1. Plastic wrap on the toilet:

It’s a little gross, but this is a classic dorm prank. Just place a layer of plastic wrap between the toilet bowl and the seat. When a bleary-eyed college student stumbles into the bathroom before his 8 o’clock class, he’ll be in for a wet surprise. Just make sure you don’t have bathroom-cleaning duty that week.

2. Towel/robe theft:

This prank works best in a dorm with community bathrooms. When your roommate heads for the shower, sneak in after her and take away her towel or bathrobe. How far will she go to make it back to the room? Make sure to stick close by in case it causes a meltdown!

3. Marker fun:

We pity the poor college student who is the first one to pass out after a night of partying. That doesn’t mean we can’t still laugh at him, though. When the moment comes, grab a pack of markers and draw on your friend. Give him a new mustache, write embarrassing messages on his body, or wherever else inspiration (and beer) takes you. A variation on this prank is to use red lipstick to write a seductive message on a guy’s stomach or cover him with lip prints, so he’ll wonder exactly what happened to him last night.

4. Computer-based pranks:

Some technologically-minded students prefer to take their pranks online. Consider it pranking for a new millennium. For a quick and free prank, you can sign your roommate up for email newsletters on embarrassing topics. If you know her email password, change it so she can’t get her messages. If she leaves her instant-messaging program open at all times, write a new eyebrow-raising away message. You can also make small changes to the computer itself, such as adding an inappropriate image to the desktop. A great part of these pranks is that the changes are easily fixed, for when you want a moment of shock without doing any real damage.

5. “Contaminated” food:

The key to this prank is convincing the victim that he has eaten something disgusting, when in fact, he hasn’t. First, take photographic evidence of a piece of food being dirtied in some way (dipping it in the toilet, placing it in unmentionable places, etc.), then throw it out. After your victim has eaten a completely clean version of the food, show him the “evidence” and watch the retching begin. It’s one of the best dorm pranks because you’re not actually doing anything to harm the person; it’s all in the power of suggestion.

6. Dorm room + paper:

Since paper is so readily available, it makes for a cheap and easy dorm prank prop. One prank involves taking a large sheet of paper and taping it in front of the dorm room door, so the occupant is barricaded in her room. It’s good for a laugh, but it doesn’t make it impossible to leave the room. If you have more time and patience, another great way to use paper in a dorm room is to fill an entire closet with crumpled up newspaper. You’ll want to see the expression on her face when she opens the door and it all comes tumbling out.

7. Rearranged room:

When someone leaves the dorm for the day, rearrange his room. Move all the furniture, hang the posters on different walls, and change everything possible. For added fun, make sure everyone else on the floor is in on the joke, so they can act like they don’t see anything wrong when the victim returns. This prank requires some planning and assistance from like-minded individuals, but it’s another good prank for giving the victim a harmless surprise.

8. Universal remote:

If your dorm has a common area with a television, use a universal remote to change the channel as you walk by and enjoy the confusion that ensues. It’s a simple, yet effective, joke.

9. Money on the floor:

For another common-area prank, glue a coin to the floor, then sit back and watch as student after student tries to pick it up. An area near the laundry room would be an especially convincing place to glue quarters. It’s one of the best dorm pranks for providing a bit of harmless entertainment.

10. Crickets:

If you’d like to give someone a few sleepless nights, hide a box of crickets in his dorm room. While this prank wins points for overall annoyance, it does have the potential for getting you in trouble with dorm authorities, so use caution.