Packing can be overwhelming especially when you’re going away from almost half a year! Deciding what to bring with you your freshman year at college is one of the most stressful things you will ever have to do. You will spend hours at Bed Bath and Beyond, tear your hair out over what clothes you can fit in your suitcase, and still feel like you are forgetting stuff as you pull into campus. Luckily, after experiencing freshman move in and living at school for a semester I perfected a list of everything you will need while you are away at school.

BEDDING

Bed bug mattress protector – No matter how careful you are, sometimes bed bugs are unavoidable so make sure you take every precaution against it

Mattress Pad- Your back will thank you later.

Sheets- The warmer they are, the better you will be when winter comes

Pillows – Trust me, you’re going to want the comfiest pillows ever to go with your rock hard dorm mattress

Bed Spread – The bed spread is your way of expressing yourself most in the room, from color to design, it will all describe you as a person, plus it’ll help set a theme for the room

Throw Pillows–They aren’t really necessary but it glams up your room

Your favorite stuffed animals- It will really make your dorm feel like home as well as offer a sort of security blanket

ROOM SUPPLIES

Lamps- Dorm lighting is actually atrocious. Whether you want some light to study in your dorm or just want good lighting for pictures before going out, a lamp will definitely come in handy

Body length mirror- There is nothing worse than getting ready in your dorm room and having no idea what you look like because you didn’t bring a mirror. Trust me you won’t want to go into the communal bathroom every time you want to look in the mirror

Jewelry – It can be pretty easy to forget about jewelry because of how small it is

Dressy clothes and heels- While you’ll be tempted to live in sweats while classes are going on, you never know when you’re going to need to get dressed up, especially if you’re rushing

Athletic Clothes- A key part of avoiding the freshman fifteen is staying active while at school

Load up on the hair supplies-you most likely won’t have access to your favorite salon items at the local campus Rite Aid

Storage units- The closets the school gives you isn’t nearly enough to fit your 5000 shoes and sweaters

Hanging supplies (hooks, adhesives, etc.) – It’s always good to have spare hangers for all your pictures and posters

Rug – Dorm floors are disgusting. The cold rubber floor isn’t exactly homey so a rug will make it warmer as well as comfortable

Alarm Clock- This is a must for anyone who doesn’t want to miss their 8 am class

Storage units- The closets the school gives you isn’t nearly enough to fit your 5000 shoes and sweaters

Hangers – If you have access to a wardrobe or some sort of closet in your room, I highly recommend trying to hang as much stuff as you can. That way you can avoid having to fold clothes and put them in storage bins as well as ironing them every time you want to wear it

Steamer/ Iron – Like I said, you won’t have enough space to hang everything so most of your clothes will looked like wrinkled rags

Something to play music- This will entertain you in your dorm room and will be useful if you ever go out and need it

Television- It’s always nice to catch up on your favorite shows in between studying

Extension Cords- The dorm has a limited amount of outlets which of course will be placed out of the way, extension cords will allow you to use more electronics and use them where you want

CLEANING/LAUNDRY

Febreeze- Living in dorms can get pretty smelly so make sure you stock up

Clorox Wipes- During the winter tons of germs will be floating around so this will be useful to disinfect and clean your room

Bleach and Detergent- Unfortunately your mom won’t be able to wash your clothes at school

Laundry Bag- The more light weight the better because you’ll be carrying that baby up 3 flights of stairs filled to the max with dirty clothes

Stain Remover- Whether you spilled jungle juice, beer, pasta sauce, or Ramen, it will work wonders on your clothes

Mini Vacuum- The room can get pretty dusty and dirty from food dropping

Towels- Paper towels are a must especially for cleaning up drunk spills

First Aid Kit- It’s always good to be prepared for headaches, scratched knees, and sore throats

Sewing Kit- Don't let a broken strap or lost button ruin your outfit

FOOD

Kitchen supplies –While most dorms don’t have kitchens, you’ll definitely need paper plates, plastic utensils, and solo cups for all the microwavable food you’ll be ingesting

Tums- your stomach will thank you after ingesting caf food and binge drinking

Chip Clips- No one wants stale chips duh

Keurig- In the long run it’ll be cheaper than buying Dunkin every day

All your favorite snacks and drinks in bulk- It will go fast so stock up

Refrigerator- This will be perfect for leftovers and keeping all your drinks cold

Shelving- It’s best to keep your food on shelves to avoid bugs getting into them

Microwave- Vital piece in the room for heating up most of the food you’re going to be having such as Ramen and Easy Mac

SCHOOL SUPPLIES

Printer –Most schools only allow a certain amount of free printing before they start charging costly fees so get ahead of the game and bring your own.

Calculator- It’ll be cheaper at your local store than at the school bookstore

Tons of pens- Trust me, by the end of the semester you will lose them all

Note cards- A lot of times you won’t be allowed to write in books so note cards are great for jotting down thoughts

Highlighters- Perfect for studying and taking notes

Notebooks- The more paper that comes in them, the better

Batteries- It will come in handy for your calculator as well as for electronics in your room

Planner- It can be very easy to confuse due dates with all the classes. A planner will help prevent this

Stapler- Nothing pisses off some teachers more than asking to borrow their staplers

Laptop- Some schools supply them for you, but it’s always good to have a back up one

Backpack- Pick the most comfortable one, you’re going to be using it a lot