Find out what furniture is included with your room. Many dorms have suggested floor plans to maximize space; some schools won't let you bring your own furniture.
Use a footlocker-style trunk and stackable, interlocking plastic crates to transport your things to school. The crates can serve as storage units, and the trunk can double as a coffee table or an end table. Suitcases can store clothing and extra linens.
Bring only the clothes you'll wear for the next few months if you plan to go home on breaks. Fill in gaps and adjust for the seasons in spurts.
Add a hutch to the top of your dorm-issued desk to store books, and invest in a tall, narrow bookcase or rolling filing cabinet that takes up little space, but can store a lot.
Set up a loft bed, which creates under-bed space for a desk and storage. If your dorm doesn't permit lofts, increase available floor space by stacking the beds into bunks, or raise your bed on cinder blocks to slide in shallow under-bed boxes or drawers.