Are you moving from a non-residential campus to a residential campus this spring semester? Well here are the do's and don'ts to pack for college living in an on-campus dorm.
Let's start off with what not to bring.
1. Open-flame cooking devices.
A lot of colleges don't allow cooking devices that have an open flame or coils, such as toasters, any type of small stove-top device, or even toaster ovens. Your university should have a list of cooking devices that aren't allowed if you need to check.
2. Candles
Sadly, candles are a safety hazard that are not allowed on campus.
3. If you enjoy reading, don't bring your books from home.
I heard this from a lot of people before coming to college, and I'm glad I listened. You don't have the necessary storage or free time to read books. You'll barely have enough time to read the books assigned to you and after reading all of that, you won't have the desire to read anymore, anyways. Summer and Christmas break are great for catching up on the reading you didn't get to do during the semester, so save your books for then!
4. Plates/cups/silverware that you have to wash.
Your sink is more than likely not big enough to even wash these in and let's get real, your parents aren't there, so you won't be motivated to actually wash them. Buy disposable ones, instead.
5. Tons of Shoes
Shoes take up a lot of space in your closet that is rather small. If you don't wear them at home, you won't wear them at college. I have like 30 pairs of shoes piled on my closet floor right now, and I only wear about five of them. The others just sit there.
There isn't really a lot of room and the dorm provides some furniture for you to use.
On your college website and when you take tours, the dorm room looks big, but when you start moving all of your stuff in, you realize that they are a tight squeeze.
Your wall isn't big enough. I brought a whole tub of decorations, 75% of them are still in the tub because I ran out of room to hang everything. However, do bring some decorations to make the room feel like home and not a blank wall.
I wanted to bring my whole room with me, but there are two reasons why that's not a good idea. 1) There's not enough room in a dorm, and 2) It's good to have some things at home, so when you go visit home you feel at home.
1. A laptop or computer
This is a little self-explanatory, but you'll need one for almost every single class.
I can guarantee you, that you'll be working on homework after the library closes that needs to be turned in at 8:00 am. This means waking up even earlier to go to the library as soon as it opens. Printers are great to have in your room, so you can print when you're finished at 3:00 am, and so you don't have to go back outside even if you do finish during library hours.
These two will be the only way you really have to cook anything in the room.
You won't have room for a full-sized fridge, but at least one person living in your room should bring a mini-fridge. You'll want late night snacks, often, and this will allow you to keep them cold in the convenience of your room.
4. Keurig
Even if you don't like coffee, get one. I use mine to make hot chocolate, tea, ramen noodles, and to boil water. They don't take up much space and can be very useful.
Dorms can get really cold in the winter. My bed is right by the window, so I have a heating blanket that helps out tremendously. I recommend getting one that can turn itself off after so many hours just for safety reasons.
I tried to lug all of my laundry home each weekend to wash, but that turned into a hassle. Also, it's a thing to change outfits like three times a day at college. You'll need to wash your laundry there.
(Make sure you bring liquid instead of pods. My university doesn't allow pods in the washers because they could burst and the plastic gets in the machines and clogs them up.)
Sometimes the washers tend to smell when the doors get closed on them with moisture still in there. So, bring dryer sheets to get your clothes smelling good again in the dryer.
The dryers tend to have really high heat compared to the dryers used at home, so my clothes shrink a lot faster here than they do at home. (No, it's not the freshman fifteen, or at least I tell myself that.)
I have clothes such as bras, nike shorts, tight jeans, and nice tops that need to be hung to dry, so I found a handy little stand to dry those clothes in my room. It folds up, and I store it in my closet when I'm not using it.
I have this exact one, you can get it at https://www.walmart.com/ip/Household-Essentials-3-....
I love candles, however, they are not allowed in dorm rooms. Luckily, electronic candles are allowed. They keep the room smelling fresh, some have a built-in light, they can be unplugged when not in use, and they don't use actual fire.
These can also be found at Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Better-Homes-and-Garden....
9. Netflix and......DVDs. (Not Netflix and chill.)
Most universities provide cable, but Netflix has a lot more options and you can binge watch a whole season at once.
DVDs are great, because you and your roomates can introduce your favorite movies to each other and bond over watching them.
10. Christmas lights for decoration
White Christmas lights are a great decoration throughout the year. They provide a small night light to lead your way to the restroom in the middle of the night, or to help you get ready in the mornings while your roommate is still sleeping with the main light turned off. These lights also provide a warm, glow that makes it feel like home in your room. Also, the light that they provide is helpful, but still dim enough to sleep comfortably while on.
11. Cubical storage units
Although, I said not to bring a lot of furniture, I do think that organizational units are very beneficial. They allow you to store more and in an organized fashion. They can be put in corners, under your bed, or by the door to save space.
I hope this list helps you out with what to bring and not to bring when starting college.
