Nothing says college quite like a communal bathroom. Aside from choosing the nicest bedding (get extra pillows and a lap desk) and lighting and chair you can- for example get a queen sized, not a twin size duvet. Find a nice trunk to use for storage and as a table. Be sure you have great lighting and plenty good cubbies and shelves for tea and cookies and personal belongings. But at the end of the day, the room is tiny and you are hoofing it to the bathroom. Make the most of the upside and minimize the down. You cannot turn a dorm into an apartment- though there are plenty of pictures online of folks who manage to make a very attractive space, I don't think those model rooms are very functional- you'll have to spend far too much time keeping things clean and neat in such a cramped space.

You're not going to be spending much time in your room, college towns have "night life". Make sure you have a good mattress and a comfy chair & lamp for reading. A nice robe and a basket to carry your toiletries. Think of this venture as "indoor camping".

I'd keep it more ''office'' looking, black furniture, end tables, headboard,desk, and sleek all white bedding, the walls are already probably white. Keep away from patterns.

I would suggest you get some graph paper and make a scale drawing of your space. It will save you time and money when deciding what you can use.

What is the dimensions of the room/square footage? Do you expect to do any LIVING in it, or just mostly sleeping?

Have not lived in a dorm but have lived in tiny studio apts-- some w/ living/bedroom space as small as 10x12. It was crucial to either minimize the bed space by sleeping on a camping mat or folding futon (or whatever can be foldd up and put out of the way) or combine bed and couch functions into 1 thing. Had a narrow day bed at one point that I used with pillows as a daybed/couch by day (about 30 inches, narrower than twin so it really did look more couch-like). Not the most luxurious way to sleep,b ut you get used to it. It just needs to be comfortable enough so can sleep well and you dont wake up sore. We Americans think we need a lot of space but I easily adapted and what I found was that in a way I was happier not having a lot of STUFF. Had to be very selective about bringing STUFF into the apartment cos there just wasnt room for much.

Anyway it sounds like a great opportunity - Ill bet you save a lot of $$$, fast.

Nothing says I am a grown up like being frugal and saving as much money as you can. This job is temporary. Keep it simple, understated, minimal but comfortable. Less stuff + quality items = sophisticated.

Framed pictures, not posters.

Good lighting and a small comfortable chair/sitting area.

Less frilly & fussy more clean lines and simple palette.

oh and noise cancelling headphones!

From the idea rooms, it appears no one has been in a standard dorm room for quite some time. Most are not half as big as the rooms pictured. I hope you have what space there is all to yourself,no roommate. People should also know the furniture provided has to stay put. Additions are allowed buy nothing is to be removed and most campuses do not have storage facilities. Lets assume you are assigned a "single" so you don't have two beds/dressers/desks to contend with. Upgraded bedding/curtains/area rug are a start after that depending on the college you will have storage issues, lofting the bed is the "standard" way to combat that but it SCREAMS college dorm. Mini fridge/microwave also scream dorm...but most want some way to snack at their leisure. This is a very tough challenge....

If you are able to (you may not yet have access to the room, or potentially not even seen it yet): provide room measurements. And info as to whether you can bring your own bed, dresser, etc. (And how much room is left over for, say, a comfortable chair you can curl into to relax. Or a set of two nice but small chairs that don't say DORM on them with a little side table, so you can sit around with a friend over some coffee.

If you drink coffee, I'd get yourself a small coffee maker, and squirrel away a couple gallons of water. I don't care for the Keurig style, or their coffee, but it may work in this situation.

If you can supply your own bed, if a double fits, I'd go with that. In any case, the coverings should be a fabric pattern you like -- and see if you can cover the headboard, too. If it's the dormitory style I remember, that was large metal pipes with thin metal stabilizing pipes going up vertically. Cover them. I would lean towards patterns rather than plain, mainly because plain reminds me of my old college dorms, but that would be your taste call.

Real artwork for the walls -- no, not pricy, just avoid posters. If you do find a poster you like, frame it -- I have a van Gogh night scene -- the one with the yellow café -- hanging up in my living room, and yes, it's a print and it's framed.

Consider changing out the curtains or drapes - store theirs and replace when you move out.

Chiflipper, she may be spending more time in that room than you think. Not all of us are partiers, or at least not more than once or twice a week.

Have a real chair to read in.

How big is the room, and how high are the ceilings?

Draw a floor plan.