you are a human, the sled with a cartoon penguin that Darius bought from Walmart has been surprisingly durable. The thin plastic ones break very easily.
- Faux Two-Room Double
If you and your roommate want some more privacy in your two room double, you could reorganize your furniture to create a barrier between you two. First, put your beds against opposite walls. Then, push your desks in the middle so they are back to back with the bookshelves on top. You can also put your dressers back to back next to the desks. This will give you more privacy on either side. On the other hand, opening up the floor plan gives you much more floor space and allows you to chat easily with your roommate.
- Free/Cheap Posters
Did you know that color printing at Amherst is completely free? You can go absolutely ham on the printers. Podette printed out covers of all her favorite albums to hang on the wall. There’s also a lot of cool posters for different events that I like to steal repurpose after the event is over. The Amherst print shop also prints posters for very cheap! I drew a periodic table that matched my pastel cottage core aesthetic and printed it on a 12x18in poster for about a dollar.
And that’s all for today! I hope we could give you some ideas for your Amherst dorm room. Also, we would like to give a shoutout to Julia! She sent us a lovely email. 🙂
Podette and Shelloise is a new blog series run by Finley Liu ‘27, the human roommate. Podette and Shelloise are two crochet snails that Finley got from a very talented artist from the class of 2024. You can send any and all snail mail to fliu27@amherst.edu!