University provides a locus of place that brings together people for the common purpose of studying and socialization. This is a challenging period particularly for first year students who have to leave the familiar surroundings of their parental homes and settle in a totally new environment. The purpose of the study was to examine how students of University of Botswana adapt and personalize their residential rooms in pursuit of creating an environment that is conducive and meaningful to their learning and stay at the university. The study adopted a systematic random sampling method to select a total of 316 students, both male and female, who reside on campus accommodation. A questionnaire was used to obtain information on the method and nature of personalization the students adopt, as well as the impact personalized space has on academic performance and social benefits. The findings indicated that both male and female students personalized the hostel rooms to help them adapt to their new living environments, express their personalities and values. Most of the students indicated that “comfort” was their main influence in personalizing their spaces. Common items used to personalize the rooms were various electrical appliances gadgets, soft furnishings and personal accessories. The display of academic materials did not form a part of personalization of space in this study. The personalization of students’ rooms was not connected to motivating their studies because they displayed less academic materials. It was associated more with social benefits such as helping them to relax and reduce academic stress.

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