10. WALL DECORATIONS: These range from cardboard cutouts of your beverage of choice to flags that let it be known to everyone who enters the room that you’re from Boston and proud of it.

9. CHRISTMAS LIGHTS: An easy decoration you can leave up all year long without having to worry about taking it down when your parents or grandparents come to visit you. On nonparty days, they can also double as your main source of light because, let’s be honest, the main lights in the dorm room are terrible.

8. CLOSED WINDOWS: The temperature of the room has a direct correlation to the personality of your crowd. Steamy room means steamy crowd.

7. RED SOLO CUPS: This should go unsaid.

6. MR. BRIGHTSIDE: Leave behind the ‘90s classics, boy band anthems, and all other ND favorites that you hear blaring out of Zahm on Fridays. A playlist with this song on repeat is all you need.

5. THEME: The best themes are the ones that you can steal from dorm events. Work smarter, not harder.

4. STICKY FLOORS: This prevents a few casualties. If someone gets bumped from behind, they won’t have to worry about falling because their feet are basically glued to the floor.

3. SECONDHAND CONTACT: This is when two people next to you in a crowded room are dancing together and you are forced to be the third wheel because of the close proximity. Bonus points if the whole room moves rhythmically together (not willingly, of course).

2. DUDE-WHO-TAKES-HIS-JOB-TOO-SERIOUSLY: The host of the party asks him to keep the door closed and he will. Whenever the door is open for more than .5 seconds, he yells “close the door!” continuously until someone closes the door just to make him shut up.

1. ELEVATED SURFACES: Trust me, it’s not a party without a few of these. Sinks, futons ... they’re all obviously for standing and dancing on. The higher the surface, the more fun people will be having.