Everyone has advice for new college students. I'm sure you've heard things like, "Don't do what I did in college" or "Why don't you have a major in mind yet?" You've probably heard so many suggestions you don't know what to think anymore. Granted, most advice comes from pre-MP3 sources, but I'm a current college student, so let me share with you a few key things I've learned about dorm life -- specifically, "The Three F's": furniture, food, and fungus.

Furniture
A freshman living on campus will be provided with the basics: a bed, a desk and chair, and a set of dresser drawers. But if you want to give your dorm room some personality and not have it look like a prison, you'll need to jazz things up. You may be tempted to fill your dorm room with a sofa or some chairs. Although this may make you feel more at home, it can also take up the little bit of free space you'll have in your already-close quarters. Before you move in anything that requires moving men, remember that furnishing your dorm room really means not "cramping" your style.

First, find out if your  

roommate

  is planning to bring furniture. One sofa will take up enough valuable space in the room; two will make the room barely livable.

Next, if you and your roommate decide to purchase some furniture, you probably won't be able to afford anything brand new -- so let's talk used. Ask your parents if you can take the old loveseat in the basement, or scope local garage sales for reasonably priced stuff. Keep in mind the cleanliness factor, of course. Sofas or any upholstered furniture will pick up the same dirt and bacteria a T-shirt would. Now ask yourself: Would I wear a shirt I found on the street? Just the same, don't pick up a sofa that's been sitting post-garage-sale style on a curb in the rain for the past three days. If you think it will air out, it won't. It will always smell, and anyone walking in your dorm room will quickly notice it.

Another hint: Be sure that whatever you end up using doesn't have to be returned. College has a funny effect on furniture. Friends will plop their muddy shoes on your armrests, and they'll leave their greasy popcorn in the crevices of your cushions. It's too difficult to try to keep everyone from staining your stuff, so expect that your school furniture will be slightly ruined. This will relieve the stress of trying to explain to your great-aunt why there are Pop-Tart imprints all over the seat of the recliner she let you "borrow."

Food
Whether you're a generous person or not, all college students must follow one rule: Buy what you eat, and eat what you buy. Abiding by this sentiment will eliminate dozens of unnecessary arguments. Here's one appetizer of advice: Label your refrigerator items using tiny colored stickers to distinguish between each roommate's food, or use your own storage containers. It may sound petty and juvenile, but just wait until you've had a terrible day and all you want to do is sit in your room and eat the last brownie your mom sent home with you after your last visit. You reach into the tin and ... nothing. All that's left are a few measly crumbs. You'll want to strangle your roommate.

This is not to say you can never share. If you and your roomie both get the munchies, rip open a bag of chips and crunch away together. But if your roommate's not there and you have a craving for her food, be strong and leave it alone. Stick to this food rule and you'll thank yourself later when Wanda from down the hall is screaming at Mary for eating up her munchies.

Fungus
As gross as it sounds, fungus is a part of dorm life, especially if you have a slob for a roommate. When you are in the process of obtaining a roommate, the university will try to pair you with someone you have the most in common with. In a questionnaire dealing with roommate assignments, you may be asked questions about sleeping habits or cleanliness. The latter is very important, as you'll see.

Growing up, I was a neat freak -- a fungus-phobe, to put it bluntly. Going into college, I knew cleanliness was very important to me, so I checked "very tidy" when I received my questionnaire the summer before I shoved off. Even in doing that, I was still paired with a slob. (Imagine if I had checked "moderately neat"?!)

If you find yourself in the same boat, or maybe in the opposite one -- you're Sloppy Suzy living with Squeaky-Clean Sammy -- don't stress. Get everything out in the open. Make a schedule of cleaning duties where one of you cleans the shower and mirror and vacuums one week, while the other cleans the sink, toilet, and bathroom floor. Then switch for the next week. Doing this puts everyone's responsibilities in writing and eliminates endless episodes of the blame game.

Duties aside, don't try to clean your roommate's personal space. Instead, clean your own desk and change your own sheets -- that's your responsibility. Don't make others responsible for your mess. If you're still having trouble with dorm room dust bunnies, you may end up dividing the room with a masking tape line on the floor (or find yourself knee-deep in fungus). It may be the only way you can keep away from each other's throats.

Going away to school is probably one of the biggest changes in your life so far. By facing "The Three F's," you'll get a jumpstart on dorm life and make it one of the best times of your life. Good luck!

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