Sandra Johnsrud (24) has put her personal touch on the 13 square metre student dorm room in Campus Ringerike Student Housing.

Lovely bathroom!

There are fresh colours, green plants and pretty fairy lights wherever you look. She’s also made the bathroom look really good at her single unit in Campus Ringerike Student Housing!

 – I’m really proud of the bathroom, says a smiling Sandra about the tiny but exceptionally well-utilised bathroom.

She has managed to squeeze in a “Hyllis” from IKEA, which made from galvanised steel can withstand being in a bathroom where it can get a little damp occasionally.

In addition to providing extra, much-needed storage in the bathroom, the small piece of furniture creates a sense of space and with a colourful picture and green plants on top it naturally catches the eye. An example to follow, or at least some inspiration!

Sandra mixes both artificial and real plants, which is also a good tip in a small dorm room and a perhaps tight student budget. Many artificial plants look almost real, do not need water and of course will not die!

Nice to live close to campus

Sandra is studying marketing management and is well into the second year of her bachelor's degree, but when it comes to being a resident of student housing she is still in her first year.

 – For the first year of my studies here I stayed at my parents' house in Noresund, about a forty minute drive from campus, but I got a bit fed up with it, she laughs, explaining that she felt as if she missed out on a lot socially by not living close to campus.

 – It was hard to participate in freshers’ week during the first year, as I could join in with a few activities due to living so far away. And this year I was a mentor during freshmans’ week, which was an important reason for getting a dorm room here, in addition to having my own space, even though I had saved some money by living at home, says Sandra.

A cleaning list and kitchen chat help to keep the peace in shared accommodation

The student dorm that Sandra lives in has its own bathroom, but she shares a kitchen with 13 others. She generally feels that working together with such a large group is okay, but sometimes there can be some irritation, especially when it comes to cleaning and tidying.

 – We have a communal kitchen chat, so it's easy to tell if something is not quite right and if someone, for example, has not tidied or cleaned up after themselves, says Sandra.

In the communal kitchen, they also have a list that allocates cleaning responsibilities amongst everyone who shares the kitchen, so that everyone has an extra responsibility to clean the kitchen when it is their week to do so.

Everyone has their own fridge and cupboard for food and crockery, as well as a cutlery drawer, and Sandra has never experienced anyone stealing food or using her stuff without first asking for permission to do so.

Sharing a communal kitchen with classmates

- A big advantage of the communal kitchen is that it is so social, says Sandra.

She believes she has been extra fortunate, because she shares a kitchen with several others from her class, and therefore has the same daily routine as many of the others in the shared accommodation.

 - As we head to class at the same time, we often eat breakfast and dinner together. It’s also really nice during the exam period, as no one is partying while the others need to read or sleep, Sandra points out.