Ah, dorm life. Crammed into an 11×15 foot cell with a smelly roommate and piles of your favorite stuff. A place where legends are forged on an anvil of cinder block and porcelain, and the meek are duct taped to the flagpole. I once had a roommate whose feet you could smell from outside the building. I wish I were making that up. The dorm is a harsh matron. When you’re not pumping iron in the yard, you better do your time and stay out of trouble.

Okay, dorm life isn’t as bad as all that. In fact, it can be one of the most fun and rewarding experiences of your life. Just keep in mind that your primary purpose for being there is to get a good education, and keep the duct taping to a minimum.

Here’s a quick list of things to keep around or keep in mind to help keep things sane and make dorm life a little more comfortable.

1. Pack light — You have a lot of stuff. Your roommate has a lot of junk. You don’t want anyone to confuse your stuff with your roommate’s junk do you? Bring it later if you end up really needing it. You need the space more.
2. Storage items — Door hangars, closet organizers, plastic milk crates…pick what works for you and get stuff out of the floor and off your bed. That stuff I told you not to bring — put it here.
3. Desk Lamp — Dorm lighting is notoriously poor, and sometimes your roommate needs to sleep when you need to study. Alternate use — shadow puppets.
4. Power strips — Your desk lamp won’t run on energy drinks, and chances are you have a few other things to plug in — and so does your roommate. Don’t go crazy and create a fire hazard.
5. Flip flops — Shower with them on. In spite of the name, athlete’s foot outbreaks show no correlation to level of fitness.
6. Vitamins — Ramen noodles and Taco Bell do not a healthy diet make. (Yoda-like, that sentence was.) Cafeteria food isn’t a whole lot better. Take a vitamin here and there to keep from looking like aforementioned Jedi Master.
7. Cleaning products — Give a man a fish, and he’ll stink up the whole dorm. Teach a man to clean up after himself…you see where I’m going with this? There is no maid. There is no cleaning crew that comes through while you are out. You don’t want to be known as the stinky room. It is not a badge of honor. Seriously.
8. Spare sheets — The laundry mat is no place to sleep. An extra set of sheets increases the chance of actually washing the first set exponentially. Alternatively, just sleep on one set until you have to throw them out.

You’re young and have the metabolism of a chipmunk. Unstoppable. Bulletproof. You could eat the Sunday newspaper and still chase down a Frisbee like a Border Collie hopped up on Red Bull. The only time you worry about what you eat is when you don’t have enough, which is often. You are immune to weight gain…and common sense. I know who you are. You are me twenty years ago. Let me emphatically state that you will pay for all of that invincibility at some point. But since you aren’t prone to listen much anyway, let me just advise you to ratchet it down a notch or two and hope that it’s enough.

For the humans among us, gaining the freshman fifteen (or forty, depending on your level of enthusiasm) is the stereotypical foregone conclusion. Chances are pretty good that you will put on a few pounds your first year at college. But you don’t have to keep them. Here are a few easy-to-follow tips to drop a few pounds and begin a lifestyle that will help you stay fit.

1. Ditch the drive-thru — You don’t have to eat like a rabbit, and you don’t have to go hungry. Just try not to eat so much junk. Take the pizza guy off of speed dial. It takes a lot of turkey sandwiches to equal the calories of a greasy cheeseburger. Go to the grocery store and buy sensible food. Depending on your school’s cafeteria selections, eating there may be a good idea as well. Your wallet will thank you, too.

2. Walk > Ride > Drive — Most college campuses are within walking distance of the majority of your needs. Walk everywhere you can. If it’s too far or you’re short on time, ride a bicycle. Drive only when absolutely necessary.

3. Hit the gym — A lot of colleges offer free or cheap use of a gymnasium to all students. Play a game of basketball, lift a weight, kick a hackeysack. Stay active on a regular basis, and make it a habit.

4. Get some sleep — Your body needs rest to operate at its potential. A late night here and there is inevitable, but a good night’s sleep means more energy and a clear mind.