Tag Archive for: Freshmen

You just started college and after a few weeks in, you’re sick of the noodles and cafeteria food. Sure, you mentally prepared for this, but the monotony is killing you. Don’t worry about it. Door To Dorm has you covered. Time to remix your meals with some easy, affordable, dorm-friendly recipes.

Here are 5 rockin’ meals you can make in your dorm room:

Chicken Salad Wraps & Sandwiches

Chicken Salad-5 Meals- Door To Dorm

This delicious recipe is great for lunch or dinner and you can switch it up by adding sweet or savory toppings and using different kinds of tortilla, bread, or even crackers (if you want to make a shareable snack) to serve it on. All you need is:

  1. 2 Cans of Canned Chicken
  2. Light Mayo (to taste)
  3. ½ Cup of Raisins or Dried Cranberries  (or both if you want to throw caution to the wind)
  4. 2-3 Sticks of Chopped Celery
  5. 1-2 Handfuls of Walnuts
  6. Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Pour the canned chicken into a food storage container,  mash the chicken with a fork to break apart the chicken chunks. Pour the rest of the ingredients into the food storage container and mix everything together. Then, serve over your favorite carb. Store the leftover chicken salad mix  in your microchill fridge so you have meals ready for days. With so many ways to enjoy chicken salad, it is the swiss army knife of dorm food.

We recommend you try this chicken salad mix with croissants or spinach wrap tortillas. For a savory version, replace the raisins/ dried cranberries with chopped tomato and add garlic powder or garlic salt. Add a side of salad or a bag of baked chips.

Overnight Oats

5 Meals, Overnight Oats, Door To Dorm

Trying to avoid the freshman 15? An easy and convenient way to add healthy nutrition into your life is by eating breakfast. You can save time in the mornings by meal prepping with overnight oats, so that you’re not late to class. This post on Food Network’s Healthy Eats gives you tips on how to create appropriate portions and play up your oats with different flavors.

2-Minute French Toast in a Cup

French Toast, cup, door to dorm

This yummy recipe shared by Pretty Prudent is a lazy student hack for a warm and sweet confection! Perfect for those chilli days in your dorm or when your sweet tooth is kicking in, you’ll enjoy this morning cup of french deliciousness. Bon Appetit!

Microwave Nachos

Having a movie night with your roomie? Kick the night up a notch with some cheesy microwave nachos. Tablespoon.com has the scoop on this 5-minute recipe. Indulge in some messy, gooey goodness, because these microwave nachos are all that and a bag of chips!

Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff

If you want to impress your friends with your dorm cheffing skills, a crock pot beef stroganoff  is the way to go. The Spruce gives you the breakdown on how to prepare this dinner extraordinaire. Knock their socks off  by pairing dinner with these entertaining ideas for dorms. Oh you fancy, huh?

Have awesome dorm room recipes of your own? Reach out to us on Facebook or Twitter and let us know!

 

  1. Books – Sometimes the campus bookstore can be a bit pricey, try to shop around first and remember that you also have to option to rent. Try Chegg, Amazon or Slug Books!
  2. Scholarships – To try and avoid student loans, look for scholarships first. Scholarships can also help cut costs on your books and living arrangements. Here’s a list of a few websites that might help you find the perfect scholarship to apply for:
  1. Dorm Necessities – A mini fridge will help save your dorm life & don’t forget to stock it up with plenty of water, and healthy foods.
  2. Sleep Gear – Comfy pillows/sheets/favorite stuffed animal – Whatever will help catch those extra z’s at night, you’ll need as many as you can get!
  3. Map of Campus – and any other paperwork you’ll need to help you find your classes, offices, student resources, etc.
  4. School Supplies – Don’t overdo it. Look at your syllabi and only get the required supplies.
  5. Memories – Because you’ll be moving into a dorm room, you can’t take all your belongings from home. Maybe pick 5 of your favorite memories to keep from cluttering. Perhaps pictures of friends/family back home to start off?
  6. Clothes – Only pack what you’ll need for the fall semester. You can swap clothes for spring when you go back home!
  7. Bathroom – Because you’ll probably have to share a bathroom, a bathroom caddy helps keep all your bathroom items organized and together.
  8. Dry erase board/calendar – This will help you stay organized and keep track of your classes and times.
  9. Headphones – So you won’t disturb your roomie when you’re listening to your heavy rock, rap, or whatever music you like. They’re also great for watching your favorite movie late at night.
  10. Alarm Clock – DON’T rely on your cell phone to be your alarm. There are too many possibilities of it not working and you risking the chance to miss that 8am class isn’t worth it!
  11. Organization – Living in a dorm room is all about organization. Invest in several plastic bins, vacuum seal bags or any other items you can use to help organize all your belongings.
  12. Establish a Monthly Budget – Take a look at all your expenses for the month and try to organize a monthly budget to help you distribute your funds accurately. This is very helpful if you have a part time job or are only living off of your loans, financial aid or scholarship income.
  13. Monetary – University college card/ID, bank card/credit card. Although credit cards can be dangerous, they are great for emergencies. You just have to be responsible and only use for emergencies. (Unfortunately, burritos at 2AM doesn’t count as an emergency)!

Brace yourselves: college is coming. So what does that mean for you, an incoming freshman? This means that you should enjoy your summer vacation and current lifestyle. Take in what it’s like to live at home, because sooner or later you’re going to miss it.

Things you’ll miss now that you’re in college:

  1. Mom’s cooking, or direct access to food in general — i.e. the kitchen just down the hall from your room. Enjoy all those warm home cooked meals now, and show gratitude to mom for serving you dinner AND dessert. It may not seem like a big deal now, but dessert in college is a bag of M&M’s you bought from a vending machine with change you managed to scrounge up… Luckily, Collegiate offers combo packages for fridge and microwave rentals. You can make some pretty tasty dorm room meals with these fun recipes. Your new roommate will definitely be impressed!
  2. Fresh Laundry. Now is a good time to learn how to do laundry. Once you go off to college there won’t be VIP laundry services available in your dorm room. No more arriving to your room with freshly folded clothes sitting atop your perfectly made bed. On that same note, you might want to start saving those quarters!
  3. Privacy (if you don’t have siblings, then you know what this word is). For those of us who have any privacy back home, enjoy it while it lasts. Depending on the size of your dorm room, you’re going to have to share all that space with your roommate. You might want to invest in a room divider, or try making one yourself! As for the bathroom situation, don’t get us started…
  4. Multi-Tasking. If you think high school was busy, you haven’t seen anything yet. Between going to class, homework, clubs and organizations, sleep and friends, you’ll definitely have to learn how to prioritize your time. Say goodbye to the days where you could fit everything into one day. We’ll just leave this right here… Obviously you should select the two more important choices.
  5. The sweet, unconditional love you receive from your pet(s). Be sure to soak up all the fuzzy cuddles, sloppy kisses and playtime sessions from your beloved pets now. You might not get any of that for a few solid months, but don’t fret. Your furry pal will be just as happy to see you when winter break comes!

Okay, we realize that you’re probably traumatized by now, and possibly dreading the fall semester.  But it’s not all that bad. In fact, it’s actually going to be one of the BEST experiences of your life. And although you might miss a few things from back home, you’re going to gain a whole lot more than the five listed above. You should probably still go give mom (and pet) a big hug right now anyway!

You learn a lot within the four (or maybe more) years of college. Transition is inevitable, no matter what school you go to or who you choose to socialize with. People say the majority of what you learn in college is outside of the classroom, and they’re not wrong. Here are a few of those lessons that I learned in college.

How to Balance It All

When you start off in college, there are so many new things going on. It can be hard to choose between going to a football game with your friends, or staying in to study. If you decide to join intermural sports or a student organization, balancing that with academic work while still trying to have a life outside the classroom can be pretty hard to manage at times – whether it is spending time with friends, nurturing a creative hobby, or exercising. Learning how to prioritize is one of the most important lessons to take away from college life. It is a skill you will take with you as you enter in to a work environment, and even beyond that.

Hard Work Really Does Pay Off

There is nothing you can’t accomplish with a little hard work. When you set a goal for yourself, you are fully capable of making it happen. It may take sleepless nights, blood, sweat, and probably a few tears, but if you work hard enough you’ll accomplish what you set your sights on during your college tenure. It can sometimes be hard to see past the now of a situation, but shifting your mind to see the full picture is what is going to keep you motivated and your head held high. In the end, you’ll be able to take pride in yourself, not only for reaching your destination, but for the journey it took to get there.

Anything is Possible

There are opportunities around every corner while you’re in college. Whether it’s studying abroad for a semester, or landing an internship in the city of your dreams – anything is possible when you are both determined to make it happen and put a carefully laid out plan in place to move towards your goal. College is the one time in your life where you’re main goal is to learn about the world, about yourself, and figure out what will be important to you as you enter the “adult world.”

Put it Into Perspective

Realize that what is important to you now, as a college student, is not likely to be as important to you as you experience new events in your life. If you think something is must-have-can’t-live-without-not-going-to-change-your-mind, then take a minute to read this great post on Quora about “What is the single insight that most changed your life?”. This type of perspective is important to keep in mind. You’ll need to continue to reassess what’s important to you in life as things like career, family, and children enter the picture.