My freshman year of college is coming to a close, and that means that it's almost time for me to rip apart my dorm room and take everything home. This also means that I'm coming to realize that there are far too many things that I brought to school but haven't touched since August. As I pack up to head home and incoming freshman are beginning to shop for their dorm rooms, I've decided to share exactly what you need to bring (and what you don't).
First, here's what you absolutely DON'T need to bring.
No one needs ceramic plates. For any reason. Mugs and reusable cups and bottles are acceptable, but I promise you that you will not use plates that you have to wash. The same goes for metal silverware. Just, don't.
Don't bring your entire closet. I made this mistake. If you haven't worn it in a year, you won't wear it in college.
You don't need cooking supplies. There might be a kitchen in your building but you probably won't use it, and if you do, the front desk will most likely have cooking supplies you can rent out.
You also don't need any appliances, really. If you want to make coffee in the morning bring a small kettle, but you won't need a toaster, blender, or microwave at all, and chances are, your school doesn't allow them.
Don't bring anything your roommate is already bringing. See if you can coordinate beforehand so you don't have two of everything, especially things like cleaning supplies or decorations.
Now, here's what you actually need to bring.
Every college packing list tells you the obvious (bedding, organizers, school supplies, etc.), but have no fear, because I'm here to tell you about what you don't know you need for college.
First, you should definitely make sure you have slippers and a bathrobe. I personally don't use these things at home, but at school, I use them every day. You're not going to want to walk around your building in actual shoes all the time, and a bathrobe is a must-have when you walk have to walk down the hallway to use a shared shower in a shared bathroom.
Along those same lines, make sure you have old flip flops or shoes you can wear in the shower. Especially if you're going to be using a shared bathroom.
Bring something to organize your shoes. I completely neglected this and then when I moved into my dorm, I had nowhere to put my shoes and they were all haphazardly strewn on the bottom of my closet. Bring a shoe rack or a hanging organizer, for sure.
Bring lots of command hooks. Bring command hooks for the stuff you know you're gonna need them for, and bring extras. You'll never know what you suddenly decide needs to hang up.
You definitely need a backrest for your bed. You're not always going to want to sit at your desk to do homework, and sitting up in bed with a backrest is a great way to go.
Also, bring some sort of additional seating for your dorm. Whether it be a bean bag or a folding chair, you're going to need somewhere to sit that's not your bed or your desk.
Get a laptop case. It can just be a protective sleeve that you put your laptop in and then throw it in your backpack, but you're going to be carrying it pretty much everywhere you go and you want to make sure it's protected.
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