If you're planning on sprucing up your dorm room, the first thing you should do is talk it over with your roommates – unless you're lucky enough to have your own dorm, of course. The holiday season can mean something different to everyone, and although flashing Christmas lights may be your idea of ideal holiday decor, your roommates may not agree. Make sure you talk over any plans before you start hanging lights or lugging Christmas trees down the halls.

After discussing your plans with your roommates, you should check the building regulations of your dorm to make sure items such as extension cords and live plants are permissible. Although many people like to decorate at this time of year, safety in shared accommodations, especially those on college property, should be your primary concern. You can ask the resident assistant for guidance if you're not sure about a specific feature or rule.

If you have a DVD player and a television in your room, you could invest in a log fire DVD. These inexpensive discs feature a loop of logs burning in an open fire, and simple touches like this can really add to the festive atmosphere in your room – especially if you're studying at a college or university in an area that gets a lot of snow. Similarly, some outdoor decorations such as sparkle reindeer, can be a wonderful centerpiece for your room. Such decorations can also be a great conversation starter if you're entertaining company.

Remember, when it comes to decorating, less is more. Although 2,000 Christmas lights, a real Douglas fir tree and an assortment of lawn ornaments may seem like a great idea in a 12' by 16' dorm room, too much stuff can make it look cluttered and tacky. Subtle accents and sparse decorations can add a touch of class to your room – unless tacky and cluttered is the theme that you and your roommates decided on, of course. So this holiday season, you may want to add tinsel and a wreath to your college checklist.

Juniors and seniors have a lot on their plates: intense homework and assignments, extra-curricular responsibilities, and of course, your college dreams.

How now, college-bound spirit! Whither wander you?  -Mostly Shakespeare with a little bit of Cappex

Hark! Midsummer is here,
July’s halfway through.
A new school year’s so near,
so many things to do.

The college search ignites fears,
from now till you’re in.
So prop up your ears,
Cappex gives you tips to help you win.

If you need that translated, here’s what we said: Believe it or not, summer is flying by. So be sure you’re making the most out of your free time to get some important college search things down.  In honor of it being midsummer, and because Shakespeare was a chill dude, our list shall be called:

A Midsummer Night’s College Checklist:

1.  Start studying and/or register for the ACT or SAT
Many of you have already taken the ACT or SAT (either of which you’ll likely need to apply to a 4-year university or college). But if you haven’t, or just don’t like what your score looks like yet, no worries; you still have time! The next date for the ACT is September 10, and you have until August 12, 2011 to register. The next date for the SAT is October 1, and you have until September 9 to register.  That gives you plenty of time to register and hit the books.

Don’t forget! Even though many college applications have you write-in your ACT or SAT scores, you’ll probably be asked to have College Board (SAT) or ACT send your official scores.

2. Contact colleges you’re interested in
Make some contact with the colleges you’re interested in.  They like to see that you reached out to them before you applied–it shows that you’re truly interested and may possibly enroll if accepted.  You may want to schedule an interview or a informational meeting with an alumnus in your area. If you do wind up having an interivew, make sure to follow our interview advice.

3. Visit colleges
Nothing gives you insight into a college or university the way a college visit does. It’s the only way you can actually experience what campus life is like. You can read all you want about your dream school’s history, when and how it was founded, where its original campus was built, what secret tunnel runs between the library and president’s house, the complete, unabridged list of which celebrities are alumni–you can go on! But just know, a visit to a campus will do you just as well. And considering you have some free time in summer, it’s a great opportunity to go now.

4. Rough drafts of your essay
Hopefully you’ve gotten a hold of the applications for the schools you’re most interested in applying to. Just like the phrase, “With great power, comes great responsibility,” with each application, comes a fairly hard essay question to answer. Perhaps that example was ill-fitting, but with any application, comes some sort of essay you’ll have to write. Bored on a Wednesday night because your shift got cancelled and all you’re friends are out of town ? Perfect! Start drafting those college essays!

5. Scholarships
Jan Brady once eloquently stated, “Scholarships, scholarships, scholarships.” She’s right. No matter what kind of stunt Jan is pulling, our attention will always linger back to scholarships. It’s the heart of the matter, because they will help you ultimately pay for college. Get a head start on your scholarship search. Start by making a Cappex profile to match you with scholarships that best fit you.

Have you checked anything off these items off your list yet? What steps do you think rising seniors should make before school starts again? Leave comment!

That list might include making a scrapbook of you and your BFF’s, ditching a class for “Senior Ditch Day” or scribing your initials into a bathroom stall to leave your “legacy”–whatever you need to do to feel emotionally prepared to leave your home and friends for a new place.

But there are also some things you’ll need to do logistically before you head off to college:

1. Clean your room
Not only will your parents appreciate the effort, but after 18 years of stuffing teddy bears and gifts from your grandma under your bed, you might find something you could actually use in your college dorm room–maybe it’s a poster, a blanket or a pair of slippers.  Whatever you wind up discovering in the ether of your walk-in closet or bottomless drawer, sorting through your inventory can keep you from buying things you already have and save you some money.

2. Cook a meal in the microwave
A time will come in your college life when you will discover that for any number of reasons–strange hours, cold weather, etc–the trek to the cafeteria or a local restaurant is not worth your time. In that case, to stave off your hunger, you’ll have to compose something in your dorm room with nothing but a microwave. There are plenty of microwavable meals out there, but you can get creative too. Teach yourself some microwave lessons before you head off. Here’s one for a pizza bagel, and here’s one for Rice Krispy treats.

3. Save/transfer files on you computer
Many students use different computers when they head off to college. Sometimes they get brand new ones, other times they use their school’s state-of-the-art computer labs. Either way, you might have some files–like pictures, papers, music, etc.–you want to keep with you in college. Make sure to either transfer those files to your new computer, a hard drive, flash drive or even email certain things you might want–like that picture of your dog in a Halloween costume.

4. Get a check-up
College means freedom! It also means your mom’s not going to be there to bring you chicken noodle soup the minute your temperature climbs to 99 degrees. So, just to play it safe, get a check-up before you head off to school. Make sure you’re healthy and/or that you have the prescriptions you’ll need for college. You’d be surprised how many college-bound high school seniors don’t even know how to unscrew the lid to get a Flinstones vitamin, so make sure you’re healthy and ready to take care of yourself in the fall.

5.  Practice living on a budget
The most popular game in college is going as close to $0 in your bank account without overdrawing. All the kids are playing it! If this game doesn’t sound that fun to you, draw out of budget plan for yourself before you head off to college. Practice using it and sticking to course. The more rehearsal you have with the budget, the less you’ll feel like a fish out of water when you actually implement it your first semester.

Do you have any other tips? Comment and share your thoughts!