Great College Dorm Pranks

Alright, college is a time for fun, creativity and social exploration...and when the three come together it can be cause for some of the greatest amusement of your life. If you live on a hall you're bound to run into a prankster or two. Some of their gimmicks can be entertaining, but I've seen some pretty lame attempts at "pranking" someone. However, I have seen a few shots of mischief that have blown my mind and I always keep in reserve to nail someone with. So whether you want to prank your best friend or get back at someone on campus, these few ambitious insights may prove useful.

The Packing Peanut Invasion

Ok, know someone on campus who works in the mail room or maintenance? Even if you don't packing peanuts are easy to come by and can usually be bought in bulk for a small fee. Look at it this way, what is more satisfying than any other kind of prank? The kind that keeps coming back to haunt the person who got pranked.

Think of this: a dorm room covered in white packing peanuts. But that's not all...every drawer, pillowcase, couch, closet, bag, shoe, sock, desk and window is chock-full of peanuts. Every space behind shelves, couches, bed and desks is filled with the little buggers. Essentially, what can be a quick job turns out to be a prank still coming up for months. I witness my RA's room get nailed in this way around Christmas. Up until the last day of classes he was still coming across a stray peanut.

The Great Door Switch

This has to be my favorite, mainly because it is so creative, and yet so simple. Know someone who always locks their door? When you have the chance, sneak in and unscrew the hinges on his door while doing the same with another door on the hall (preferably of a person in on the prank!). Swap doors and reattach the hinges...but make sure to switch the nameplates and decorations on the doors...especially the door number. Lock the prankee's door and walk away.

Watch with great amusement as he goes to open his door, only to find that his key is useless...locked out of his own room. Now you might think, "that is so cruel, what if he really needs to get in?" Well, he can always get in, and watching him attempt to do so can be the most fun. If climbing in through a window won't work, make sure you get the RA in on the prank so that when the victim comes for aid, he could just use a master key to open the door. Overall, this prank can last for as long as you want and if revealed, it has the power to amaze the victim with how simple-yet-powerful it was.

The Classic Double-Door Tie-Up

Ok, this is about as simple as it gets, but it never gets old. Got two rooms of your friends that you want to confine? If the answer is "yes" and especially if you happen to live on a second or third story floor, then tying their doorknobs together is the next logical step. However, this simple prank can become extremely complex if you wish it to.

I have seen two rooms tied together...but they were two floors away. The conspirators managed to tie them together with the rope winding through a staircase. Now, whether or not it adds any difficulty to getting out, it sure adds a lot more confusion when the victims do break free. Also, this prank can be made pretty near impossible to get out of, if the anchoring strings and ropes are wound and tied enough.

Finally, The Room Removal

Now as a forewarning, this prank is perhaps as cruel as you can get at college and often requires cooperation between a lot of people, sometimes including campus security.

As well, this prank requires a lot of time and is best done by people who remain on campus during a break or a weekend while the victims are away.

If you choose to switch rooms, you will still need a lot of time and manpower, but not the cooperation of maintenance or other campus groups concerned for property damage...This version is simple...merely switch the contents of one room completely with another. Harsh but straightforward, the look on the victims of both rooms' faces is priceless. However, the whole enchilada rests with a prank that takes that to a new extreme.

Like I said, this can be hairy and there can be a lot of red tape to get through, but the ultimate in high-quality college pranks rests with the Room Removal. This, too, is simple, if difficult. After a decent amount of effort, a group of students can relocate the entirety of a victim's room outside, positioned exactly as it would be inside, but out on the front lawn of the dorm.

For added effect, run extension cords out to the new and literal grass-roots room so that it is fully functional. It has been known that some people, after falling victim to Room Removal, have actually lived in and used their external room for up to a day before campus security and other campus administration asked them to return their possessions. That is why, if you can get cooperation, this prank can be incredible. Either way, it is simply brutal.

Of course there are limitless possibilities for dorm pranks, but those are a few of my favorites. Cheers.