Two weeks ago, Andover students from all across the country and abroad returned to campus in anticipation for the new year—only to be welcomed by desolate, desaturated walls and stiff green mattresses. In an attempt to feel at home, boarders have come up with creative ways to personalize the crux of their Andover experience: their dorm rooms.
Cate Cummings ’26
“I’ve always been in love with that kind of vintage, artsy, kind of elegant feel…so that kind of elegance just portrays my personality. I definitely put a lot of thought and a lot of searching into finding the perfect things for my room… I think having just that sense of self, especially during the transition period, and being in a whole new environment… and I think just being able to come home from a kind of stressful environment and especially since it’s far away from home, having that sense of self reminds me of who I am.”
Arim Lee ’24
“I watched a lot of Gilmore Girls over the summer and was inspired mostly by that show. The main character Rory has nice and cozy choices for her room decor in her room and did a good job of reflecting her personality. So I tried following that style and decorated my room with things that have sentimental value or things that cheer me up, like posters from movies and books I watched and photos with my friends and family. My favorite corner of the room is my bed. I got new sheets and they remind me of tropical vacations and summer. A must-need for the dorm is command strips and hooks and a wall-length lamp because I feel a lot better and cheerful when my room is bright.”
Molly MacKinnon ’24
“I like to keep my room very comfy because when I come back from a long day of school, I want to know that my room is the safest space. I was trying to make a comfy-but-cute space with pictures of people I miss while I’m at school… I like the records with the pictures that are hanging above my bed because they were really fun to make and I really like the way they work.”
Suhaila Cotton ’24
“Apart from my room, I’m also a prefect, and so in my hall, I went with a Voltron theme, which if you don’t know, [is] a sci-fi anime on Netflix, and we call ourselves the Paladins, so I cut out stars and colored them in to give it space theme, and then I printed out all the lions and that’s on everyone’s door, everyone’s one of the lions, and everyone can decorate the signs how they wanted. But in my room, I put up some artwork from a local vendor that I passed by before getting to school, about the Earth, and also a world map from [Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls].”
Editor’s Note: Arim Lee is an Associate Commentary Editor for The Phillipian.
