How To Improve Your Student Accommodation

You will spend a lot of your time at the university in your student accommodation or modern student residence, sleeping, relaxing, studying, eating, meditating, and a lot more. It is important that you ensure your student accommodation feels like home, as this reduces anxiety, enhances the sense of belonging to the university, gives you inspiration, and is generally cozy and personal. So, how do I make my student accommodation feel like home?

Add Some Greenery

Plants are one of the things to decorate your room with. They not only make rooms feel homely, but they also release oxygen, improving the room’s air quality, and they are aesthetically pleasing centrepieces. Adding some greenery to the room requires less commitment than keeping a fish. The best plants are those that can withstand the dry air, frequent overheating, and lack of sufficient windows characteristic of student accommodation and that can withstand occasional overwatering and even some neglect. Examples of hard-to-kill houseplants include cacti, jade plants and similar succulents, pothos, and spider plants.

Make the Room Smell Like Home

Studies have shown that scent, of all the heightened senses, is most associated with triggering emotions. Fragrance can positively affect your mood, take you to a place of familiarity and comfort, and make your room pleasant and welcoming. You should, therefore, consider adding some scents throughout your student accommodation. This could be air fresheners that you use at home, incense, and candles. If incense and candles are not allowed, consider getting a diffuser instead or make one using essential oils and dowel rods. Another good option is herbs, which you can achieve by growing the herb on your windowsill or buying scented pillows such as lavender pillows.

Keep the Room Uncluttered

College life is stressful, and your student accommodation is where you get to unwind. Given the size of the room, it is easy for clutter to get the best of you, which is dangerous as it will also clutter your mind. So, how do you keep the room uncluttered?

You can invest in a rolling utility cart for your beauty products, kitchen supplies, and anything else you need to organize.
You can hang pinboards or wall grids above the desk to store paper trays and pencil cups.
To maximize closet space, consider adding a cubby that has storage cubes to store your shirts, shoes, bath supplies, and more. You can also buy storage drawers, show racks, and hanging shelves.
Consider using bins, laundry baskets, and containers to store dirty laundry, clothes that are not in season, and other items under the bed.
Hang hooks to store items you do not use all the time, like laundry bags, jackets, and headphones. You can get damage-free hooks or over-the-door hooks if nails are not allowed in your student accommodation.
Use a storage ottoman for your linens. This is one of the things for a student room that also serves as a footrest and an extra seat.
An alternative to a storage ottoman is a storage table, which has a lighter and airier look whilst giving you space for extra pillows.
A mini-fridge equipped with snap-and-store containers comes in handy for storing leftovers and snacks.

Posters and Family Pictures on the Walls

Important student bedroom essentials to help combat homesickness are pictures that capture happy memories. You should also consider decorating your walls with posters that capture your interest, such as a picture of your favourite team’s car if you are an F1 fan. This gives your room personality. Other than pictures, posters, and flyers, you can also have other items that remind you of home, such as ornaments and even a practical object that you may have gotten from your grandfather. These also make for a great talking point whenever you have company.

Light up the Space

An important tip on how to decorate a student house is to play around with lighting – this also has a big impact on the coziness of a room. Go for a low-wattage light, a candle, or a fairly light by your bedside in place of an overhead high-wattage bulb to make the room more comfortable. There are fairly lights that can connect to the mains, so you don’t spend a fortune on batteries. You can get a standing light for the room or a reading light on your bedside table or desk second-hand from a car-boot sale or a charity shop.

Separate the Sleeping Area from the Working Area

Rearrange your furniture to divide the room into separate areas. This will make the room more functional and give it some character. Unless the desk and bed are nailed to the wall or the room is overly small, you can play around with the arrangement to ensure it is different from everyone else’s. As an example, you can arrange the room so that the desk and bed areas are separate by putting a wardrobe in between. Having a sleeping area that is separate from the working area also helps with insomnia and stress. If you have the space, you can buy more furniture to supplement what is provided, such as a coffee table.

Invest in Nice Towels and Bedding

Most students are in a hurry when buying their towels and bedding for the university, while others bring their old towels and bedding from home. You shouldn’t mind paying a little more for quality, fluffy towels and nice bedding. A good towel makes your small room feel like a fancy hotel room. A thick duvet ensures you are always warm on cold Canada nights, especially in winter, and it ensures you do not always have to have the heater setting set high. Since rooms are usually small and the bed takes up a big chunk of the space, attractive duvet covers go a long way in enhancing the look and feel of the room.

Invest in Nice Rugs and Cushions

One of the cool things for a student house is soft furnishings. Throwing around some cushions will also make the chairs more comfortable. Most rooms in student accommodation have basic carpets. Consider investing in a good run to cover the carpet and make the room more homely and personal and the floor more comfortable to walk on. Get thicker curtains that match the rest of the room décor – they will also insulate the room and reduce the heating costs.

Buy a Kettle

Having your own kettle is a good idea as it allows you to brew your coffee or tea at will. This is a godsend when you are studying for your finals or when you have an assignment with tight deadlines that you have to submit, as it ensures you are always near your laptop. Canadian winters can get cold – a kettle allows you to avoid having to go to the kitchen to fill up with hot water.

Play Familiar Music

Music is one of the greatest human creations in history. Music is not only a fun pastime, but it is also a great stress reliever. Different studies show that music helps improve academic performance, concentration, memory, health, and well-being. Music also improves language skills, helps you develop social skills, and is a key to creativity, among many other benefits. Whether it is having a CD collection, a vinyl collection, or a playlist on your laptop, never miss an opportunity to play your favourite music, whether alone or with some company.

Non-study Books

Looking at course material throughout the semester can be stressful. Whenever you have free time, consider reading a non-study book. This could be a non-fiction book such as a motivational book, your favourite novel, or religious text. In a rapidly changing environment, these books help keep you grounded by reinforcing your identity. Describing what is in a particular book also makes for a great talking point.

Socialize

Most student accommodations and universities organize and promote socializing opportunities. Make new friends and enjoy new experiences to enjoy your campus life truly and feel less lonely.

So, what do students want from the accommodation? At the ARC and ALIGN, we understand what it takes to give students a wholesome campus experience. Our student accommodation, which is just across the road from the University of Manitoba, is fully amenitized with commercial establishments, a fitness center, smart locks, multiple study rooms, and more.