A welcome sign on the door, a colorful pillow on the couch, a group picture framed and placed on the table in the corner, a little bowl of candy on the center table -- whether it is something bright and eye-catching or something simple and subtle, most students take the trouble to find some odds and ends to make their dorms and apartments feel a little more like home.
One popular way to make a student's home away from home feel cozier is holiday decorations. From Halloween to Christmas to Easter, with birthdays scattered throughout, some students are never at a loss for reasons to decorate.
First-year Engineering student Jessica Bashkoff and her suitemates decided to decorate their suite with everything from pumpkin lights to hanging bats for Halloween.
"It was fun to go out and get decorations and come back and put them up," Bashkoff said. "It was a good way to take break from studying."
Indeed, for many students, half the fun of decorating comes from the actual buying or making of decorations. They see the chance to personalize their space as an opportunity to be creative and original -- not to mention an opportunity to continue procrastinating on that paper due tomorrow.
"I mostly put up pictures," third-year College student Kimberly Lanzarotta said. "I print off digital pictures, and I make them into big collages to make my room more visually appealing. They remind me of good times. I'll do a poster of a sorority function or a time I went camping."
Of course, there are also those who need no reason to decorate. Many students add personality to their rooms with objects, pictures and posters that they keep year after year.
"I have those little stars you put up on the ceiling on my walls," fourth-year College student Jenny Rutledge said.
Many students enjoy using decorations like those sticker stars from their elementary school days -- things that never lose their appeal.
"I have decorative lights and a bunch of plants in my room," Lanzarotta said.
Others use decorations to remind them of family and friends, as well as good times from the past.
"I have posters, pictures of family and friends, stuff that I used to do -- sports stuff and whatever I'm into at the time," first-year College student David Laine said.
Yet, although most students prefer to add a personal touch, there are those who do not feel a need to add character to their space.
"My walls are white," fourth-year Engineering student Alan Lau said. "I've been too busy and too lazy."
But for those who enjoy a dash of color, a touch of personality and a reminder of the past, there are an endless array of potential decorative items to be found in every nook and cranny.
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