No doubt: The first year of college is exhilarating. Woo hoo! You’re on your own! You can do whatever you want! It’s also intimidating, though, because — well, you’re on your own, you can do whatever you want, but eek, you’ve never done it before.

Laundry is piling up. Your dorm is a pigsty. And there’s more homework than you’ve ever seen. Fear not. Others have come before you and figured out hacks to surviving college.

1. App up
Technology can save you oodles of time. Check out apps such as Evernote Peek that help you take notes or Wolfram Alpha that helps with math. Check out other essential apps at Laptop Magazine.

2. Get free Wi-Fi

Foursquare isn’t just about becoming the mayor of the Java Hut. Often, the comments for particular establishments include Wi-Fi passwords as well.

3. Speed listen to lectures
Record lectures, then use programs such as Audacity or VLC media player to listen to them at double speed. Presto, a 70 minute lecture is now 35 minutes.

4. Do laundry late at night

Laundries are usually packed during the day and in the early evening. Have the run of the place – and get your studying in, to boot – by occasionally doing laundry on weekend nights.

5. Power up
Save space by affixing power strips to nightstands with duct tape. That makes it easy to plug in phones and tablets with short cords and always have them nearby.

6. Stock up on condiments

Dorm food has improved leaps and bounds from the days of mystery meat. But to jazz up late-night snacks, stock up on free condiments offered at fast-food restaurants. Mixing and matching can work wonders. For instance, make barbecue sauce by combining 5-6 packets of ketchup, 2-3 packets of hot sauce, 1 packet of soy sauce, 1 packet of mustard and 1 packet of pepper.

7. Instant air fresheners

Room smelling funky? Tape dryer sheets to a fan. Your room will smell April fresh within minutes.

8. Stay focused

Easier said than done, right? Impose self-discipline through apps such as SelfControl for Macs or Cold Turkey for PCs that block access to websites and emails for predetermined periods so you can study without being tempted by the latest cat video on YouTube.

9. Never forget your schedule

Take a photo of your class schedule and save it as the lock screen on your phone.

Bonus Tip: Go independent
Consider Michigan’s top 15 independent colleges and universities, where students forge success by following their own path. The colleges are smaller and emphasize community over crowds.

Often less expensive than public institutions, the independents boast higher four-year graduation rates and smaller class sizes for a truly unique and affordable experience.

Be bold. Be different. Go independent.

The average dorm room looks like this:

Pretty boring, huh? And some colleges don’t make it easy to transform drab into dramatic, imposing a host of rules and restrictions on decorating. But with a little creativity and ingenuity, ugly cinder blocks can morph into something wonderful.

Here are 10 hacks to add sizzle and swagger – and maximize square footage – to even the blah-est dorm rooms.

1. Washi Tape Frames

For about $20, cheap posters look like works of art that can be easily removed at semester’s end.

2. Shoe Organizer Pantries

Organize snacks for late-night study sessions in the back of your door. You’ll never have to guess again when you’re running low on Twizzlers.

3. Chalk Paint Planners

Organize your week on easily creatable – and changeable – planners.

4. Move int Take a seat.

Add pillows to moving crates for homey touches. When you have to move again, the boxes are nearby.

5. Never look for a pen again

Use hot glue to attach magnets to old cans and affix them to mini fridges for an elegant, homey accent.

6. Go vertical

Empty, unused space is an enemy to every dorm. Get creative by adding shelves to closets, using every inch under the bed for storage.

7. Twinkle, Twinkle

Organize photos by hanging them on twinkle lights.

8. Laundry Basket Storage Shelves

Get extra space by ditching dresses for stacked laundry baskets affixed in closets.

9. Never look for your phone again

Keep it and other essentials handy with a cheap silverware tray that keeps everything you need within reach.

10. Create with Contact Paper

Contact paper isn’t just for lining shelves. It’s perfect for creating inexpensive and temporary flourishes to make your home away from home unique.

It isn’t always easy. But going the extra yard to express yourself is always worth it.

Michigan’s 15 independent colleges and universities prizes their freethinking students, allowing them to forge success by following their own path. The colleges are smaller and emphasize community over crowds.
Often less expensive than public institutions, the independents boast higher four-year graduation rates and smaller class sizes for a truly unique and affordable experience.

Be bold. Be different. Go independent.