It's a daunting task to transform a completely bare dorm room into a space of your own. Hopefully, these tips help!

1. Pictures

Load up your walls with pics of you and your friends! This gives life to blank wall space and adds color to otherwise drab surfaces.

2. Throw Pillows

You can never have too many pillows. Buy as many as your budget allows to load up your bed and futon. They make the space feel cozy and can add personality to your room.

3. String Lights

These will give off a soft glow in your dorm room that counteracts the usual bright dorm lights. String lights are also trendy and give off a vibe that you worked much harder on your room than just throwing up string lights on your wall.

4. Plants

I usually buy fake plants from Target or TJMaxx to add life to my space, but real plants are even better. Transforming a dorm room from jail cell vibes to a welcoming home can be easily done with the addition of a few plants (real or fake, up to you).

5. Souvenirs

If you have souvenirs from travels or just random memorabilia from high school or life up until this point, bring them to your dorm! These will make the space feel like your own and remind you of home.

6. Blankets

Having multiple blanket options is a must. Blankets are so cozy, so they naturally had to be added into this list.

7. Candles

Or anything that emits a smell, really. My dorm didn't allow any open flames, so candles were out, but I loved having Febreeze on hand to refresh the room. If your dorm lets you use candles, live it up, but if not, keep your room smelling nice through other ways!