Author: Alicia Burns

Let’s be honest, the typical dorm room is bland, empty, and typically a mixture of beige tones. When moving into college, you want your room to be your safe space. It needs to be the place you can relax, unwind, and escape from the hustle and bustle of college life. Once you decorate your room to make it livelier, try adding houseplants to really give your room an extra pop of color. House plants are known to help increase productivity, lift your mood, and even purify the air (Lohr, V. I. (2010). Some houseplants are easier to maintain than others, especially when you’re a busy college student. If you’re a busy student, but want to liven up your living space, take a look at these three low-maintenance plants below:

1. Succulents are by far the easiest plant to maintain in a dorm room. Succulents are small, compact, and only grow as large as the pot they are in will allow them to. Needing full light, succulents will do perfectly on a window ledge. If this is not possible, purchase a small grow light. These small spiky plants only need to be watered once their soil is completely dry, so they don’t need constant attention. A fun fact about succulents is that if you add a drop of food coloring to their water, their petals will absorb it and change to that color!
2. Snake plants are a great low-maintenance option because they are extremely difficult to kill. These plants are slow-growing and don’t require much sunlight, so they can just hang out in pretty much any spot in your room. They don’t need to be watered often, just enough to keep their soil damp, so a cheap spray bottle is a great option to have on hand. If you’re limited on space in your dorm room, snake plants are a great option because they don’t grow at a rapid pace. Start off with a smaller plant to ensure it won’t cramp your space.
3. Aloe Vera is not only an attractive houseplant but serves many other purposes as well. This plant is another low-maintenance option that is great for dorm rooms. Aloe Vera only needs to be watered once the soil is dry, typically once per week. Indirect sunlight is best for this plant, so it can be placed almost anywhere in your room. If your plant becomes too big, that shouldn’t be a problem. After trimming it, the aloe plant can be used for skincare or even treat sunburns!

Succulents are a great way to liven up your bland living space at college. Houseplants are proven to help increase productivity, lift your mood, and even purify the air. Additionally, tending to your plants will give you something to focus on other than the stresses of school, and are a helpful little distraction. Buying a houseplant (or two, three, five, or ten!) is a great way to add color and life to your dorm room. The plants listed above are all pretty low maintenance and easy to care for. Once you get the hang of caring for them, feel free to move on to more advanced plants!

Citation: Lohr, V. I. (2010). What are the benefits of plants indoors and why do we respond positively to them? Acta Horticulturae, 881, 675–682.

Even before the pandemic, studying at home could be a major headache. A messy house, loud neighbors, and young children could all be distractions. Cellphones, gaming consoles, and even books may also be distractions. With the pandemic, students are spending an increased amount of time in their homes. Without a study space, your study time, and grades, may be affected. By just spending ten to fifteen minutes a day, you’ll be able to create the optimal study zone.

First things first, you’ll need to pick a room in your home to create your study space. If you can find a room without much foot traffic and distractions, then that’s the place to start. Oftentimes living rooms and kitchens have family members coming in and out, so these rooms are best to be avoided. A bedroom, study, sunroom, or basement are all great places to set up your study spot. Make sure you have a comfortable chair and be mindful to avoid your bed. You want to be relaxed but not so much that you’re able to fall asleep.

Next, make sure you have the perfect amount of light. Natural light will be best, so a spot near a window is a good choice. If you can’t be near a window, make sure your overhead light isn’t too dim or too bright. Lamps are also great additions if you need to add or soften the light in the room. Once your seating and lighting are arranged, you need to establish your desk. A real desk is optimum, but if cost or space is an issue, a lap desk or TV trays can be great alternatives.

Now it’s time to liven things up! You want your study space to be somewhere you look forward to going to, not something you dread. Customize your area to fit your personality. Hanging twinkle lights to soften the room, putting up posters with your favorite pictures or motivational quotes, and color coordinating the room with your favorite colors help the room feel relaxing rather than a simple, cold space. This is your opportunity to get creative and make this space your own.

Lastly, get organized and get rid of distractions. If you can find a room without a tv, that’s great! If not, remove tv remotes, gaming console controllers, and radios out of the room. Cellphones are one of the biggest distractions when it comes to studying, so place yours on silent and move it to a different room as well. If you live in a loud environment, noise-canceling headphones may also be a good investment. Organize your space by getting pencil/pen holders, sticky notes, folders, and binders. Labeling your items will allow you to know where your things are at all times and reduce clutter. Keep these items nearby so you don’t need to constantly leave the room to retrieve them.

Every student needs the perfect study space to achieve their optimal goals in school. Taking the time to create your perfect space, may help you study better and even boost your grades. Take these tips above and spend some time finding your space and making it your own. Study on!