The Dorm Room's 4 Basic Functions #StudentLife @CanadianTire

Preparing for #StudentLife: 

A college or university student's room whether a bedroom at home or a dorm room needs to be planned and organized to meet four main functions.

Thirty years ago I sat at the kitchen table to put together my course schedule and prepare for my first year of university all without the ease of apps, cell phones or the internet. My tech was a second hand electric typewriter, textbooks were in hard copy and heavy, notes were taken by hand, and a periodical index rather than Google was how you search for magazine articles on a specific topic.
Although the technology has changed over the last 30 years, starting university still marks the start of a new chapter one's academic and personal life.

This September my eldest son, affectionately referred to as Thing One is starting college, and we're busy preparing for the start of the school year. Even though he'll be living at home this year our goal is to organize his room to function like a dorm room. We want him to feel that he's really starting a new chapter of his life, and to ensure he has all the tools he needs to have the best year ever.

#StudentLife: 

A Student's Room has four main functions or stations. 

Above student life products were found on the Canadian Tire website. Images via Canadian Tire

• Academics: 

This includes all the tools and requirements to successfully complete your courses including workspace, technology, organization, and time management. A comfortable chair, good task lighting and outlets to charge devices are a must.

• Sleep: (Teens need 8-10 hours of sleep per night to function at their best) 

This includes a bed and bedding. Also important is minimizing outside light and noises, and blackout blinds and noise cancelling headphones are great for this. Air purifiers are especially important in small stuffy dorm rooms. A fan and good alarm clock are also must have items for student life.  

• Down Time: 

Having some personal down time is important, as is having an area and activities to relax and forget about the pressures and stress of school, exams and assignments. This may include comfy seating, a TV, gaming console, blue-tooth speaker, headphones, and storage for all of this. 

• Storage: 

Storage and efficient use of space is a must in a small room. Clothes, and all other belongings need to have a place. Plastic chests of drawers and 3M Command hooks are great storage options. Using bed risers to gain more under-the-bed storage is also another great option.

In the Destination: Back to Campus section of Canadian Tire's website there are tons of student life hacks, products, and ideas about dorm room decor and living.

#StudentLife Hack Contest

Better yet share an idea or student life hack and enter Canadian Tire's giveaway and possibly win a Canadian Tire gift card.

 The grand prize is $1000 gift card that would go a long way for someone on a student life budget. Plus there are daily $100 gift cards to be won.

Yep, just me Cathy thinking out loud about #StudentLife.

Note: I was compensated for this post and to share my ideas and preparations for my child's start of #studentlife at college. All opinions are my own and reflect my personal experience with the brand or products.