September is rapidly approaching, which means that some eager college freshmen are getting ready to start school and move into their dorms. When preparing to move into the dorms, there are lots of advertisements telling you what you need to buy and it seems like a lot of stuff. That’s because it is, and most of it isn’t stuff you need. That’s because moving into a dorm is very different from moving into an apartment. Most of the time your dorm comes furnished by the university, you might be sharing your room with a roommate, you probably won’t have your own bathroom, and the university may place restrictions on what you can have in your room for safety reasons. I watched a family pull up on move in day in an SUV towing a small U-Haul trailer. Don’t be that person, don’t overpack. Most of the things you have in your room are a personal preference, but here are seven things you don’t need in your dorm.
1. A printer
So many places on campus have free printing, plus at a lot of schools you turn in most of your assignments online on a site like Canvas. Utilizing the free printing on campus means planning ahead, as most aren’t available 24/7, but it’s worth the money you save on ink, paper and the printer itself.
2. Furniture
I don’t know about you, but the Bed Bath and Beyond ads gave me a very unrealistic expectation of what I could fit in my dorm. With all the bean bag chairs, futons and ottomans they advertise, I was surprised how small all the dorms I saw were. Some room, if configured properly, may have had space for an extra chair or two, but don’t run out and buy those things before moving in and seeing how everything fits in the space.
3. Cooking equipment
Some universities don’t allow cooking equipment like hot plates because of the fire hazard. That being said, you probably wouldn’t get a lot of use out of it anyway. If you are living in the dorms, you are probably on a meal plan and eat mostly in the dining halls. When you get tired of that, some universities have kitchens that residents can reserve and use already stocked with pots, pans, mixing bowls, and other equipment.
4. Lots of dishes
I thought I would need a bunch of plates and bowls, but, like most dorm dwelling students, the majority of the time I ate in the dining halls. When I did get take-out, I shamelessly ate my pizza directly out of the box because I didn’t want to wash dishes when I was done. If you want to bring a single set of dishes, that’s great! But you probably won’t be using more than one plate at a time, so don’t bring your finest China set.
5. Your entire closet
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a girl who likes having lots of options when I get dressed in the morning, but realistically, I wear a uniform comprised of sweatshirts and leggings to class every day. The first time I took most of the dresses and blouses out of my dorm closet was when I was packing up to move out. Having a few options for when you do dress up is nice, but you don’t need your entire closet. Plus, a lot of dorms have relatively small closets.
6. Iron and ironing board
Chances are, you won’t be wearing anything fancy consistently enough to need an iron. If you need to get the wrinkles out of clothing for a job interview, you can always use the shower steam trick.
7. Tons of decorations
I like a good Pinterest-y dorm room as much as the next person, but you don’t need to rush out and buy a bunch of decorations. Your university may have rules about things like string lights and hanging things on the walls with tacks or nails. Bring a few things you’d like to decorate with, but don’t clutter the space. You can always add things throughout the year.
