11 Things You Absolutely Need To Pack For College | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

11 Things You Might Not Know You Need To Pack For College

The little details always slip through the cracks, so don't forget these very important things.

109
11 Things You Might Not Know You Need To Pack For College

In This Article:

The days before you head off to college zip by as your caught up in a whirlwind of hanging out with friends before you head off to separate colleges, spending time with your family who you might not see for months, and just enjoying the summer. You start planning what you need to buy for your dorm room and coordinate with your future roomie. While you may want to take everything from your bedroom to your dorm room, there simply won't be space. Here is a list things you might not know you need, but definitely should take.

1. Shower shoes

Chances are you'll live in a dorm for your freshman year of college. If you live in the dorms, you'll have to share showers with the rest of your hall. While the bathrooms in my freshman year of college were cleaned daily, I still didn't want to take a chance.

2. An ethernet cable

This is one item that I actually ended up buying after I started college. The college I attend does have wifi in the dorms, but due to the mass amounts of students on it, I would end up getting kicked off, or the internet taking forever to load. This was super frustrating, as it would take extra time to do my work due to the internet connection. After getting an ethernet cable, I didn't have any trouble completing my assignments online.

3. A fan

Depending on how old your dorm is, you might not have air-conditioning. If that's the case, I highly recommend bringing your own fan. Even though I attend college in a state that's typically not hot during the school year, the first few days were brutal without air conditioning, and I'm not sure what I would've done without the fan I brought.

4. Noise canceling headphones

If you need absolute peace and quiet when studying, then you should definitely consider buying some noise canceling headphones. Even though most dorms have designated quiet hours, these are still useful to use if you want to study during the day and it's loud, or if you're studying in the library and people are talking.

5. Storage bins

College dorms are small, and you'll all the space you can get. Save some space by packing the things you need for later in the year in bins that you can keep under the bed. You'll appreciate being able to walk around the room without falling over items.

6. A shower caddy

Going to the bathroom to shower with your soap, shampoo, conditioner, and other items can be a challenge. Also, the floor of the shower might not be the most sanitary of places. Having a shower caddy will just make going to the shower easier.

7. A bathrobe

My freshman year, I didn't buy a bathrobe. I thought I'd be able to change in the shower. While that worked for a few days, about a week into classes, the fire alarm went off while I was in the shower. I had to change into clothes while soaked. Having a bathrobe on hand would be a lot more convenient.

8. Tupperware and silverware

Chances are you'll need some Tupperware if you want to store food. It would make it much easier to take food out of the dining hall if you want to have a snack later in the day. You might also need it to store food that you ordered out. You'll also need silverware to eat the food with.

9. An eye mask

Chances are your roommate and you will have different schedules. You might want to go to bed earlier, or maybe your roommate gets up earlier than you. If you need total darkness to sleep an eye mask would come in handy.

10. Several phone chargers

While you might think that having one phone charger will suffice, the cord could easily break. Make it easier on yourself by having a backup charger on hand.

11. Ear plugs

If you're a light sleeper, there might be nights that you can't sleep right away because your roommate is still up, or your hall is loud, or people are loud outside the building. Ear plugs would solve any noise problems you might have and let you get a good night's rest.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
ross geller
YouTube

As college students, we are all familiar with the horror show that is course registration week. Whether you are an incoming freshman or selecting classes for your last semester, I am certain that you can relate to how traumatic this can be.

1. When course schedules are released and you have a conflict between two required classes.

Bonus points if it is more than two.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

12 Things I Learned my Freshmen Year of College

When your capability of "adulting" is put to the test

2799
friends

Whether you're commuting or dorming, your first year of college is a huge adjustment. The transition from living with parents to being on my own was an experience I couldn't have even imagined- both a good and a bad thing. Here's a personal archive of a few of the things I learned after going away for the first time.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

Economic Benefits of Higher Wages

Nobody deserves to be living in poverty.

301918
Illistrated image of people crowded with banners to support a cause
StableDiffusion

Raising the minimum wage to a livable wage would not only benefit workers and their families, it would also have positive impacts on the economy and society. Studies have shown that by increasing the minimum wage, poverty and inequality can be reduced by enabling workers to meet their basic needs and reducing income disparities.

I come from a low-income family. A family, like many others in the United States, which has lived paycheck to paycheck. My family and other families in my community have been trying to make ends meet by living on the minimum wage. We are proof that it doesn't work.

Keep Reading...Show less
blank paper
Allena Tapia

As an English Major in college, I have a lot of writing and especially creative writing pieces that I work on throughout the semester and sometimes, I'll find it hard to get the motivation to type a few pages and the thought process that goes behind it. These are eleven thoughts that I have as a writer while writing my stories.

Keep Reading...Show less
April Ludgate

Every college student knows and understands the struggle of forcing themselves to continue to care about school. Between the piles of homework, the hours of studying and the painfully long lectures, the desire to dropout is something that is constantly weighing on each and every one of us, but the glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel helps to keep us motivated. While we are somehow managing to stay enrolled and (semi) alert, that does not mean that our inner-demons aren't telling us otherwise, and who is better to explain inner-demons than the beloved April Ludgate herself? Because of her dark-spirit and lack of filter, April has successfully been able to describe the emotional roller-coaster that is college on at least 13 different occasions and here they are.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments