Sending a freshman off to college is often an expensive endeavor, and the latest viral trend is elevating back-to-school shopping to new heights.
Extreme dorm makeovers are gaining popularity, with some parents spending tens of thousands of dollars and hiring professional interior designers to convert their children’s modest spaces into dream dorm rooms.
In stark contrast to the worn-out mini-fridges and skewed posters of the past, these dramatic overhauls are deemed unnecessary by some, highlighting the growing divide between the wealthy and the less affluent in the U.S.
“Wealth disparity becomes evident on a college campus because your lifestyle is either self-funded or not,” stated Mya Mendola, who graduated from the University of Minnesota last year.
Nonetheless, transformation videos are widespread on TikTok, showcasing plain, undecorated freshman dorms being turned into lavish sanctuaries. Crystal chandeliers, luxurious bedding, and monogrammed pillows fill these compact spaces.
“They’re away from home for the first time,” said Shelly Gates, a professional dorm designer. “They need their own little comfortable space.”
Gates, the owner of Mary Margaret Designs, an interior design firm in Mississippi, has gained viral fame for her intricate room transformations. Her dorm makeover videos have amassed hundreds of thousands of views online, capturing her clients’ amazed reactions to their drastically altered rooms.
“My end goal is not to be on TikTok,” Gates said. “It’s not to show off these designs, but my goal is always for the moms to be happy and the girls to be happy.”
She continued: “Old people like me grew up in dorms that literally were cinder block prison cells, and now our kids are the age to go to college, and we don’t want them to have that experience.”
The viral makeovers are not just for girls. Some parents are transforming their sons’ freshman rooms into full-fledged man caves with gaming chairs, brick wallpaper, leather couches and neon signs.
A market for elaborate dorm designs has grown since 2020, when Tamara Wingerter and Stephanie Knight started the Facebook group Dorm Rooms of Mississippi and Beyond to share their extravagant renovations.
Wingerter, who now has her own business, said she has seen designs costing anywhere from $500 to $20,000.
“If someone has a $100,000 budget, I mean, I have never seen one of those yet, but you never know,” said Wingerter. “People drop that on a birthday party, so why not for nine months?”
After countless vision boards and full online shopping carts, Wingerter says her favorite part is seeing the students’ reaction when a room is finished.
“College is hard enough. It’s such a big transition for our children, why shouldn’t we make their rooms somewhere where they’re comfortable and happy that expresses their personality?” said Wingerter.
Mendola, the recent college grad, said the extravagant dorm rooms are nothing like what she had in school.
“Everyone had, like, a funny, cool, interesting theme,” said Mendola. “Nobody was going for aesthetics.”
“It makes you wonder — she went on — what level of individuality is coming into your room versus what level is something you curated online? Are we losing some self-expression, because so much of it is based on what’s cool on the internet?”
Mendola and Megan Stout, who graduated from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, in 2018, said they were shocked to hear what some people were paying for makeovers.
“I shopped at Target. I got the $5 floor-length mirror,” Stout said. “I think our futon at the time was like $100. So, nothing crazy.”
Stout said she didn’t see the point of spending so much money on a “cinder block dorm room.”
“Twenty-thousand dollars, that’s literally a down payment!” she said. “There’s always families that can afford more and buy their kids more.”
