NEWARK, July 17- It's back-to-school time for college-bound youngsters. Chances are if yours is a freshman and a bit inexperienced at residence hall life, she could use a few pointers on how to make the best of a small space.

Jack Gentul, dean of student services for New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), Newark, says that the best-looking, most functional residence hall rooms he's seen typically feature one or more of the following 10 items. You may want to share this list with your college-bound student or use it yourself for last-minute gift ideas. NJIT, New Jersey's third largest public university located in the University Heights section of Newark, offers on-campus residential hall housing and other services to more than 1,700 graduate and undergraduate students.

Top Ten Decorating Tips:

• Photos of family and friends.
• Plants.
• Fish: Some schools allow one ten-gallon tank per room.
• Posters and art work. Check residence hall requirements for hanging items.
• Color coordinate bedding, rugs, and accessories. If you can paint the walls, use lighter colors to make the room look larger.
• Consider an area rug.
• For art work, create a collage atop a self-stick poster board using photographs, advertisement letters, magazine illustrations and more.
• Bubble lamps and/or fiber optic lamps.
• Colored light bulbs to create mood.
• For a touch of home and wall art, hang high school memorabilia.

NJIT is a public, scientific and technological research university enrolling more than 8,800 students. The university offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees to students in 80 degree programs throughout its six colleges: Newark College of Engineering, New Jersey School of Architecture, College of Science and Liberal Arts, School of Management, Albert Dorman Honors College and College of Computing Sciences. The division of continuing professional education offers adults eLearning, off campus degrees and short courses. Expertise and research initiatives include architecture and building science, applied mathematics, biomedical engineering, environmental engineering and science, information technology, manufacturing, materials, microelectronics, multimedia, telecommunications, transportation and solar astrophysics. Yahoo! Internet Life magazine cites NJIT as a "perennially most wired" university.

Contact Information:

Sheryl Weinstein Public Relations (973) 596-3436