COLLEGE TIPS: Things You Need But Might Forget

Hello All,

School starts again soon? Say What? For all you freshmen out there I have compiled a list of things that weren't on my original list of things to bring.

1. An Umbrella, raincoat or rain boots or any combinations of those things.

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Most college are open and you will eventually have to walk outside in the rain. If you don't like getting wet then have these. Plus you normally can find some cute ones to wear!

2. Business causal clothing

There are couple of different reasons you might need those. One is classes, normally if you have to do a presentation the professor wants you dress nicely. Also there are sometime events on campus that you might have to dress professionally. 

3. Some where to store you shoes

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If you are anything like me you probably have a good amount of shoes. At home you may leave your shoes all over the house or at the bottom of your nice size closest. But in college you are in small room and might find having a organizer more useful.

4. You're warmer clothes

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Yes, you move to school in the middle of August normally but a lot of the time the weather can turn on a dime and you don't want to be stuck on campus with only short sleeves. 

5. An open mind

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You are going to meet a lot of people when you go to college and be offered to experience a lot of new things. When you're scared and nervous you will probably gravitate towards things you liked in high school or the type of people you hung out with in college. But you're best friend or favorite new hobby/activity/club might be something you never thought you would  do.

And those are things that I feel like a lot of college freshmen forget to bring with them. If you've gone to college what do you think most freshmen forget? Let me know in the comments below!

COLLEGE TIPS: Changing Your Major is OKAY!!!

Hello All, 

A few months back I wrote this post about how I changed my major. I went into college thinking that the only thing that I could be when I grew was teaching. It was the only thing that I could picture myself being. But one day I woke up and knew that I had been wrong.

It took me a while to tell anyone that I wanted to change my major. For the longest time I had wanted to be a teacher and I was worried I would be letting people down by changing my major. But it was actually the complete opposite when I told my family (at Thanksgiving) that I had changed my major. They were all very surprised but supportive. 

One of my best friend told me she had always told me that she couldn't see me being a teacher, although she knew I was good with kids she thought that I would make a better mom then a teacher. And one of my aunts told me she wasn't surprised, she told me that she always had wonder if it was really my dream or not. 

There wasn't a single person in my life who didn't support my decision to change my major. There were a lot of questions I had to answer like why? And what are you going to do now? And those questions are hard to answer. Sometimes its just easier to say what you don't want rather then what you do want! 

But for all you college students out there who are struggling or ashamed with the thought that they might have changed there mind from their childhood dream to something more them, trust me from someone whose been there and is still going through it, its perfectly OKAY to change your mind!

Follow your heart because its normally pretty smart! If don't think its for you or it no longer makes you happy then change it, move on. Your happiness is more important then what you may have written in a five years from now I will be...essay. 

I wish I could tell you that deciding to chang your major was easy but in reality its not. A lot of times you have to get a whole new academic advisor, you have to change you course plans you might have made. Sometimes you lose a lot of your credits and it sets back your graduation date! 

But in the long wrong you will probably be happier doing something that you are passionate about rather then what your high school self thought would be cool so you checked it off on a college application. 

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Good luck to all the incoming freshmen to colleges and don't forget to follow your dreams!

Marketable Skills

Hello All,

A few weeks ago I got an emails from Webucator asking me to write a post about what skills I thought were important to have when looking for a job. I thought this would be a fun post because as a college blogger I know that a lot of my readers are around the college age as well and soon we'll all be looking for our first real job. 

1. I think you need to know how to handle yourself on social media

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I don't think you should be bad mouthing your boss, co-workers or company online as if comes off bad not only on yourself but your company as well. Although I don't think you should judge one what you do during your personal time either. 

2. You should be able to use basic computer programs (i.e. word)

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All the classes I've taken say that word, powerpoint and excel are programs you will use time and time again so just make sure you can do the basics.

3. Being able to continuously learn & problem solving.

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Learning new things is a way of life. You are constantly going to thrown curve balls and you need to be able to find your way around it. 

4. Be flexible

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As much as you like things a certain way things won't always go that way so you need to try new things as you go. 

Those are what I think are important when starting your first real job, what do you think is important? Let me know in the comments below.

COLLEGE TIP:Being Sick in College

Hello All,

So, all last week I was fighting a pretty nasty cold. You know the type, sore throat, runny nose, and not wanting to do anything or get out of bed. All of that sucks but it even more suckier when you're at school. So, today I want to give you some tips on how to handle being sick at school. 

1. Do everything in your power to stay healthy.

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You are going to be healthier if you eat balanced meals, go to the gym and get the right amount of sleep. All of which is really hard to do. I know this because I definitely feel that struggle. 

2. If you have a cough bring cough drops to school with you

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If you're having a coughing fit in the middle of class you're distracting to yourself and your classmates so try any have cough drops that can calm your cough and make you feel slightly better. And all your classmates will be grateful.

3. If you can go, then go

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If all you have is a cold and the problem can be solved with some tissues, cough drops, a cup starbucks tea and a nap between classes. Then go to your classes, you don't want to miss out on a day of classes if you don't have to, espically if you have a quiz, test or something huge due because in most cases professors don't care!

4. If you ARE really truly sick don't go!

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If you have something real like strep throat, the flu or basically anything with a fever stay home. Get better and prevent spreading the big stuff. In that case text/Facebook/Tweet at classmate and find out what you missed so you don't get too far behind.

5. Drink a lot of water

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I'm all for and have always have been the person who is all for bring bottles of water with me to class to stay hydrated but especially when you're sick because you can pee the virus out of you. That's always what Mama J tells me.

6. Sleep

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When you're sick your body needs rest and lots of it. So, even if you aren't someone who normally takes nap, think about taking 45 minutes and try sleeping in the afternoon. Go to bed somewhat early and sleep a little bit later in morning, it doesn't matter if you don't look your best when you're sick.

7. Don't be afraid to visit the health center

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You know your body. If it doesn't feel right or you aren't getting better after a few days go to the health center and talk to the doctors and nurses there in order to make sure its not worse then it.

And those are my tips for how to handle being sick in college. For any other college students out there what are your tips for being sick in college? Let me know in the comments below!

Meet A College Blogger! Rachael

Hello All,

Today I want to bring back a feature that I started last semester and put on break during the Winter Break. 

Today I'm going to introduce you to an AMAZING college blogger, Rachael from The Rachael Way. She has been blogging pretty much whole college career and it graduating soon! I asked her a few questions and this what she had to say!

1. What inspired you to start blogging? Where did you get the name for your blog?

I blog because I like to write.  I started in my freshman year because one of my sorority sisters made one and it looked cool.  I didn't really get "into blogging" until this summer when I moved to a new place and didn't have a lot of friends :p  The name of my blog is The Rachael Way because it's about my life, I'm quirky and this blog documents it!

2. What is your favorite post that you've written?

 My favorite post I've written is called "Enough" I think a lot of people struggle with what I wrote about and it helped me to put it into words!

3. What are you planning to do after you graduate?

After I graduate, I am going to be a teacher!

4. On your blog you are doing 22 before 22 where you are trying to complete 22 goals before you turn 22. How much longer do you have before you turn 22? Which goal are you must proud of completing? Which do you think is going to be hardest to complete?

I turn 22 on September 24th.  The biggest goal I am most proud of was organizing a blogger meetup.  It was so much fun and I was so happy with the turnout.  

***This picture belongs to the Rachael Way***

I think it will be hard for me to get to New York City before I turn 22, but I'm certainly going to try!

5. What tip would you give to someone who start a blog?

Best blog tip- write for YOU.  Don't write for followers and screw the numbers.  Write from your heart and it will all work out!

6. What is the biggest piece of advice that you would give a college freshmen?

 My advice to a college freshman is totally cliche but true.. join everything until you find your niche!  You will meet so many people and then find what you really love and where you really shine!

7. Where do you see your blog going after you graduate? Will you continue to blog or will you end it? 

I plan to keep my blog when I graduate.  I just really like it and can't really imagine what it would be like to not have it!

8. Since this feature is all about college blogger who are some of your favorite college bloggers?

The College Prepster, The Darling Prepster and Sunshine and Sinatra

Thanks again Rachael for participating in this feature! Make sure you go and give Rachael some love!

P.S. - Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

Hold Up...That's Whack!

Hello All,

I can't remember if I mention this already but I got to move into school early for a leadership retreat much like I did during the summer. For the most part the conference was the same as last year but the keynote speaker was pretty cool and was really helpful going into this semester.

The fall semester was very hard for me. In away I was finally the person I always wanted to be. I had amazing friend, I was in an officer position, I was working and going to school. But with the exception of this blog I wasn't taking a lot of time for myself because I always wanted to be on the move.And my plate was beyond full and unbalanced. 

But our keynote speaker, Hoan Do, really reminded me about how important it is for us to take time during the semester to focus on yourself. He used a metephor about how when you're driving and your check egine light turns on you stop to check the light goes on you would stop and check your engine and that you should be doing that with yourself, when you start to get stress you should stop and spend time on yourself. 

That is something I really am going to try and do this semester. But the other part that really resinated with me was the inspiration for the title. He was telling us to think about all the negative thoughts that come into our mind, you know the thoughts. "I'm not pretty enough," "I'm not smart enough," "I'm not...enough." 

And he again did a car metaphor about how if your getting in the car and a song you hates come on you would change it because its whack.  Well he continued to tell us that every time we think I'm not enough to remind ourselves that is whack. And I think that is another think I need to remember. 

Those pieces of advice really have made me think and made me feel motivated for the semester. What gets you motivated for the semester? Let me know in the comments below!

College Tips: Preparing for Mid-Term Time

Hello All,

Happy Friday! This is my last Friday of the semester, where of where has time gone? Today I want to give you some tips of mine for preparing for finals. But I'm not giving you study tips because I still don't have those down. LOL. Instead I'll give you topics for preparing for the time when you have to study. 

1. Stock Up on your study snacks (my favorite is popcorn)

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2. Eat at least one balanced meal a day instead of microwavable food or ramen.

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3. Find a good study place whether its at your desk, in the library or your dorm's Common Room (my place).

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4. You may be drinking a lot of caffeine during this time but make sure you drink a lot of water to stay hydrated. 

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5. Create list to figure out your priorities and what still needs to be done. 

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6. Even during high stress moments take some time to see your friends, even if its just for coffee or stress eating (just don't eat leg wax like in the picture below)

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7. If your friends are doing through drama right now, pretend it doesn't exist, you don't need anymore stress then you already have.

8. Don't completely pack all your stuff to go home before finals start, use it for an excuse for break

9. Don't forget to take care of yourself.

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10. Don't forget in like a week it will all be over. 

As I mentioned early my finals start next week. Because of that I will be taking a slight blogging hiatus starting tomorrow (Although I don't normally have a post on Saturday) through Friday December 13! I will miss writing to you guys dearly but finals can be over whelming. But don't forget to stop by because each day I will have a motivational quote on the page to help get you through finals. 

Do you have any tips for getting through finals? Let me know in the comments below. 

Meet a College Blogger...Lindsey

Hello All,

Welcome to another addition of Meet a College Blogger! I'm so excited for this blogger because she is super sweet, and her answer are perfect! I think all of you will like her as much as I do. 

So, with out further ado, I introduce you to Lindsey from LMartThoughts!

1.  What inspired you to start blogging? Why did you chose to name your blog lmartthoughts? 

I started blogging because I was angry over shorts being too expensive. My senior year, I took AP Environmental Science and my teacher suggested I do something about my thoughts, since I didn’t think it was fair to pay $50 or more for a pair of shorts. Don’t even get me started on jeans. Yes, I think they are ridiculously over priced. So, my last name is not “mart” (close but no cigar ya’ll). However, it’s close, so I went with that to protect myself a little bit more. The thoughts part came from the idea that it was putting all the “thoughts” down that were in my head out there for everyone to see.

2.  What is your favorite post you have ever written? And why?

It’s so hard to pick a favorite post! I love so many of them!

         So, here’s some of my recent favorites I think you should definitely check out this one. why: Proves I’m human. And this why: gives you tips and tricks on how to do make up!

And, probably all of my “college tip” posts. I love these because it’s more of why I started the blog.

3.What are you planning on doing after you graduate college?

   Well, hopefully I can become a journalist or an event planner. I do plan on continuing blogging though, so even if the journalist thing doesn’t work out I’ve got this.

4.  On your blog you are doing 101 in 1001, where you are attempting to complete 101 goals in 1001 days. What inspired you to do 101 in 1001? What goal are most excited about? What goal do you think is going to be the hardest to complete?

I’m goal oriented. If I don’t have a goal, it won’t get done. Guaranteed! This way, I know what I’m working toward and a date to get it done by. I definitely have more done then are currently updated on the list (maybe I should make updating it a goal?) I’m most excited about my ADPi related ones because they help strengthen the bonds I have with sisters. My absolute favorite though would be get a dog! I love puppies and I want a little corgi. I have to wait until I’m out of college though. The hardest goal to accomplish will probably be going to England or the Atlantis resort. I don’t have a lot of time off and travel is expensive! I’m being realistic though and know it might not get done...but I can always put it on lists until I get it done! I hoping to study abroad in England this summer though and you know I will definitely be vlogging for ya’ll!

5.  You also run a YouTube channel to create Vlogs that go along with blog. What inspired you do start a vlog? Which did you start first? 

I started watching YouTube when I was in high school. Now, I watch it constantly. If I don’t have a new video to watch while I get ready in the morning, I’m totally lost at what to do! I love follow me around vlogs and I want people to know that I’m normal just like them, and sometimes there just is some stuff you can’t put into words. I tried doing vlogs first (I had a channel called “thefillyproductions” and I actually started with making montages of me riding). However, I officially started blogging first with vlogs as just an add on to my regular posts.

6. On your blog you discuss your life as a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority. What made you want to join the sorority? What is your favorite part of being a member?

I’ve always wanted to go greek but I didn’t really think about it for while when I first went to college.

I wanted to join a sorority because I go to school 3 hours away and knew I would need a support system. Sisters are always there for you no matter what!

Here are some posts that will show you my journey through going greek! here and here.

7.  You participate in Blogtember (I did too!). What was your favorite topic to write about and why?

I loved writing so many of them it is so hard to pick! However, if I had to pick my favorite(s) it would be these: Where I'm From, Defining Moment and Only Photos

8. What is the biggest piece of advice you would give a freshmen in college now?

Go out and explore! Do not just sit in your room and expect people to come to you. Go to recruitment events for greek life, go do things you’ve only dreamed of doing! This is the time in your life that is full of “get out of jail free” cards (don’t do illegal things though!). Take advantage of this. You never know what you might learn about yourself. I wish I hard started do this earlier because I’ve never had so much fun in my life.

9.Since this feature on my blog is all about college bloggers, who are some of your favorite college blogs to read?

One of the first blogs I started reading was Hannah at The Pink and Green Prep. Highly recommend!

Sparkle and Shine is another ADPi blogger that I love. And, The Shore Life According to M.         

I love reading Paige at The Sticky Note Addict and Samantha’s Life is But a Stream of Thoughts

Thank you again to Lindsey for being November's college blogger! She really is super sweet and has a great blog so make sure you go and check her out (her link is above). 

College Tips: THE BATHROOM

Hello All,

As a sophomore in college I think I'm learned a thing or two about college and because of that I like to write some post with "college tips". I haven't done them in a while so you can check out the past ones, Must Haves for College and Living With a Roommate by clicking on the links. 

Today I'm going to talk to you about one of the scariest part of living in a college dorm. The part that is possibly the grossest part. It is the communal bathrooms!

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For anyone who ever lived in a dorm, you can't tell me that's not one of the first questions you asked when touring a campus was do you have clean bathrooms? I know I thought about it. 

So, here are some of my tips for sharing a bathroom with 40 other girls!

1. Wipe any bodly functions of the seat when your done using it. I don't want to see your pee or anything else on the seat when I got to sit on it.

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If you're one of those people who don't like sitting on toilet seats that fine, just use the seat protector or make sure you wipe up whatever misses when you hover. 

2. Don't leave feminine products on the floor if they are used. Ain't nobody want to touch that!

3. Don't leave any clothes, underwear, shampoo, used razor in the bathroom. Your floor mates, RAs and janitors ARE NOT your mother and should not have to clean up after you!

4. Same goes with the hair in the drains, on the walls or wherever else you can get your long hair.

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 5. Always wear something on your feet! Whether is socks when you go to pee or wear flip-flops/sandals when you shower. You don't want a fungus growing between your toes! That's just gross.

6. Flush the toilet! Its really not that hard!

7. I don't care if you want to listen to music, I love to listen music in shower. But if you go in and someone else's music is already playing, PLEASE don't try and over power their music. We can sing along to the same song!

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And those are my tips for sharing a college dorm bathroom. Do you have any tips? Let me know in the comments below!

Sophomore Room Tour!

Hello All,

I finally got around to editing my dorm tour, the video is insert below, I actually encourage you to watch it so you get better idea of what my room looks like and its better then pictures I took and you get to see a little bit more.

But here is just a a little look at what my dorm room looks like this year!

The bulletin board in our hallway that our RA made to give advice about living on campus

These were outside our room on move in day

Our room number and name tag. 

How we decorated our door. 

My desk (sorry its a little messy) 

The view from the door

A view from dresser/closest.

The view from my bed/desk

So, that's what my dorm looks like this year. If you want to check out the video door check it out below!

Blogtember: Favorite Bloggers - Day 25

Hello All,

Today's post is another one that I'm really excited about (I'm excited about a lot of them) but this one is because its about the blogs I read and I love reading blogs! For this post I'm going to focus on mainly college bloggers because it goes along with something else that hopefully will start being feature on my blog!

*These Bloggers are in no particular order at all***

Paige at  The Sticky Note Addict

On Paiges' blog you can hear about her adventures with her dog Gatsby and boyfriend Bradley. Also her blogging birthday just past so Happy Birthday Sticky Note Addict!

Miss ALK at Southern Belle in Training
Miss ALK writes about her life at her southern college, which she moved to from the North East and her love for fashion! I do love her sense of fashion.

Samantha at Life but a stream of thoughts
I love reading Samantha's blog because I'm living vicariously through her life as sorority girl. Plus it was a lot of fun to read her adventures while studying aboard Italy this past summer.

Lizzy at Lizzy's Luggage
I abosolutely love Lizzy! She is an absolute sweet heart and seems so confident with who she is. I also love that she's a vlogger because I'm trying to get into the vlogging world.

Natalie at Finding My Voice
I actually know Natalie personal so its pretty cool to have a friend who I found out I was blogger after we met. I also love Natalie's blog because it is unlike anyone else's on this list.

Who are some of your favorite bloggers? Let me know in the comments below, I'm always trying to find new blogs to read.

Blogtember: A Time You Screwed Up - Day 18

Hello All,

Today's Blogtember topic is one I'm a little apprehensive to share, because it is something that I am a little bit ashamed of but I'm going to share because I learned just a powerful lesson from it. With that being said I will share the story with you.

One of my biggest pet peeves in the world is door slamming and the door in my dorm are really loud because their fire proof ones.

When I first moved to college everyone was tweeting about everyone. They were tweeting about their neighbors, the kids in their classes, their teacher, some random guy they passed. And I unfortunately I went the crowd and tweeted about how annoying my neighbor was.

I came home from the weekend and the girl came to my door and confronted me about it. For the first time I saw that my tweet had effected another human being. She looked so hurt and and I felt ashamed right away. As soon as we finished our conversation I went on my phone and deleted the tweet. 

I have never been so ashamed as I was in that moment. Since then I think before I tweet. I think about what I am saying. What I'm trying to say. And what other people might read into. I also try to remember that future employers or even my current one may check my feed and I need to keep it responsible. 

I can't tell you how often I will write tweet, re-read and then discard it because I don't like what it says about me.

Since starting my blog I take this lesson even more seriously. The way I look at it is, is what I'm writing something I would want my parents to read (they don't know about this lovely blog, maybe someday if I study aboard or if I keep writing when I have children), is this something I would want my future children to read or even my future husband. Is this something that I would be ashamed of one day in future? 

I try to remember all these things every time I log on twitter. I still feel guilty to this day for hurting that girl's feelings instead of talking to her about it like a grown adult. But I'm grateful for this mistake because of what great lesson I learned from it.

What is a mistake that you've made that you've learned a big lesson from? Let me know in the comments below.

On a side not and completely unrelated, while you are reading this me and my roommate are at the Big-E and seeing Hunter Hayes so be on the look out for that post coming soon!

College Tips: My College Must Haves

Hello All,

My original plan for this post was to add a vlog to this post but then I realized that I move in Tuesday and I don't have time to create a video on top of packing and working and getting ready to return to school. None the less I'm adding another entry into my series, College Tips. If you can read my one about roommates here. 

Today's entry are all of my college must haves. These are items that I found that used a lot that aren't the obvious ones like clothes, books, binders, etc...

Stacking Drawers:

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I put these under my bed (which we loft) and put in my extra school suppiles, hair dryer, straightener, basically anything I don't use on daily basises. 

Landyard with a Coin Purse

I love have a coin purse that I can fit my important must have cards in like my school ID or driver's license. I love the landyard because its easy its easy to find in my bag or put around my neck so I don't always have to carry my keys.

Blanket

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This one might only be something that I need, I'm always cold. I love having a blanket to sleep with when its to hot to sleep with my comforter or when I'm cold while I read. 

Ramen or Microwavable Food

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Ramen is perfect for a midnight snack or diner when you have a lot work. Although I wouldn't eat it to often because it starts tasting weird. 

Water Cups/Travel Cups

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I love Tervis tumbler cups. I fill it with water and bring it to class or to the library. I also bring refillable water bottles to bring to the gym with me.

Pitcher

 I love using a pitcher because it ends up being much cheaper to refilled cups then to buy water bottles.

Backpack

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I can't study in my dorm room so I need to be able to move all my stuff with me. 

Pictures for your wall
Decorating your wall will make you feel more like you're home. I remember for about the first 2-3 weeks I kept saying I can't believe this is my room but the picture made it feel like it was.

Those are my must have for college. What are yours? Let me know in the comments below.