Packing for college was possibly the most daunting task I have ever undertaken in my young life. It involved weeks of planning, stocking up and drowning in list upon list until finally everything was condensed into a handful of cheap, plastic boxes from Walmart. But as my first year is drawing to a close and I face the even more daunting task of repacking all of the things I dragged from home back into those same boxes in order to shove them into storage for a few months, I am realizing just how much stuff I have, and how little of it I really needed. So below is a list of the good, the bad and the ugly of college packing.
Essentials:
- Fridge
- Microwave
- Bowls/plates/utensils/cups – Even better if they’re paper/plastic because washing dishes in the sink becomes gross after awhile, especially if/when your sink gets clogged.
- Desk lamp
- Felt hangers – They take up less space and make sure your clothes don’t fall off and given how little closet space you have (if any), this is a must.
- Printer – Paying for printing gets tiring, and it’s just so convenient to have a printer to hook up right there in your room.
- Storage for under/next to the sink – If you’re fortunate enough to have a sink in your room, this is absolutely necessary. It helps you store all the little toiletries you use on a day-to-day basis without you having to pull out a giant tote bag all the time.
- Coffee maker/Keurig – Caffeine is the One True Savior of all college students.
- Trashcan with a lid – Bugs are real things that will really get into your room. PREVENT.
- Cleaning supplies
- Toiletries
- Towels – But don’t bring too many. There is this beautiful thing called a laundry room; use it.
- A good laptop – My laptop is an extension of myself at this point. It is more essential than probably anything else I own. Splurge on an effective, nice, powerful one. You will thank yourself later.
- Power strips/extension cords
- Comfortable clothing – Sweatshirts, sweatpants and T-shirts are the only things college students wear. We look like homeless people. You will not be different.
- A basic kit for first aid/illness – College is basically bacteria’s favorite place. You will get sick, probably for long periods of time. Having a baseline of medical tools right at your disposal is incredibly helpful when sickness hits you like a train right before your 8 a.m.
- Rain jacket/umbrella/rain boots – Yes, you need all of them. Yes, you will use all of them. My campus flooded. Trust me.
- A nice backpack – Waterproof backpacks, for the same reasons mentioned above, are essential. I love my Northface because it is able to weather any storms (literally and figuratively).
- Phone/laptop chargers – And extra, if you have them. You will lose them all the time. Be prepared.
- A nice mattress pad – Trust me, spending the money will be worth it. My bed feels like a cloud and makes me never want to leave (a double-edged sword), but it is so much better than having a bed that gives early onset back pain.
- Duffle bag/small suitcase – You have to go home at some point, even if you don’t do so during the semester, which means packing up your clothes for at least a month. Plus, it’s nice to have for any weekend getaways you and your friends take.
- A nice planner – The minute you get your syllabi, fill your planner out with all the due dates for everything. It will make your life endlessly easier, especially because professors often assume you will look at the syllabus and won’t explicitly tell you when things are due.
- An emergency fund – You step on a college campus and go broke. So just in case anything happens, save $100 to $200 that you will not touch unless the situation calls for it.
- Good, protective phone case – College is like a war zone for phones. Protect yours.
- A business/business casual outfit and shoes – There are endless opportunities to meet and mingle in college and don’t be "that kid" that shows up to the business dinner wearing a sundress that looks more appropriate for Coachella than an office setting.
Useful, but not necessary:
- Ethernet cable – Campus WiFi can be the actual worst. After the first few weeks, it calmed down for me and I haven’t had problems since, but that varies school to school.
- Too much big storage – I had more storage containers than even The Container Store sells, and I used maybe one or two of them. But this also varies school to school; the smaller your room is, the more useful small, easy-to-hide storage containers can be to remove clutter.
- School supplies – College and high school aren’t the same. You don’t need five binders and 12 notebooks, you just need a handful, and that’s only if you’re going to take handwritten notes. Highlighters, colorful pens and sticky notes have been my lifesavers. Leave the rest.
- Posters/pictures – They can definitely serve as a comfort when you first get to college, making your dorm room feel more like home. After a while, though, they can make it feel a bit cluttered. Bring only the decorations you simply can’t live without.
- Textbooks – Half the time, the professors don’t even use them, or you can find them online. Wait a week into school to buy all the textbooks so that you can find which ones are actually necessary. A lot of times, professors change their reading lists up until the day classes begin.
- Command strips – Some of them work, some of them don't. I had command strips I had to aggressively yank from my walls while others of them were on the floor within days of move-in. Stock up on a handful, but don't buy out Target.
Leave it at home:
- Half your wardrobe – You don’t have room, I promise you. No matter how badly you want to convince yourself you will wear all those cute outfits, chances are, you’ll wear maybe three in a rotating cycle. The same goes for shoes.
- Your entire library – I brought a handful of my favorite books to college under the vain idea that I would pick them up every once in awhile. I didn’t. They just take up space.
- Nice, new furniture – I brought a futon to school, and although it was nice to have extra sitting room, it also became gross and destroyed just a few weeks in. So if you’re going to bring anything, make sure it’s something you are willing to "wear in."
- Television – I know friends that have a TV and they love it, but I didn’t, and I promise you that I did not die. Stream Netflix instead. If you’re worried about space, definitely leave the TV at home.
- Excessive pillows/blankets – You don’t need small pillows to serve as “decorative” pillows because you will not use them. Same with blankets; one or two nice, cozy ones for cuddling up in bed or while you’re studying are great, but you don’t need more than that.
- White boards – They’re huge and take up room that you definitely do not have.
- Fans – They just take up more space than necessary.
Any other current college students, feel free to comment with more suggestions!
