It’s an exciting but sad day, packing the stuff in your room at home to take to your new home - college. As simple as this seems it is quite a challenging process. I have seen dorm rooms overflowing with junk that will never be used, as well as several students who have had to borrow everything from their roommate or new neighbors. You don't want to be on either end of that spectrum, but somewhere in the middle. Space is usually at a premium, so efficiency is the goal.
I'm going to __________in the Fall. So, what should I bring?
The first thing you should do is call your roommate and coordinate what each of you is going to bring. There is nothing worse than having two refrigerators but no TV or, worse still, two of everything!
Here is a list of things that will likely come in handy during the year. Not all of them are a must, but hopefully there will be some in this list that you hadn’t thought of.
- Television
- DVD player
- NetFlix membership
- Microwave
- Refrigerator (or a micro-fridge combo unit)
- Cell phone with good service/coverage where your college is. Another good thing to do is to use prepaid T-Mobile cell phones to stay in touch with friends and family. That way there are no surprises when the bill comes!
- Digital camera to capture all your new friends and fun
- I-Pod/MP3 player/Stereo with a docking station
- Computer (preferably a laptop), with peripherals
- Three prong extension cords
- Power strip/surge protector
- Sports equipment (football, volleyball, basketball, and any other type of ball)
- Desk Lamp
- Alarm Clock (maybe two)
- Laundry bag or basket
- Laundry soap
- Stain Remover/stain stick
- Knowledge of how to do laundry or money to pay someone else to do it
- One or more rolls of quarters (for laundry, the coke machine, tolls, etc.)
- Tide To Go Instant Stain Remover
- Sewing kit (needles and thread, safety pins, two-sided tape, etc.)
- Eating utensils (preferably plastic)
- Cups and plates - plastic or styrofoam (washing dishes in a community bathroom isn't fun)
- Twin XL Bedding - Most dorm beds measure 39 x 80 – so you will need extra long twin sheets, mattress pads and featherbeds. Blankets tend to be longer but for comforters an extra long twin is helpful to avoid cold toes twin xl comforters range from 66 x 90 to 68 x 92.
- Anything to decorate your room and make you feel at home
- Iron and small ironing board, starch
- PDA/organizer/planner
- Backpack
- College clothes (leave the high school T-shirts and letter jackets at home)
- Bike and a (good) bike lock
- Fan (campus housing may have poor air circulation)
- Bath towels, soap, robe, etc.
- Personal hygiene items (toothpaste, deodorant, etc...)
- Shower shoes, flip flops, or Crocs
- Shower caddy for toiletries (if you have a community bathroom)
- Small can-opener and bottle opener
- First aid kit, including Band-aids, antibiotic ointment, ace bandage, etc.
- Tylenol or other pain reliever
- Umbrella
- Raincoat
- Rain shoes/boots
- Pictures of family, friends and/or pets
- Your insurance card/health insurance information
- Phonebook from your hometown (so you can call and order flowers for your Mom on her birthday, etc.)
- Insurance agent contact information
- Friends and family contact list
- Swimsuit(s)
- Workout and/or sports clothes
- “Dress” clothes (guys, this means at least a blazer and one or more ties)
- “Grubby” clothes (who knows if you’ll go clean up along the highway, paint someone’s house or need to play football in the mud)
- Confidence
- Positive attitude
- Textbooks - You don't have to buy them from FROM your school. Affordable college textbooks are available online. Savvy college students have realized they can now rent college textbooks instead of buying, in order to save money on books.
More importantly, what you should leave at home!!!
- Pets (Fish are marginally okay)
- High school memorabilia and letter jackets
- Full size refrigerator (rooms are only so big)
- Fire arms – even if you hunt or shoot for sport (regardless where you live at college, the security is likely not as good as it was back home)
- Expensive clothing and accessories (This is the real world, theft does occur)
- Out-of-season clothes (your closet is only so big). If you live a great distance from your school, bring a light jacket and some long sleeve shirts for when the weather changes unexpectedly, and for cold buildings.
- Personalized license plate from your car - You don't want to give strangers information about yourself
- Jewelry you don't wear often
- Your car if you can - it's much cheaper and you won't have to fight for parking spots
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