How To Stay Organized In College

This post is sponsored by Target.

In college, you’ll learn organization is key. You have to keep all of your projects and assignments organized to keep your grades up, and you have to learn how to fit your bedroom, office, kitchen, and hang out space in one very small room, that you’ll most likely be sharing with at least one other person. You could get lucky and score your own room, but even the nicest dormitories are tight on space. I was the first person in my family to ever move away for college, so I was pretty shocked when I walked into my dorm room freshman year with 2 cars worth of belongings, and about a closet’s worth of space to fit it all in. I knew dorm rooms weren’t luxurious, but it would have been nice to receive
some type of warning. Luckily, my college campus was about five minutes away from Target, so I was able to pick up a bunch of organizers, decorative baskets, and shoe racks to make it work. Luckily, if you’re getting ready to go Back To College, you have me to save you from frantically running around on move-in day. I’m going to share with you my number one organizational tip to help you prepare for the new year and start smart!

My number one organizational tip is to…invest in a rolling cart! I know what you’re thinking, how is one piece of furniture going to help me organize my entire dorm room? Well, you’d be surprised. A rolling cart can act as a hub for a ton of different dorm room activities. Plus, it’s on wheels, so you can easily transport it to wherever you need in your space. As I mentioned, your dorm room becomes your bedroom, office, kitchen, hang out space, and much, much more. Yes, you can go to the library, cafeteria, or any other space on campus, but for the most part, you’ll be spending a ton of time in your dorm room. You want to be able to feel comfortable, and fit everything you need.

Most rolling carts are built with multiple levels, or shelves, allowing you to keep items for different activities all in one space. One of my favorite ways to utilize a rolling cart is for organizing books, papers, and office supplies, as well as for snacks and beverages. As you can see, when organizing my rolling cart, I included a magazine file, bookends with the books I’m currently reading, a tape dispenser, my planner, and my favorite vase with flowers all on the top shelf. Now all of my important papers and books are easily accessible.

I utilized the second shelf of my bar cart as a food cart. No dorm room would be complete without a stock of your favorite drinks and snacks. It’s a known fact in college that it’s best to keep your snacks on your own side of the room, to prevent any of your roommates or visitors from “borrowing” any of your goods. To keep my beverages organized, I decided to use a wine rack as a water rack instead. It keeps my space looking organized, and I’m able to fit more items in a small amount of space.

I’ve only showed you two of many ways you can utilize a cart to keep your dorm room organized. Carts are also great for storing your bathroom caddy and toiletries, towels, shoes and accessories, cleaning supplies, and pretty much anything else you need to keep in your space. You can even use the top of a cart as a TV stand! The possibilities are endless. What I especially love about carts is that they can double as decor. Add some of your favorite items, like flowers in my case, to keep your cart full of personality and authentic to you!

MadeForU features a quiz that helps you pinpoint your personal college style based on a series of questions. With the help of the quiz, I was able to uncover that my style is “Chic Geek”, meaning I take my studies seriously, and want a room that is decorated in a way that will keep me organized and help me reach my goals. I couldn’t think of a better way to describe my dorm room style, and I loved all of the recommendations and suggestions.

Check out Target’s College Styler at MadeForU.Target.com to find you and your roommate’s ultimate college style.