Making halfway decent espresso at home is an expensive hobby lmao. I honestly wouldn't bother, especially not in a dorm situation. An entry level setup that's vaguely usable is gonna run you $600+. Most of the "espresso machines" you see in the sub $200 range are essentially a coffee maker with a milk frother.

Get a nice coffee maker and a decent grinder instead. Or a V60/Chemex if you're into pourovers.

If you're deadset on home espresso though, check out the Breville Barista Express.

i’d honestly get a nespresso machine

I would j be careful. a lot of unis won’t let you bring coffee makers or espresso machines bc of fire hazards (aka get good at and used to hiding it if you do bring it lol)

https://www.target.com/p/delonghi-espresso-maker/-/A-51168407

This one's mine. I got it from target for the same reasons. I think it's a good cheap espresso machine.

I got this one and it gets the job done

https://www.walmart.com/ip/895305451

The 50$ mr coffee espresso machine from target slaps

If you have some type of stovetop you could try out an Italian percolator! You can find them very cheaply and while it won’t ‘technically’ be espresso they can still make very strong espresso like coffee

Breville Barista Pro!