Whether you’re an international student moving into Queen’s accommodation or coming from around NI, moving to a new place is always a difficult transition. The switch from school to university is a big shift for all students, and having to live alone makes the shift even bigger. Homesickness can make living alone difficult and as an international student myself, I experienced severe homesickness and know several in halls who went through the same.

One of the ways to help you through this transitional time is making sure that your room is your place of comfort after a day in uni. Your room is your home and it’s important that you feel safe, happy and comfortable there. The best way to start off is by adding small touches to your room as a way of making it more homely.

Photos and frames

Photos were one of the first ideas that popped into my head and one that I used the most. In my current room, I have a giant photo wall of all my favourite memories with friends and family. Being around those pictures after coming home provides a great sense of comfort and peace. There are a lot of sites that do prints of your photos at an affordable price (student-friendly affordable).

Pin your favourite photos to the wall

Once you have your favourite photos (either from home or ordered), you can either pin them to the pin-friendly wall (there in most Queen’s accommodation) or stick them to your wall with wall-safe tape. One of my friends was able to make a heart shaped photo wall with her prints, so there are many creative ways you can decorate with photos.

Mementos from your room back home

Although you may not have too much space to bring many things from home, I would recommend 4-5 things that you have in your own room to bring to your new one. They don’t have to be huge either, I was able to bring my alarm clock, a snow globe, pencil cup, coloured markers and a crocheted stuffie that my friend made for me.

Buy Queen's merchandise from the Welcome Centre!

I highly recommend doing this because even though you can buy new things to decorate your room, you need a few things that remind you of home. This will help the initial homesickness that you experience as well.

Lights and Lamps

Lighting is one of those things that you can use to make your room cosier without breaking the bank. My top recommendation is either fairy lights or LED lights (you can get them cheap on Amazon!). I personally prefer fairy lights as they really give my room that warm cosy look to it. These lights are also battery powered so it’s safe to use in your room as well. These lights either come with a sticky backing (make sure it’s safe to use in your room) or you can hang them up with wall safe tape.

Make your room feel warm and cosy

If you’re not a fan of hanging up lights, then you can buy a couple of small lamps to put around your room to provide that same cosy feel to it. Lamps are also great because they can add decoration depending on what kind of lamp you buy.

Bedding and Blankets

I cannot stress how important it is to find bedding you really like because it can make or break your room. You can either bring your bedding from home or get new bedding for your new room (I recommend getting a new one because the sizing of your new bed may not fit your old bedding).

I also recommend getting a throw or an extra blanket (for colder nights or if a friend is over). Ikea has nice mini pillows that you can get to add to your bed and make it extra comfy. A good and comfortable bed means you get a good night’s rest amid your stressful uni days.

Plants

This one is dependent on if you’re a plant person or not but if you are, this is a great addition to your room! You don’t need to have a million plants but a few to keep around your room will brighten the space. I recommend keeping succulents and other types of plants that don’t require that much water or care. Not to say you can’t keep any plant you want; however, low maintenance plants will be easier to maintain when the year becomes busier, and it be harder to remember watering them every day.

If you love the way plants look but don’t want anything to do with maintenance, then feel free to go with fake plants (don’t worry, I have a couple).

Books and Artwork

If you’re an avid reader (and you have a couple favourites) then bring them over to your new room. Not only will you have your comfort books with you, but it’s another way also to make your room cosier and more homely. These books will remind you of home and bring your room together.

Another thing you can add to your room is artwork either done by you or someone else. One of my friends is a talented painter and I was able to bring one of her pieces over with me to my room and I loved having it in a little corner. I think artwork is a great way to add a bit of personality to your room and really make it yours. A fun Sunday activity to do with your friends can be to paint artwork for your rooms!

Rugs or Carpets

This is another great way to add comfort and cosiness to your room. A trip to Ikea and you can choose from a variety of nice small rugs to fit in your room according to your taste. A couple things to keep in mind is, the rug should be able to fit inside your room and be suitable to transport (if you move out of halls and to somewhere else). I would recommend getting one small rug for inside your room as there is limited space. But there are many options online and in Ikea to get a lovely rug for your room.

Organised workspace

And finally, the best way to keep your room as a nice environment for you to study and live in, having an organised workspace will help keep everything tidy. Having a designated place for everything is important to having a tidy space to be able to study and relax in. Pen holders to carry all your pencils/pens, a designated spot for your iPad/laptop, and effective use of the drawers in the room. A bin to contain all your rubbish is also a good idea to invest in.

Keep your work space tidy

I hope the ideas that I’ve listed above are helpful for you to put your new room together. Remember, there’s no right or wrong way to decorate your room and its completely up to you how you model it. Happy decorating!

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Manasa Ramakrishna Medicine | Undergraduate Student | Canada I’m a 20-year-old international student from Canada and currently studying Medicine. I figured the best way to combine my love for science, travelling and working with people would be to do international medicine. Outside school, I do classical dance, sculpture and biking!