By Claire Marie Scott | Broadcast Sports Director
When coming to college, it is easy to feel homesick — missing your old bed, the comfort of your own kitchen and living with your family. But don’t let your college years go by thinking of Waco as your backup home. With some intentional details, it can become your home base, too.
First of all, home is not a tangible thing. A house, dorm or apartment is, but a true home is made up of the people who live inside of it and the environment your space cultivates.
Be thoughtful when thinking of roommates, and consider if each one of you has a similar mindset on what your home should be like. Talk about rules with hosting friends, cleanliness and noise, in order to avoid awkward conversations later in the year.
According to a study done by the University of California, Irvine, which sampled 31,500 students, found that 47.9% reported having conflict with roommates. It’s completely normal to get into disagreements with people you’re living with, but frequent conflict can make your living space feel unwelcoming and daunting, the opposite effect that you want the place where you rest to have.
Living with the people that you truly click with makes your home so much more fun. It makes your living area a place where it feels joyful to walk into and makes guests truly feel welcome and a part of the home.
Secondly, make your home a welcoming environment. Don’t slack off on decorating just because you are in the mindset of only living there for a year. Whenever I put up more decorations, blankets in the living room, notes on the fridge, the house feels more like a reflection of the people who live inside it, rather than a structure with four walls.
Plan out decorations on Pinterest with your roommates beforehand. It doesn’t need to be anything expensive or extravagant, but rather a way to connect and envision the space you want to live in. Natural lighting is also a big plus. Leave the window blinds open; it makes the space feel airier and brighter. Color is also an essential part of a home, with palettes involving blue, green and lavender having a more calming effect. Invest in a good rug that ties your living room together and makes your space feel more homey.
Another thing that I love having in my house is a good candle or diffuser. Scent can make a home feel welcoming and add freshness to your environment. Stores like Anthropologie offer popular, more expensive scents, or Target has great options that are more affordable. You can even have specific scents for different seasons — lavender for the spring, lemon for summer, pumpkin for the fall, vanilla for winter.
Research suggests that interior design directly correlates with mental health. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, people spend more than 90% of their time indoors. With that in mind, light temperature, color, spaciousness, sunlight, plants, flowers and clutter are a few of the ways that the design of our home can influence us mentally.
When your home is a place where you have decorated and made it a peaceful place, you will want to spend more time in your home.
If you feel like your house, dorm or apartment isn’t your home yet, never fear. There is still a whole semester to make your environment your safe space. College is a beautiful time in which we get to live in community, so don’t waste these precious years not enjoying the space that you are in.
