Any University student can attest that if one walks through the Quad at night, there is an ominous, multi-colored glow coming from the windows of Sheehan and Sullivan Halls. And, no, the school has not switched out the gloomy dorm lighting for these mysterious colored lights. But in all seriousness, what is the deal with these lights? 

It seems that this year, every college student brought with him or her a set of LED lights. These lights are an obvious, necessary part to this year’s college dorm room aesthetic. This makes perfect sense, considering these lights have been all over the app that practically every college student has: TikTok. The hashtag #ledlights has 1.5 billion (not million, but billion) views on TikTok. The trend gained steam in the fall of 2019 and has remained dominant ever since.

The lights are also a bestseller on Amazon Prime. Not only are remote-controlled LED lights highly marketed, but they are also easily accessible, and only cost $26 or less.

What do college students find so appealing about these lights? Is it the way they make people look in snapchat selfies? Or is it just the really good vibes they bring to shoebox-sized dorm rooms? Instead of guessing, The Villanovan asked students to explain the allure of these lights. 

“These lights are sick,” sophomore Bridget DeVerna said. “They bring me back to a time pre-COVID-19, a time where you could go out to The Courts and have fun without worry.”

During a time when students are spending an absurd amount of time in their dorms, it is necessary to have good lighting with the ability to brighten up one’s day. For DeVerna, it does just this. The glow from the LED lights produces an ambience that brings students back to a normal college experience. Whether it’s at The Courts or a friend’s room, the vibes that the lights create have the capability to make you forget about COVID-19 and have some fun.

“They’re sick: nice, cute and vibey colors,” sophomore Caroline Kane said. 

Kane is right about the colors. The standard LED light set has twenty different colors to choose from. The remote that most light sets come with is complex, to say the least. Each color can be set to different levels of saturation. So, whether you are in the mood for blues, greens, reds or even rainbow, these lights have all of your possible moods covered. 

Next time you are walking through the Quad or West Campus at night, make sure to look upwards into the residence hall windows. The luminous glow of colors is a guaranteed mood booster and a nice reminder that the world will be normal again soon, as long as the lights keep on glowing.