ZOE ROGERS / OPINION EDITOR

The views expressed in the editorial and op-ed sections are not necessarily those of  The USD Vista staff, the University of San Diego, or its student body.

The environment where we decompress, prepare for the day and live our lives plays a huge role in our overall well-being. A messy, chaotic environment is definitley an easy way to develop disorder in your life. However, obsessing over the idea of perfectly decorating your room can have its downsides, too. College students are obsessed with the idea of over-accessorizing and decorating their dorm rooms. While it’s essential to have a clean, welcoming space as a part of your everyday life, you do not need to overspend on the aesthetic of your dorm room.  

The college living situation is romanticized on many fronts. I remember when coming into college, I saw so many videos on TikTok and Instagram about how people were designing their dorm rooms for the year. I saw the posts of  first-years or sophomores from various schools talking about how they would make their dorm as aesthetically pleasing as possible. 

It’s easy to want to have a visually appealing room with lights, posters and color-coordinating accessories throughout the room. I remember going into my first year, I looked up my dorm on USD’s housing website and tried to plan out what I would buy and where it could be useful. I fell victim to getting lost in the wall decor, bedding, desk items and drawer organizers many times. 

Sometimes, there can be an overwhelming  pressure to have the perfect dorm like the ones that we see so frequently on social media. This is an easy topic to let consume your mind, and it’s tempting to get caught up in the details, especially when there are so many different aspects to obsess over for your dorm to be up to par with the dormitories represented online. 

I remember when my first-year roommates and I originally created our group chat, we were already talking about what posters we wanted and how we should decorate our room. Despite this conversation being a good icebreaker for my roommates and me, it highlights the pressure that students have to design an appealing room. But the truth is, in order to achieve this highly coveted style of living, you need to invest a lot more money than you really should in your living experience. 

The National Retail Federation, a retail trade association that promotes and defends its businesses’ interests with local and national authorities, states that students spend roughly $750 on college dorm supplies a year. For many people, spending this amount of money can be intimidating, especially when living in these spaces temporarily. While there are things that are necessary to spend money on to ensure a positive living situation, such as bedding, shower supplies, laundry supplies and room essentials (like a vacuum, microwave or minifridge), it’s important not to give in to the pressure of blowing too much money on your dorm. 

Spending lots of money on dorm decorations is becoming normalized for college students. Photo courtesy of @Dormify/Instagram

We only live in these spaces for nine months out of the year; after that, the school year is over. We pack everything up and either store it for about three more months, or bring it back home with us. Though it’s easy to say, living in a bare room can be difficult for anybody; if extra dorm accessories such as mirrors, wall decor, coffee table objects and other similar objects are what bring you joy within a semester of stress, then purchasing them is not a bad idea. It’s important to cultivate a healthy environment where you feel you can decompress and find joy after a long day of school. And if buying that random poster you saw at the store would achieve that for you, then you should buy it.  If you feel that your room is perfect without the extra bling, then it’s okay to keep it that way. Don’t go out of your way to buy the extra things that you’ve noticed everyone else is buying solely because everyone else is buying them. 

Additionally, if you’re monitoring your spending, saving the money you have for an emergency dorm purchase is important. It would be smart to save your money and spend it when the time comes and you run out of dorm supplies such as soap or paper towels, in contrast to blowing your cash on an expensive shelf that you have your eye on.  

The pressure to create a decked-out living space filled with dorm room accessories is extremely prevalent, especially with the ability to see how students can turn their simple dorm into a beautiful bedroom. But it’s important not to get caught up in the details. Buy what you need first, and if you want to add something to your room that’ll make you happy, buy it. Don’t overspend on your dorm; we’re living here for only nine months, so allocate your money wisely. 

Social media is an easy way to get caught up in the pressure to have an aesthetically pleasing dorm. Photo courtesy of @Dormify/ Instagram

Correction: Last week, an opinion published on page 9 of The USD Vista claimed that tuition at USD costs $76,375 and that removing core requirements could potentially save students up to $160,000. This is incorrect. For the 2024 – 2025 school year, tuition costs $58,420. This figure excludes housing, food, additional fees and indirect costs. Given that the overall cost of attendance varies by student, it is uncertain how removing core requirements would affect student costs. The USD Vista regrets this error.