You've probably seen a hundred lists, posted officially by various universities or unofficially by various websites, about what you should pack for college. Here are a few things that I think they're all missing, and what you should add to your "to bring to my dorm room" list.
1. The longest charging cable you can find
When my dad handed me a nine-foot-long cord for my iPhone, I thought it was a joke. Why would I ever need a cord nearly twice as long as my room is wide? The answer: bunk beds. My roommate and I decided to bunk our beds to maximize floor space, and doing so made it pretty difficult to reach the outlets closest to the bed. Dad, this is a formal thank you--that giant cord has made it possible for me to lay comfortably in bed during the weekend while my phone charges. You're a life saver.
2. A pair of socks, three (or more) sizes too big
OK, so I didn't start off the school year with these, but I ended up with them, and I'm very glad I did. Another present from my dad, though this time it came after spraining my ankle (again) and ending up in a brace and a boot for several weeks. Not only was I able to pull his socks up over the brace (a blessing for my poor frozen toes!) but, after healing and rearranging the room a bit, I found myself without any place to put my phone and glasses at night. The solution? Grab an extra lanyard and tie one of the big socks to the bedpost. Instant phone pouch that I could also hang my glasses off of! They also came in handy during a few especially freezing days we had in January and February, being loose enough that I could pull them on over my regular socks without worrying about cutting off my circulation.
3. A cheap fan
If you do decide to bunk your beds (I highly recommend it, it really opens up those tiny dorm rooms), then you'll quickly run into the problem that heat rises. Combined with a tiny room and at least one other person in there, the person on the bottom bunk will be trapped in a sauna, and the person on the top bunk will feel like they're trying to sleep in a convection oven. Turning the air conditioning all the way up and opening up the window at night helps, but I found that adding in a fan was really the key to keep my roommate and me from melting at night. In the Rocky Mountains. In February. It doesn't have to be fancy or expensive--I think the fan I have cost about six dollars at the hardware store across the street. Set it on the floor on the opposite side of the room, tilt it up towards the beds, and enjoy your new refreshing breeze.
4. Multiple lanyards
You don't have to use these as intended; in fact, most people I know in college don't. They prefer to keep their key cards in their wallets or phone case. Whether you use one for your card or not, I still highly recommend grabbing an extra lanyard or two at the beginning of the year, when the college is handing them out for free to all the freshmen. They're incredibly useful--I mentioned above that I used one to tie my sock-turned-phone-pouch to the bedpost. They're long, fairly durable, and can, in fact, be put through the washing machine by accident and end up no worse for the wear. Just take the plastic card holder off and keep it in your desk drawer. I'm sure you'll eventually come across a situation where you need to hold something together, and a hair tie just won't cut it this time.
5. Dish soap
Maybe your dorms have a kitchenette at the end of the hall (or on one of the floors). Maybe the school claims they'll provide dish soap for you. Just wait a couple of weeks - it'll run dry and won't be refilled when you need it, or you'll find it isn't as good at getting the last dried dregs of coffee or chocolate out of your mug as you would hope. My mom sent me off to school with a small bottle of dish soap, and it's become a lifesaver for my roommate and I on those nights when we'd rather have anything other then cafeteria food again. And as you might know, while macaroni and cheese is easy to make, it also leaves quite a messy pot, and the regular hand soap provided in our dorm kitchen is not nearly as good as actual dish washing soap at cutting through all that cheese. Make sure you grab a hand towel to dry everything, too!
6. Multiple power strips and surge protectors
These are becoming more common on official university lists, but it can't be stressed enough in my opinion. The fact of the matter is that when I moved into my dorm room, I searched for twenty minutes, and only found four outlets in locations of varying convenience. I had two power strips at the beginning of the year, and now, with about a month of school left, my roommate and I have a total of five in our room. I actually have one strip plugged into another because the cord wouldn't reach all the way to the outlet from where I needed it to be. With all the electronics we have nowadays, on top of the mini fridges that need to be plugged directly into the wall (don't try to plug one of those into a power strip!), you're going to want all the outlets you can get ahold of. Plus, with multiple strips, you won't end up overloading one--like so many people do at Christmas time--and possibly cause a fire. Spread out your chargers over a couple of strips. Not only will all of your electronics be protected in the case of a power surge, but you'll always be able to charge your phone from anywhere in the room.
7. Air freshener
Listen--it doesn't matter if you and your roommate are the cleanest people on the planet. It's a small room with at least two people in it--along with all of your laundry and probably a dirty mug or two--and the window most likely doesn't open more then about six inches. It's going to get a little stale in there, especially when you start making microwaveable meals and suddenly you've got Campbell's Classic Chicken Noodle competing with your gym socks from two days ago. Some smells are simply not meant to be mixed. So open up the window for a little while and set out one of those slow-release air fresheners (it doesn't matter if it needs an outlet or not, just be aware of your hall's rules regarding things like that). It'll make everything better, I promise.
If you want to get fancy and buy a set of infuser sticks, then all I can say is don't get a really strong smell like, say, apples, and then proceed to put the entire package of sticks into the bottle. You're going to give yourself, your roommate, and any friends who might come over a headache. Yes, I am speaking from personal experience, and no, it was not my purchase.
8. Clorox wipes
They don't have to be brand name; you can get the generic grocery store ones if you want to save a few bucks, but they are dead useful. When you first move in, it's nice to be able to wipe down everything so you know it's clean and fresh, as well as giving your parents some peace of mind on that matter as well. Flu season in the dorms can turn into a living (or, well, half-alive, depending on how bad that year is) nightmare. Break out your sanitary wipes and use them on everything--the door handle, your desk, your trash can, and especially the microwave if you've been making soup to combat the flu. I'm not saying you will never get sick if you do this, but you'll probably be better off than the next door neighbors, who neglected to bring some Clorox of their own.
9. Multivitamins
This goes along with the last point in trying to make flu season bearable. I have a big bottle of Airborne Immune Support. (The gummy version, of course. You're an adult; you're allowed to have gummy vitamins again. Please let me know if you find the Flintstones vitamin gummies I remember from childhood.) Not only will this give you a boost in flu season, but it's also great when you're planning on traveling during the school year, be it for a sporting event, a vacation, or just hopping on the AmTrak train back home for a week. Buses, trains, planes--they're all just breeding grounds for colds and the like, which is what you definitely don't want to catch right before the big game or the holidays. So take a couple vitamins in the days leading up to your departure, and your chances of catching something have at least been diminished.
