They say your college years are the best time in your life. Between the mental stimulation of classes and the, uh, full array of social opportunities around every corner, they might be right. There is one potentially negative factor lurking in the shadows of every college freshman’s experience, however, waiting to put a damper on that first day, or even the first whole year: the dorm room. Whether it be an issue of space, a less-than-hygienic roommate, or location (who knew you’d have to walk a mile uphill both ways in the snow to get to class? Can’t say Grandpa didn’t warn you), your dorm room can make a big difference in how much you (or your kids) enjoy the first year of college.

A good roommate can make all the difference in your first dorm room experience. But in order to have a good roommate, you must be a good roommate. One of the main ways in which you can ensure a copasetic roommate situation is to be considerate of space and sleeping schedules. A big factor within that dynamic is lighting. The University of Georgia’s student newspaper, “Red and Black,” released a recent article regarding dorm room complaints. Among the leading complaints about dorm living was “clutter and mess”, “lack of lighting” and also “too much lighting”.

Luckily, the lighting game has changed almost as much as college tuition has. LED lighting—a far cry from the dim, flickering tubes otherwise known as florescent lights, which so often grace the ceilings of dorm rooms—provides one of the best ways to achieve both efficient lighting that is bright enough for studying, but that can also be contained to one section of the room (so as not to disturb your roommate, AKA Sleeping Beauty). For instance, our LED light strips, under cabinet lighting, and flexible LEDs can fit almost anywhere and transform any dorm room into a customized lighting solution that keeps both roommates happy. Why? First and foremost, LED light is directional, meaning it can shine in one direction instead of shining outward in every direction like incandescent light. This means you can study a fully illuminated book without bothering your roommate in the bunk bed above. Equally exciting, LED lights will use so much less energy than incandescent or even fluorescent lights, colleges might even use the savings to reduce tuition costs. Here’s hoping!