You will be spending A LOT of time in college studying! You may choose to study at the library, a cafe, on campus in an empty classroom, or your bedroom at home. If you choose the latter, your high school bedroom just might not cut it. Here’s how to shake things up and refresh your space at home.

Rearrange your furniture

Rearranging the furniture in your room will help you feel like you’re entering a new phase in life (which you are!). Think about where you want your desk to be and read some helpful tips on How To Set Up your Study Space. If you will be attending classes that have an online component with video calls, think about the lighting and what people will see in the background.

Make room for your new college textbooks and study materials

College means textbooks and an exponential increase in study materials. Do you have space in your room to keep them organized and easily accessible? Think about getting a small bookshelf and/or creating a space around your desk for all of the new books and study aids.

Clean and put away old study materials

How many old tests or projects do you have laying around? Take this time to sort through your old books, tests, quizzes and projects. You don’t have to throw everything away. Save some to look back on, and anything you might find useful, like an old study guide or formula sheets.

Decorate with some college swag

Hype yourself up by displaying your new college colors. Put up your college’s pennant (those triangle flags) and display your acceptance letter. You’ve done a lot to get where you are - you deserve to show it off!

Buy college studying essentials

You will soon find that studying in college is a step or two up from studying in high school. Get prepared by buying some basic studying supplies and organizing them within reach of your desk. Here are some suggested supplies:

• College lined notebook
• Pen or pencils, or erasable pens
• Highlighters
• A ruler to make straight lines (really helpful for creating tables/columns)
• Water bottle to stay hydrated
• Headphones

Staying in a residence hall or moving to college? Check out our packing list for a first year college student. Any questions for us? Just text #College to 33-55-77 to chat with one of our advisors. If you're using a mobile device, click here to have the text message set up for you!