Birthdays in college are both sad and exciting. For many students, freshman year is the first time they experience their birthday away from their family. Luckily, having great friends with ideas like these can make your birthday awesome even while you live in a room you share with someone else.
1. Decorate!
A typical dorm room is not that exciting. Get streamers! Get some cheesy signs! Try to sneak into their room while they are away so that they come back and see that someone was thinking of them on their special day. If you can’t get in, decorate the door! If the roommate is not in on the celebration, decorate a lounge! Decorate everything!
The best part is, the decorations will probably stay up for a while and be a happy reminder of a fun day.2. Get balloons!
One time, a couple friends and I blew up 100 balloons to entirely fill our birthday friend’s dorm room floor. When we were done with the project you literally had to wade through the balloons to cross the room. The birthday friend’s reaction was priceless when she saw the result of our handiwork. You don’t have to blow up 100 balloons, but having some rolling around the floor or simply decorating with them is always entertaining and exciting. Also, we made some friends that day as word got around that we had 100 balloons and the hall came to see for themselves. It makes for a memorable birthday, let me tell you.
3. Go out to eat!
No one wants to eat at the dining hall on their birthday. Take your friend out to dinner somewhere! It doesn't have to be anywhere fancy or expensive; just something out of the ordinary. Splurge a little! See if the restaurant does anything special for birthdays. It’s always funny when a bunch of college kids gather around one kid in a restaurant and sing “Happy Birthday” off-key. Plus, non-dining hall food is always reason enough for celebration.
4. Print photos for gifts!
We are college kids. We understand not being able to afford the most extravagant birthday presents. I’ve found that printing photos is usually a big hit. Stalk your friend on Facebook and gather some of their pictures. Scroll through your camera roll to find all the squad photos. Then go print them out at a place like Walgreens or CVS! Lots of times you can find coupons online so it’s not very expensive. Give them to your birthday friend so they can hang them up in their dorm! Boom. Instant dorm decor gift.
5. Try to make everything a surprise!
From dorm decorating to gifts, don’t let the birthday person in on any of it. This makes it more fun for the surprisers and surprisee. It’s exhilarating to blow up those 100 balloons in an hour before the birthday person returns. Having a boring birthday suddenly become exciting because of friends is memorable. It makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside. Surprises are great!
So, how are you going to help your friend celebrate their birthday?
