College wouldn’t be the same without good parties, right? College is supposed to be about learning, isn’t it?
Haha, just kidding. As a former college student who took five years to complete my degree (don’t judge me), I’ve been to a fair amount of wild dorm parties that I’m going to remember for the rest of my life.
Table of Contents
What Should You Do at a Dorm Party?
Here are a few things you need to know before hosting a party in your dorm room:
Don’t let your RA down
Dorm parties aren’t easy to throw without the RA (resident assistant) shutting them down minutes after they start. My advice would be to get to know your resident assistant! Most RAs are friendly and do not mind if you throw a party as long as you keep the noise down. However, some RAs are extremely strict and will not tolerate any parties or alcohol in the dorms.
If you’re planning to throw a collage dorm party in your dormitory, make sure to check the policies first and speak with your Resident Assistant. There’s nothing worse than getting caught!
Don’t forget to tell your neighbors
I have some advice for you. You don’t want your neighbors to snitch on you, so invite them to your party! HAHA! Hey, what can you do?
However, if they aren’t interested in partying with you, please be respectful! Ask them if it is okay for you to play music, and what time the party starts and ends. Unless you’re hosting a party during finals week, most people are fine with you having a party next door. I mean! It’s college! You should still keep the music from being too loud so that the walls are vibrating.
Do Not Take Anything Valuable!
I can’t stress how important this is to all of you! The laptop, speaker, and skateboard of one of my best friends in college were GONE after she hosted a party at her house!
Wow, what a loss of money!
The worst part is that there were no security cameras around, so she wasn’t able to recover any of the stolen items. It goes without saying that leaving your valuables unattended at a party full of crazy (and sometimes broke) college students is not a very good idea!
Ideas for College Dorm Parties: Themes
The majority of people wear whatever they want to dorm parties. Sometimes, though, it can be really fun to spice things up with a theme. Take a look at these ideas:
- The 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s
- Party in pajamas
- Jazz night
- Hip Hop night
- Y2K night
- Party with ugly sweaters
- Devils and Angels
- Sexy Nerd party
- Masquerade party
- Rock n’ Roll
- Party themed in denim
- Rave rager
Do not forget to take photos! It is always so fun taking disposable pictures during fun nights like this, since the pictures always turn out so candid and the vibe is always so good✨
Drinks and Food Ideas for College Parties
If you provide some food to munch on at your party, your guests will be delighted. You don’t have to provide anything elaborate. You can provide a little snack! It is also possible to ask your guests to bring snacks as an “entrance fee”, this way, you will not have to spend more on food.
Here are some food ideas popular at college parties:
- Salsa and chips
- Hamburger & Cheese Sliders
- Chocolate-covered Strawberries
- Donuts
- Tortilla Wrap-Ups
- Hotdogs
- I forgot to mention pizza!
- Bacon and Macaronni Bites
- Party Mix
- Grilled Cheese
- Burgers and French Fries
Several dorms have a no-tolerance policy regarding alcohol. Here is a list of non-alcoholic drinks you can have:
- Lemonade with strawberries (recipe from Delish)
- Recipe for Watermelon “no”jitos (from Taste)
- Recipe for Virgin Pina Colada (adapted from A Couple Cooks)
- Spicy Southern Kitchen’s Peach Bellini Mocktail (recipe)
- Sangria with virgin cranberries and basil (recipe from Delish)
- Recipe for Orange Mango Crush (from Taste)
- (Recipe from Cook with Manali) Blueberry Ginger Cooler
Spotify Playlist: Make a Bomb
A successful college party starts with a killer Spotify party playlist. The type of music you play depends on the theme of your party, of course. Nevertheless, some classic Hip Hop tracks can never go wrong. Check out this playlist for your next dorm party! Everyone always seems to enjoy it!
This playlist is DEFINITELY for you if you like Bay Area slaps!
It is also important to have the right speakers! Using your laptop or phone to play music just won’t work because… HELLO? What’s the bass like?
JBL’s speakers make the best party speakers without a doubt. This JBL model should work perfectly fine if you’re just hosting a dorm party for 20 people. The JBL Partybox 300 is awesome for huge parties (like frat parties).