Freshman year is a time when you come in to your own personal style. You get complete control over what you want to wear and where you want to wear it. But, finding clothes to celebrate your new fashion choices can be a challenge.

It’s no secret that when you’re a freshman on campus with no car and an unreliable knowledge of the bus system, campus can seem like an island. With the closest mall being a 30-minute bus ride away, it seems every shopping trip could turn into a chore. However, students have a few options when it comes to amping up their wardrobe without having to make a pilgrimage to the far reaches of Champaign.

Shop online

This may seem obvious to some, but when I arrived on campus my freshman year, I had never ordered an item online in my life. It’s safe to say I have been fully indoctrinated by now and have a growing online shopping addiction. But even if the average student is not an Amazon virgin like I was, many students don’t realize the discounts and perks online stores offer them.

Students can get Amazon prime, a service that offers free shipping among other things. It is free for six months, and then you pay half the price after that. ASOS, an online clothing retailer, offers a 10% off discount on all student purchases. With the app Pocket Points, you can earn points toward a multitude of different websites such as Puma, Lulus, and JCPenney. These are just the start on the discounts you can get as a student online.

Shop on Green Street

If you distrust buying clothes online, there are a few clothing stores right on campus. Ragstock, Apricot Lane and Urban Outfitters are all situated on Green Street, at a walking distance from most of campus.

Ragstock has the cheapest selection of the three, selling both new and used clothing. It has a guys’ and girls’ section, and it is situated in the basement of Panda Express. Ragstock gets especially busy come Halloween season, as it stocks a variety of new and used costumes for the holiday.

Apricot Lane and Urban Outfitters are more upscale. Apricot Lane only sells women’s clothing, but it tends to have discounts for Greek Life members on campus. Urban Outfitters is two stories tall and has a men’s and women’s section. Though its items can get a bit pricey, it also has a vast sales rack upstairs.

Shop in your roommate’s closet

I’d like to emphasize that you should do this only with permission. Stealing clothes from your roomie tends to be a big no-no. However, if both of you become close enough that borrowing each other’s clothes is okay, it can really improve your outfit selection for free.

It’s like doubling your wardrobe. You know you’re both tired of your own clothes anyway, so swapping tops can be a mutually beneficial deal. If your roommate isn’t into the idea, you could also borrow clothes from friends. This is especially useful when you only need something for one night, or if you need it on a short notice.

College is a time to test your boundaries and find out a little more about yourself. Changing up how you dress is a great way to reinvent your style and try new things. Though all-day trips to the mall can be fun, it’s also good to have ways to shop closer to home.

Melissa is a junior in LAS

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