If you’re like most people, you want to look good when you go out. Whether you’re going out to a bar or a club, to a friend’s party, to a movie, out to dinner, or anywhere else in public, you’ll probably want to at least look like you’ve put some thought into your outfit. But how can you stay looking cool when it starts to get really hot outside? It can be a challenge, but it’s definitely doable—here’s how.

The first thing you think about when choosing your clothes is the weight of material. A cotton shirt and heavy khaki pants are not going to last very long before you sweat all over them. It’s important to choose materials that are light and breathable—things like linen and polyester are good (polyester is best used for performance tees and polos . . . probably not recommendable for other articles of clothing). Really light khaki pants and shorts are good, and you can also find linen pants that are pretty stylish. Make sure that whatever you choose to wear, it’s very breathable. If it’s not, you’ll find that you’re uncomfortably hot very soon after stepping outside (which, of course, will keep you from looking cool).

Once you’ve found an assortment of light, airy, clothes, you can actually choose the type of clothing that you’ll be wearing. Unless you’re attending something very formal (like a wedding, funeral, job interview, or really fancy party), stay away from long sleeves—they’ll only make you hot more quickly. Short-sleeve shirts like polos are great. You can choose between shorts and pants, depending on your situation. If you’re going somewhere at night, or it’s a little more formal, pants might be a good idea. If it’s something pretty casual, or during the day, when the temperature gets really high, go with shorts. Skip the basketball shorts, though, and go with something a little more classy—khaki cargos or just plain khaki shorts are usually a pretty safe bet for looking cool. If you’re just going to be hanging around your house, or you’re going to the beach, wear whatever you want!

It’s also important to think about the colors of the clothes that you wear when it’s hot outside. Light colors like white, light grey, blue, and green are safe bets. They’ll keep you from overheating right away and keep you looking stylish. Avoid dark colors—black, navy, maroon, purple—unless you’re going out at night (or need to look exceptionally professional).

Most of looking cool throughout the summer is common sense. Dress light, with short sleeves (and shorts if possible), and choose light colors. The more comfortable you are, the cooler you’ll look. So just make sure that the clothes you choose feel good, and you’ll be set!

There are many aspects of dorm life that are great—you’re on campus, so you’re close to everything. You get to meet a lot of people that you probably wouldn’t have otherwise. You have the opportunity to take part in some really awesome social gatherings. But there are downsides as well. And one of those downsides is probably becoming increasingly apparent to you as the year goes on: the lack of air conditioning. Many dorms are now being equipped with central air, but there is still a great number that are at the mercy of the weather. If you’re in a dorm that doesn’t have air conditioning, there are a few things you can do to keep your room cool now that it’s starting to get warm.

First, if your college allows it, you can buy a window air conditioner. This is usually not an option, but if you’re able to, go for it! It’s much more effective than the other methods. There’s a large range of prices, but you can usually pick one up for around a hundred bucks. Most of the cost of a window unit comes from the electricity that it uses . . . but if your college is willing to pick up the bill, this is definitely the best way to go.

If you can’t use a window air conditioner (and it’s fairly likely that you won’t be able to), the next best option is a box fan (like this one). Propping this in your window—and another one in your door, if possible—will really help the circulation in your room and keep it from getting really hot and stuffy. A stand fan (see here) will also work, but because of the smaller size, probably won’t be quite as effective. Smaller fans, like desk or clip fans, are also important—put one next to your computer and clip one to your headboard, and you’ll stay much cooler, no matter where you are in your room.

In addition to using an air conditioner or fan to keep your dorm room cool, there are a couple other things you can do to keep the temperature down (or at least make it seem more cool). During the day, keep your windows open, but your blinds closed. This will allow air to circulate, but it will keep the sun from warming up your room too much. At night—or on cloudy days—you can open up the blinds to make your room seem like a dungeon. Unless you’re into the dungeon look. Then keep them closed. Another thing that you can do, if you have the option of bunking your beds, is to take the bottom bunk (or to not loft your bed, even though it’ll save you a significant amount of space). When the temperature starts to rise, it will be noticeably warmer near the ceiling.

Unless you’re going to be living with someone you already know (which may or may not be recommendable), you’ll probably have a roommate randomly assigned to you by your college. This is a great opportunity to meet someone new and start making connections into social groups that you aren’t currently a part of. It can be a little weird at first, moving in with someone that you’ve never met before, but this slight awkwardness can be avoided by meeting up with your roommate before school starts to introduce yourselves and get a few things hammered out.

Most colleges will provide you with the email address or phone number of your future roommate so that you can speak before the year starts. Use this contact information to call or email them at least a couple times so that you have some idea of what living with them is going to be like. This is a good time to talk about things like sleep schedule, homework habits, significant others, and various other issues related to your day-to-day life (you can find a guide that offers some good advice on this here).

Another useful thing to do is to take an inventory of what each of you plans on bringing to the dorm. It doesn’t make sense to have two TV’s, two stereos, or multiple video game systems. Make a list of the items that you’ll be bringing, and ask your roommate to do the same. (this site provides good advice on what to and what not to bring to your dorm room). Don’t skip out on this step—it’ll save you a trip or two back home to bring back some things you don’t need two of.

As well as calling and emailing, it’s good to meet up with you roommate once or twice before you move in (if you’re not from different parts of the state or country, that is). Suggest meeting up at a local restaurant or some other place that you’ll be able to talk. This is a good time to just get to know each other. Talk about what you plan on studying, what you like to do, what kind of music you like, and other things like that. You’re going to be seeing (and probably spending a significant amount of time with) your roommate every day, so it’s good to start establishing a friendship early.

Although you won’t really get a complete picture of what your roommate is like until you’ve spent a lot of time with them, it’s good to meet up with them before the semester starts to coordinate and to get to know each other. While it can be slightly awkward at first, it usually ends up being a lot of fun and will help your relationship get off on the right foot.

Because of recent events at a local college, I feel compelled to write a bit about safety for college students. College campuses are usually very safe places, even those in very urban areas, which may have a reputation for not being the safest places. Regardless of the location of your campus, being safe is a good thing to keep in the back of your mind, just to be sure.

College campuses, like most places, are almost completely safe during the day. While classes are going on, people are all over the place, walking to class, heading to the cafeteria, throwing a Frisbee, studying outside, and doing any other number of things in public. After dark, there are usually a few less people about. It’s almost impossible to be completely alone outside, even if it is dark (especially if your campus has night classes, or it’s a weekend). During the day, however, safety is one of the last things you’ll need to think about.

One of the foremost safety rules on campuses, as with anywhere else, is to always travel with a friend. Whether you’re walking home from a really late class, heading to your car to make it to a party, or just getting out to stretch your legs before a long study session, don’t go alone. Invite someone to go with you, or meet someone and go together. It’s just a good practice to get into. In a similar vein, make sure that when you go to a party, both you and a friend are accountable for each other. Make a deal before you get to the party—if one leaves, so does the other. Stay together and watch out for each other (especially if one or the other gets especially intoxicated).

In addition to practicing good safety habits, it’s important to know your college’s campus safety practices. Does your public safety department offer off-campus escorts? This may be really useful if you’re a long way from home and you need a ride—just call public safety, and they’ll often come pick you up. The same goes for leaving campus; if you parked a few blocks away, you can usually get a ride out to your car. Many campuses also have emergency stations in some form or another—they often look like light poles with large blue lights on top of them. In case of an emergency, you can set off an alarm and call for help from one of these stations.

Safety on college campuses is rarely a major concern, but it’s important to keep it in mind. Bad things can happen anywhere, and it’s a good practice to start picking up good habits early. You shouldn’t be afraid of travelling in the dark, or nervous that you might be a victim of a crime if you leave a party, but you should be aware of your surroundings and what’s going on around you.

Be safe!

There are a few items that every dorm room should have. Not all of these are necessities, per se, but you’ll find the majority of them very useful, and you’ll probably want to add them to your list of things to bring to school in the fall.

1) TV/DVD player—this is one of those things that not every dorm needs, but most would benefit from. Dven if you don’t watch TV regularly, it’s really nice to be able to throw in a DVD and relax for a couple hours before going back to homework for the rest of the night.

2) Fan—whether you get a big box fan, a table fan, or a stand fan, you’re definitely going to want some sort of oscillating, air-moving device. If you don’t have air conditioning (an it’s fairly likely that you won’t for at least your first year), this will be a lifesaver. In fact, if you won’t have A/C, you might want to bring two fans. Trust me—it’s worth it. Even if you do have the luxury of air conditioning, a fan can be really nice to get the air moving around your dorm and get rid of that “stuffy” feeling. One of the most crucial dorm necessities.

3) Blankets—conversely, you’ll want extra layers to pile on your bed during the winter. All dorms are heated during the colder months, but you may find that it’s not quite enough. Especially if your windows aren’t very well insulated.

4) Sofa/chairs/bean bags—you’re going to need something to sit on when you’re not studying. Something comfortable that will fit a couple people (but isn’t so big that it’s a huge pain to get in and out of the room) is perfect. A futon can be really convenient if someone wants to stay over (siblings visiting from out of town, friends from across campus, etc.). Dish chairs are very comfortable and, if they’re big enough, can be slept in. The same goes for —1970’s style, timeless cool. They’re a ton of fun, and work really well for sitting on to get some reading done, watch TV, or to sleep on. It’s important to note that you should okay with getting all of these things dirty . . . they’ll get written on, spilled on, fallen on; there are a lot of things that could happen to them. Just be aware.

5) Desk lamp—just about every dorm comes equipped with a desk and chair for each person living there. A lot of them also have under-shelf lights, but these aren’t terribly effective, especially if your roommate is sleeping and the rest of the room is dark. Bring a small desk lamp to illuminate your work.

6) Flip-flops—dorm shower + bare feet = well . . . disgusting. Don’t do it. Bring flip-flops and prevent yourself from getting some exotic foot disease.