Moving out of your childhood home and then moving into your first college dorm can make you feel SO MANY emotions! You're excited to finally begin "adulting," nervous about having to do everything yourself and scared about being alone. BUT, the college experience will truly be the best few years of your life if you let it be! Moreover, dorm life is honestly such an amazing experience. You get to make new friends who are going through the same experience as you and you really get to know your college campus.
From my experience, college freshmen either buy way too much for their dorm and end up having no space for everything they bought, or they don't have enough and are left needing certain things. Here are a few things that you will definitely need to make the most of your space in your college dorm!
1. Storage, storage, storage!
Dorms are incredibly small and having only half of a tiny room means you need to make the most of the space you have. You are going to need some sort of large, plastic storage container. I used two plastic three-tier drawers! You can order these from Amazon, Target or Walmart for super cheap.
If you are someone who has 20 pairs of shoes that you have to have, consider getting an over-the-door organizer or a shoe rack!
2. Hangers.
For some reason, when I moved into my dorm I realized I completely forgot to buy hangers for clothes! If you have a lot of clothes you may want to look into hangers that can hold multiple pieces of clothing.
3. Bed linens.
This includes a comforter, sheets, pillows, and an extra blanket! This one is pretty obvious, but I would recommend buying two sets of sheets so it can be easier to rotate them around.
*ALSO* be sure to check the size of your dorm bed, some are a twin and some are twin-extra-long!
4. Your favorite outfits.
Don't go crazy with the number of clothes you get! Firstly, there isn't a lot of space for your clothes. Secondly, you will get an insane amount of free t-shirts during your first semester, so you need to save room.
5. Laundry basket.
Be mindful of the size and shape! You want it to be a good size, but nothing too big and bulky.
TIP: Look for something easy to carry or with handles because you'll be carrying this too and from the laundry room!
6. Pictures and/or decorations that spark joy for you.
This one is so important. After a long day of studying, it's almost a breath of fresh air to be able to see pictures of your friends and family or your favorite quote hanging on your dorm wall.
It also makes the bland room a little less bland!
7. Towels.
Two or three towels will be perfect!
8. Bathrobe.
This is nice, especially if you have roommates or your dorm is cold.
9. Over-the-door mirror!
This is so easily stored and you will honestly use it so much! Mirrors also make spaces seem bigger.
10. Shower curtain and shower curtain liner!
This is something that you might not think about, but if you have a bathroom in your dorm, it will not come with a shower curtain! Make sure you get this!
11. A rug!
Rugs can make your dorm seem brighter and more like home. Plus, it's nice to have your feet hit a rug when you wake up in the morning rather than cold, tile!
Hold off on things like an alarm clock, desk lamp, and TVs until you get there and see what you need! I've had a desk lamp for three years and have yet to use it. Make the most of your space and enjoy your time in college, it goes by so quick!
