Ahh... August… Who doesn’t love a good day filled with 80% humidity and a side of school shopping? While there are plenty of necessities everyone needs to bring to college, such as bed sheets and laundry detergent, there are some secret items I believe everyone should add to their lists:

1) A Dry Erase Board

Although a dry erase To-Do List sounds like a great idea for the responsible organized student, I would suggest hanging one outside your door instead. I mean, how else is the cute boy one floor up supposed to leave you his number? (;

2) Candles

I know, I know… They tell you not to bring them, but two plus people crammed into a too small dorm room tends to smell that way after a while. Besides, if you think about you’re only trying to help the common good by not making everyone else smell your dirty socks too; so how bad could it be?

But if you get caught, you didn’t hear it from me.

3) Mace

Sorry mom, but talking to strangers is sometimes the only option you have when you are thrown into a sea of random roommate selection plus 20,000 other students. Although you are probably not going to need to whip out your pink bedazzled can of mace on everyone that walks by, it is better to be safe than sorry.

4) A Candy Bowl

Want to make friends? Put a bowl of skittles in your room and it will be rain(bow)ing with visitors no time. Sorry for the bad joke.

5) Spoons, Spoons, Spoons!

I know utensils seem like an obvious no brainer thing to bring with you to college, but you would not believe how fast spoons disappear. So instead of awkwardly drinking your cereal, because you didn’t realize your roommate used the last one, stock up.

6) Speakers

Why would you follow the quiet hours rule when you can have a dance party with your friends at 2 a.m.? Rules are made to be broken anyways.

7) Phone case with card holder

Trust me. When your friend accidently drops their debit card on the bar floor, and doesn’t realize it until the bank emails the next morning saying their account has been maxed out, you will be thanking me later.

8) Ice cream

If you intend on remaining sane during finals week, or any week for that matter, I would suggest you keep Ben & Jerry’s on speed dial.

9) An Excuse

Let’s be honest, one of the perks (and downfalls) about college is being able to skip a class or two to sleep in without having to fake sick to your mom. Now of course this isn’t something you should make a habit of, but sometimes missing the other half of the world’s most exciting educational movie is a necessity. So come prepared the next day to butter up your professor for what you missed.

Now as you embark on your journey toward stuffing a lifetime worth of stuff into a single vehicle, make sure you save some room for the items on this list.