With the school year rapidly approaching, we all have those last minute packing lists, things to get, and things that will make our dorm room feel a bit more homey. For incoming freshmen, or new dorming students, packing unpacking and making sure you don't exceed a budget can be challenging. College hacks will make you think "why didn’t I think of that?!" Here are some ingenious hacks from schoolwork to dorm life and how to save money.

School Hacks

• Don't just rely on the college’s bookstore to get your textbooks! Places such as Amazon and EBay offer new or used textbooks to rent or to buy and sometimes they offer a reduced price.
• If you are going into your 3rd year or 1st year, building up your GPA in the beginning of the semester is also better than doing extra credit towards the end. Most students are stressed out with finals, papers, and projects that even thinking about extra credit is another stress trigger. Instead ask your professor if they allow extra credit and how you can succeed in their class.
• Color coating is always a pain, but you will be grateful for it when the first week of school is in full motion. By selecting certain colors with different classes, this can help with making reminders for classes, labeling notebooks, and even help finding papers easier when you have a color system in place.

• Need a credit card for a free trial? By buying a visa-prepaid card, you can do so without having to give an actual credit card for them to charge after the trial ends! Saves money and it's easier to access if you don’t have a credit card.
• Following tips to get through the first week of classes, having your schedule be your lock screen can be a life saver since, let's admit it, we always have our phones in our hands. Bonus, this way you don't have to worry about a paper getting lost or crumpled to the point where you can't read it anymore.
• This is jumping a little bit further into the semester, but when studying for a test or quiz, chewing a certain flavor of gum while studying is said to help recall memory when chewing it during the test. Each class, of course, has to be a different flavor or else you'll be thinking about biology when you're taking a business test.

• Everyone’s laptop over heats when we are on it for long periods of time, this can causing crashing, slow browsing, and overall not very good for your hard drive. To prevent that paper you've been working on all semester from going bye bye forever, take a coffee tray and flip it upside down to create a lovely computer stand.
• When making presentations and using photos, coming up with a font that shows up is sometimes difficult, well not anymore! Using white lettering with a black outline will show up on every color in the rainbow!

Dorm Room

• Closets at college are not going to be as big or functional than the ones we have at home. To get the most out of the space, use soda taps to hang two garments together. Its kind of hard to understand so here’s a photo to explain it clearly.

• To make the room feel more homey, decorating the dorm room is essential, but the rules of the college can be hard to get around. Washing tape is the perfect compromise. You can use these tapes to make picture frames on the wall, used on bookshelves, and can be used to create a unique accent wall. Don't worry, washing tape is totally fine to use in the dorms.
• When trying to fit as much as possible in a mini fridge can be hard, if you use binding clips to help stacking bottles easier and better. It'll help with saving space for other items.

• No AC, but it's too hot to even think? Put a damp cool towel along the window so any breeze that comes in is cool and refreshing. Easy to do and will make living with a roommate a lot less heated.
• If you forgot a speaker or can't find it yet, use a bowl or glass! Simply put your phone in the glass and it will work just as well! This can be used is you are a heavy sleeper (although your roommate might get annoyed by how loud it’ll be) or use it for music while unpacking!
• A drier sheet over a fan or AC unit is the perfect hack for an air freshener. Leave it on while at class so when you get back into the dorm, it smells relaxing and lovely without being overpowering. This is helpful if you are living with a roommate who is not a very clean roommate.
• Velcro or tape the extension cord closer to your bed if you have a shorter phones cord or anything electronic devices. Money Hacks
• Buying food to keep in the dorm room can be challenging but buy taking photos of the fridge can be very helpful in knowing what you need to get and what you have enough of. Some stuff, however, you can only buy once.
• Going to the cafeteria to eat, remember to bring the empty milk jug so you can refill it there. This can also be used for fruit, peanut butter, or anything else that is easy to access.

Money Hacks

• When shopping for clothes or groceries, even school supplies, ask the cashier if the store has a student discount. Keeping your school ID on you can help save anywhere from 5-15% off the purchase!

• Trying to save money can be hard when the squad goes out every weekend, which can rack up a lot of money very quickly over the semester. Instead of buying drinks at the bar, which is always a high amount, pre-game a tad before going out so you don't feel the need to buy drinks there. Just make sure to take the proper precautions when drinking. No drinking and driving, be aware and keep in contact with your friends.

Hope these are helpful and inspire you to create a charming room, and that all these hacks will be helpful throughout the semester!