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Students Transform Their Drab Dorm Rooms Into Comfy Living Spaces

Sara Hunt, 19, a sophomore at New York University from Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, sits in her dorm room, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, in New York. Hunt wanted her dorm room to look cozy but her budget was $100.
Sara Hunt, 19, a sophomore at New York University from Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, sits in her dorm room, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, in New York. Hunt wanted her dorm room to look cozy but her budget was $100.

From $300 studded headboards and $100 coffee table books to custom-made cabinets to disguise your mini-fridge, students are spending big bucks to decorate their dorm rooms, adding yet another layer to the soaring costs of college.

Some are even going so far as to hire interior designers to beautify their 12 feet by 20 feet of space.

Lesley Lachman, 18, planned her furnishings for her dorm room with her roommate immediately after deciding to attend the University of Mississippi back in May. The Rye, New York resident scoured websites like Pinterest and designed her room herself — with hues of pink, purple and green culled from a mix of pricey brands like Essentials with Eden as well as less expensive items from Ikea and Facebook Marketplace. Total cost for the design? About $3,000, covered by her parents.

"There's so much work that had to be done because it felt lackluster. It didn't feel homey," said Lachman, who posted a "before" and "after" video of her room on TikTok.

Childhood friends Sydney Allbritton, 18, left, and Emma Kirk, 19, both of Grenada, Mississippi, pose in their decorated dorm room at the University of Mississippi, in Oxford, on Aug. 30, 2023.
Childhood friends Sydney Allbritton, 18, left, and Emma Kirk, 19, both of Grenada, Mississippi, pose in their decorated dorm room at the University of Mississippi, in Oxford, on Aug. 30, 2023.

The "before" video shows stark yellow cinderblock walls, a mustard-colored built-in desk and an open closet. The "after" video shows a complete makeover, with lacey curtains to cover the closet, embroidered pillows and a cushy white headboard to dress up her bed, and customized framed art of hearts.

"I'm so in love with the room," Lachman said after her redesign. "I want to leave the door open and want everyone to stop by and admire it."

Overall, the back-to-college season is big business, with families expected to spend an average of about $1,367 per person, up 14% from a year ago, according to an annual survey conducted this summer by the National Retail Federation and market researcher Prosper Insights & Analytics. Spending on big-ticket items such as electronics and dorm furnishings as well as necessities like food accounted for more than half of the increase, NRF said.

Meanwhile, the total cost of college — including tuition, fees, room and board — almost doubled between 1992 and 2022, rising from an inflation-adjusted average of $14,441 per year to $26,903 across all types of universities, according to National Center for Education Statistics, the statistical branch of the Education Department. Dorm costs saw a similar spike over the same time span, rising from $3,824 to $7,097.

Sara Hunt, 19, a sophomore at New York University from Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, wanted her dorm room to look cozy but her budget was $100. That's because she's footing 30% — or nearly $30,000 a year — of NYU's annual college bill. Financial aid picks up the rest.

"I definitely try to work on being positive and not comparing myself to other people because I'm so lucky for what I have. But it is really stressful," said Hunt, who worked more than 60 hours per week last school year and took a job as a pastry chef this summer to help pay for her college expenses.

For her dorm décor, Hunt scoured Goodwill stores, Dollar Tree, T.J. Maxx and Five Below for deals on neon lights, wallpaper decals and bedding. She also rummaged through bins of returned items from major retailers at a discount bazaar in her hometown.

Jamel Donnor, a professor at William & Mary College in Williamsburg, Virginia, and a leading expert on inequity in education, said the big divide in dorm furnishings marks an "unspoken reality of the have and have nots." He noted that the stark differences in dorm decorating between those who have money and those who don't can make some students wonder if they should even be at their college.

"There's this imposter syndrome," he said.

Dorm supplies e-tailer Dormify is playing to both ends of the budget. For the first time this fall, it's offering various bundles of essentials including a pack of 19 items for $159 that includes bath towels and a comforter for those who are more price-conscious. For the big spenders, Dormify unveiled an interior designer service for $450 with interior decorator Jen Abrams; it plans to roll out the offering with other designers next year.

Amanda Zuckerman, co-founder and president of Dormify, noted TikTok has raised the bar in dorm furnishings, creating "the ability to become TikTok famous or go viral because of how well decorated your room is." Average orders are up 15% this fall, she said.

Dawn Thomas launched an interior design service — After Five Designs — in Jackson, Mississippi 20 years ago for college students after designing dorm rooms for her own children who were going away to school. She said in the past few years, she has seen plenty of other designers now working with students.

A cabinet conceals a small refrigerator in the dormitory room of University of Mississippi freshmen Sydney Allbritton and Emma Kirk, Aug. 30, 2023. From $300 studded headboards and $100 coffee table books to custom-made cabinets to disguise your mini-fridge, students are spending big bucks to decorate their dorm rooms.
A cabinet conceals a small refrigerator in the dormitory room of University of Mississippi freshmen Sydney Allbritton and Emma Kirk, Aug. 30, 2023. From $300 studded headboards and $100 coffee table books to custom-made cabinets to disguise your mini-fridge, students are spending big bucks to decorate their dorm rooms.

Thomas noted parents spend as much as $10,000. One of the more popular items is a custom-made $1,900 cabinet that covers the refrigerator in the dorm.

But she's also noticing parents are starting to hold back on certain items.

"The economy hasn't been that great this year," she said. "And I've noticed the sky is not the limit."

Emma Kirk, who is from Grenada, Mississippi, and a freshman at University of Mississippi, tapped into Thomas's services and bought a gold studded headboard, custom-made pillows and bedspread among other items. She didn't know what the total bill was since her parents paid for it. But she said her parents reined her in whenever she picked out something too expensive.

"(Thomas) would work out something where we could get something similar," she said.

Even on her tight budget, Hunt — the NYU student — says she is happy with her dorm room décor.

"At NYU, so many parents pay for everything. But I'm not here to judge," she said. "The truth is, even if I had all the money in the world, I probably would still decorate my room the way that I have it now."

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US college students face muted graduations amid Gaza war protests

US college students face muted graduations amid Gaza war protests
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Commencement ceremonies are being scaled back or canceled at U.S. universities because of security concerns over pro-Palestinian student protests. While some campus demonstrations have resulted in concessions, others have led to violent confrontations. VOA’s Tina Trinh has the story from New York.

update

Police arrest 33 at George Washington University protest encampment

In this photo taken from video, demonstrators protest the Israel-Hamas war at the George Washington University campus in Washington on May 8, 2024. Police say they arrested 33 people while clearing out an encampment on campus.
In this photo taken from video, demonstrators protest the Israel-Hamas war at the George Washington University campus in Washington on May 8, 2024. Police say they arrested 33 people while clearing out an encampment on campus.

Police in Washington cleared a pro-Palestinian protest encampment at George Washington University early Wednesday, arresting 33 people, authorities said.

Arrests were made on charges of assault on a police officer and unlawful entry, the District of Columbia's Metropolitan Police Department said.

A congressional committee canceled a hearing on the university encampment Wednesday. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Washington Police Chief Pamela Smith had been scheduled to testify about the city’s handling of the protest before the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.

University parents and faculty members gathered Wednesday afternoon for a press conference to condemn the handling of the protests by police and school leaders.

Hala Amer, mother of a George Washington University student, speaks at a press conference with faculty and alumni to call on the university to negotiate with student protesters, May 8, 2024, in Washington. (Melos Ambaye/VOA)
Hala Amer, mother of a George Washington University student, speaks at a press conference with faculty and alumni to call on the university to negotiate with student protesters, May 8, 2024, in Washington. (Melos Ambaye/VOA)

“The university clearly does not value the students at all and has endangered the safety of our children by unleashing officers dressed in full riot gear to assault and spray our children in their eyes with pepper spray,” said Hala Amer, whose son participated in the campus protests.

Police said they dispersed demonstrators because "there has been a gradual escalation in the volatility of the protest."

American University professor Barbara Wien said she stayed in the encampment with GW students. She described the student protesters as democratic and peaceful.

Police started to shut down the tent encampment after dozens of protesters marched to GW President Ellen Granberg's on-campus home on Tuesday night. Police were called, but no arrests were made.

Speakers at the conference called for Granberg’s resignation because, they alleged, she refused to meet and negotiate with student protesters.

“You keep inciting violence and ignoring the students,” Amer said about Granberg in an interview with VOA after the conference. “It will just lead to more violence. You need to talk to your students.”

GW officials warned students that they could be suspended for engaging in protests at the school’s University Yard, an outdoor spot on the campus.

"While the university is committed to protecting students' rights to free expression, the encampment had evolved into an unlawful activity, with participants in direct violation of multiple university policies and city regulations," a GW statement said.

More than 2,600 people have been arrested at universities across the country in pro-Palestinian protests, according to The Associated Press.

Students are calling on their university administrations to divest investments from Israel or companies with ties to Israel. Demonstrators have gathered in at least 50 campuses since April 17, carrying signs that read "Free Palestine" and "Hands off Rafah."

Rafah is Gaza’s southernmost city, where most of the territory’s population has clustered. The area is also a corridor for bringing humanitarian aid into the Palestinian territory.

Israel seized the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing on Tuesday, while shutting off the nearby Kerem Shalom crossing, drawing criticism from humanitarian groups. Israel said Wednesday that it had reopened Kerem Shalom.

The nationwide campus protests started in response to Israel's offensive in Gaza that began after Hamas launched a terror attack on Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 hostages.

More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's offensive, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Israel warned it could "deepen" its operation in Rafah if talks failed to secure the release of the hostages.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press.

What to ask on a college visit

FILE - Passers-by walk on the campus of Harvard University, Dec. 12, 2023, in Cambridge, Mass.
FILE - Passers-by walk on the campus of Harvard University, Dec. 12, 2023, in Cambridge, Mass.

Sarah Wood lists 32 questions for applicants to learn more during a campus visit. (April 2024)

US is now the most desirable country for international students

FILE - People take photographs near a John Harvard statue, Jan. 2, 2024, on the campus of Harvard University, in Cambridge, Mass.
FILE - People take photographs near a John Harvard statue, Jan. 2, 2024, on the campus of Harvard University, in Cambridge, Mass.

That’s according to this year’s Emerging Futures research survey, from education consultant IDP Connect. Other Western countries have slipped due to new visa restrictions and caps on international students. Read a summary of the research from ICEF Monitor. (April 30, 2024)

Pro-Palestinian protesters break through barricades to retake MIT encampment

Pro-Palestinian supporters tear down the wall as they retake the encampment at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on May 6, 2024.
Pro-Palestinian supporters tear down the wall as they retake the encampment at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on May 6, 2024.

Pro-Palestinian protesters who had been blocked by police from accessing an encampment at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Monday broke through fencing, linked arms and encircled tents that remained there, as Columbia University canceled its university-wide commencement ceremony following weeks of pro-Palestinian protests.

Sam Ihns, a graduate student at MIT studying mechanical engineering and a member of MIT Jews for a Ceasefire, said the group has been at the encampment for the past two weeks and that they were calling for an end to the killing of thousands of people in Gaza.

"Specifically, our encampment is protesting MIT's direct research ties to the Israeli Ministry of Defense," he said.

Protesters also sat in the middle of Massachusetts Avenue, blocking the street during rush hour in the Boston area.

The demonstrations at Columbia have roiled its campus and officials said Monday that while it won't hold it's main ceremony, students will be able to celebrate at a series of smaller, school-based ceremonies this week and next.

The decision comes as universities around the country wrangle with how to handle commencements for students whose high school graduations were derailed by COVID-19 in 2020. Another campus shaken by protests, Emory University, announced Monday that it would move its commencement from its Atlanta campus to a suburban arena. Others, including the University of Michigan, Indiana University and Northeastern, have pulled off ceremonies with few disruptions.

Columbia's decision to cancel its main ceremonies scheduled for May 15 saves its president, Minouche Shafik, from having to deliver a commencement address in the same part of campus where police dismantled a protest encampment last week. The Ivy League school in upper Manhattan said it made the decision after discussions with students.

"Our students emphasized that these smaller-scale, school-based celebrations are most meaningful to them and their families," officials said.

Most of the ceremonies that had been scheduled for the south lawn of the main campus, where encampments were taken down last week, will take place about 8 kilometers (5 miles) north at Columbia's sports complex, officials said.

Speakers at some of Columbia's still-scheduled graduation ceremonies include Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright James Ijames and Dr. Monica Bertagnolli, director of the National Institutes of Health.

Columbia had already canceled in-person classes. More than 200 pro-Palestinian demonstrators who had camped out on Columbia's green or occupied an academic building were arrested in recent weeks.

Similar encampments sprouted up elsewhere as universities struggled with where to draw the line between allowing free expression while maintaining safe and inclusive campuses.

The University of Southern California earlier canceled its main graduation ceremony. Students abandoned their camp at USC on Sunday after being surrounded by police and threatened with arrest.

Other universities have held graduation ceremonies with beefed-up security. The University of Michigan's ceremony was interrupted by chanting a few times Saturday. In Boston on Sunday, some students waved small Palestinian or Israeli flags at Northeastern University's commencement in Fenway Park.

Emory's ceremonies scheduled for May 13 will be held at the GasSouth Arena and Convocation Center in Duluth, almost 20 miles (30 kilometers) northeast of the university's Atlanta campus, President Gregory Fenves said in an open letter.

"Please know that this decision was not taken lightly," Fenves wrote. "It was made in close consultation with the Emory Police Department, security advisors and other agencies — each of which advised against holding commencement events on our campuses."

The 16,000-student university is one of many that has seen repeated protests stemming from the conflict that started Oct. 7 when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking roughly 250 hostages. Student protesters are calling on their schools to divest from companies that do business with Israel or otherwise contribute to the war effort.

Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel launched an offensive in Gaza that has killed more than 34,500 Palestinians, about two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory. Israeli strikes have devastated the enclave and displaced most of its inhabitants.

Hamas on Monday announced its acceptance of an Egyptian-Qatari cease-fire proposal, but Israel said the deal did not meet its "core demands" and that it was pushing ahead with an assault on the southern Gaza town of Rafah.

"Cease-fires are temporary," said Selina Al-Shihabi, a Georgetown University sophomore who was taking part in a protest at George Washington. "There can be a cease-fire, but the U.S. government will continue to arm the Israeli military. We plan to be here until the university divests or until they drag us out of here."

At the University of California, San Diego, police cleared an encampment and arrested more than 64 people, including 40 students.

The University of California, Los Angeles, moved all classes online for the entire week due to ongoing disruptions following the dismantling of an encampment last week. The university police force reported 44 arrests but there were no specific details, UCLA spokesperson Eddie North-Hager said in an email to The Associated Press.

Schools are trying various tactics from appeasement to threats of disciplinary action to get protestors to take down encampments or move to campus areas where demonstrations would be less intrusive.

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago said in a Facebook post Sunday that it offered protesters "amnesty from academic sanction and trespassing charges" if they moved.

"Many protesters left the premises of their own accord after being notified by the police that they were trespassing and subject to arrest," the school said. "Those that remained were arrested after multiple warnings to leave, including some of whom we recognized as SAIC students."

A group of faculty and staff members at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill asked the administration for amnesty for any students who were arrested and suspended during recent protests. UNC Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine said in a media advisory that it would deliver a letter on behalf of more than 500 faculty who support the student activists.

Other universities took a different approach.

Harvard University's interim president, Alan Garber, warned students that those participating in a pro-Palestinian encampment in Harvard Yard could face "involuntary leave." That means they would not be allowed on campus, could lose their student housing and may not be able to take exams, Garber said.

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