You know it will take hard work and effort to succeed in college, and that means you have to be willing to study. While you’ll study in the library, in friends’ rooms, and even right in the classroom before a test, prepping your dorm room to create an ideal study spot will only help you succeed.

Your dorm room has to serve multiple functions as a bedroom, lounge, and study zone. You won’t have much space for all those roles! While you’ll have a bed and some basic furniture, equipping and setting up your dorm room for ideal studying is a critical task. Even if you plan on studying in the library or a common room most nights, you’ll have some late nights and pockets of time spent studying right in your dorm.

To be able to study effectively, you’ll have to be able to see what you’re studying! Don’t forget to include a desk lamp or floor lamp as part of your college supplies. Your dorm room might have only a single overhead fluorescent light, which can be harsh on eyes after prolonged sessions and can’t spotlight that small-print textbook font the way a desk lamp can. If your roommate’s sleeping, you’ll need a desk lamp to keep him or her undisturbed.

Keeping your dorm room clean can be a challenge. For effective studying, keep that desk surface clutter-free and usable. Studying with your laptop and a couple open textbooks and notebooks requires space, and you’ll make studying an only more trying task if you’re trying to balance everything on a teetering pile of papers, folders, and snack wrappers.

You might think all your studying will take place seated at your desk, but there are actually multiple study spots in your little room. Though you have to be careful to stay awake, studying atop or lying in your bed can often be more comfortable than sitting in the same chair for a few hours. Similarly, if you have a futon in your dorm room, it can provide a nice study-spot changeup from your desk. Be sure you have the right items to help you study in these various locales. You’ll need a floor lamp or clip-on light next to your bed and a lap desk to ensure you have a proper study surface.

Staying organized is also important for studying. For your textbooks, notebooks, and other study supplies, keep them at arm’s reach as opposed to storing them under your bed or in your closet. When you have ten minutes before a big test, you can quickly do some last-minute review without having to fish through all sorts of dorm items under your bed. Studying takes some motivation; so don’t create obstacles to getting down to work. Keep clean and organized, and you’ll make dorm-room studying that much easier.

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