There are a ton of college dorm lists floating around the Internet right now that highlight all the essentials you'll need for the upcoming school year, but I've noticed a few essential items that seem to be forgotten. Most of these items I totally forgot last year while packing and later paid the price when I was without them. So rather than letting you make the same mistakes I did, I compiled a list of 12 things that might slip your mind while packing:

1. A detachable closet pole. Dorm closets are built differently, but a lot of them are the same little square boxes with two sides, each with one pole and one shelf. To optimize your space, buy a detachable pole (I got mine from the Container Store). It hooks onto the pole already in the closet and slides out to each wall to become another pole to hang clothes on.
2. Storage cubes. My roommate and I had two of them last year, and they were awesome for extra storage. I used one of them for all my school books and supplies, and the other one we used for tupperware and paper towels.
3. Cleaning supplies. Yes, you’ll want to clean every once and awhile. A few essentials on my list this year are: Frebreze, mirror wipes, dust wipes and trash bags. Supplies like vacuums and brooms can usually just be rented from your dorm, so it’s unnecessary to bring your own.
4. A long iPhone charger. You can get these relatively cheap off of Amazon, and they’ll be a lifesaver. It’s pretty likely you’ll be lofting your bed so you can optimize space in your tiny dorm room, and those loft beds can be surprisingly high. Even with extension cords, you’ll be struggling to reach your phone when it’s attached to a regular length charger, so definitely purchase a long charger before move in day.
5. Body pillows. Whenever I was first dorm shopping, I passed them in the aisle thinking they were unnecessary, boy was I wrong. My lofted bed had a huge crack of space between the bed and the wall, and my blankets/pillows were ALWAYS falling in the middle of the night. I bought two body pillows later in the semester, one for my side and the other for the head of the bed, and it completely solved the problem. Plus, it made my bed super comfortable.
6. Shower shoes and a shower caddy. It’s easy to forget about these two things when packing since you probably don’t wear shoes in your shower at home and all your products are already in your shower. But now that you’re in community bathrooms, shower shoes are a MUST. The showers aren’t very clean and you don’t want to risk any type of bacteria that may be lurking. As for the caddy, now you have to bring all your stuff with you every time you have to take a shower so caddies make those trips much more convenient.
7. First aid kit. You don’t have to go all out, but the basics like bandaids and Neosporin are necessities. You’ll be surprised how many packs of bandaids you’ll go through in a year.
8. A desk light. Your dorm room most likely won't come supplied with one and with the terrible lighting in the dorms, you'll definitely want one. Also, they're great for late nights doing homework or getting ready for an early class.
9. A Tide To Go stick. Trust me, this may seem unnecessary but you’re much messier than you think. Whether someone spills a red drink on your white shirt at a party or you got a little clumsy in the cafe, Tide To Go is another life saver.
10. A stapler. Sure, the library probably has staplers, but it’s way more convenient to have your own in your room. I was always stealing my roommates last year to staple papers together last minute.
11. A travel coffee mug. Try to get a nice one that won’t leak. This is great for whenever you’re running out the door and don’t have time to drink any coffee. You can make a cup with your Keurig and poor it in your travel mug or even run to the cafeteria to fill up your mug before class. Either way, you’ll be thankful you have it.
12. Ziploc bags. I’d go for the smaller versions. These have so many different uses. You can fill them up with snacks or with your liquids for traveling, and you can also use them for different organization, etc.

Even if you're not a planner, it's good to make a list that you can keep with you while packing. Check off everything you have, need to buy, or already packed to keep track of your stuff and to make sure you don't forget anything!