Major retailers such as Target, Best Buy and IKEA have begun heavily marketing toward incoming college freshmen, often flooding less-than-spacious dorm rooms with a plethora of accessories, furniture and supplies. Eighty-five percent of first-year students will be assigned to triple-occupancy rooms on the Hill, according to housing officials. Retailers are expecting “back-to-college” sales to be over $47 billion this year.

Photo by Jessica Lum