My first time moving into a dorm was also my first time moving ever. I have lived in the same house my entire life and I was nervous moving so far away from it. I ended up packing almost my entire wardrobe, bought products I never used, and neglected to purchase some super awesome organization tools. Here are my tips to you as you start to shop for your dorm!
Please keep in mind: every dorm at every college has different amenities. Check with your housing to determine what amenities you will have access to.
DO get small, cute, homey decorations.
I am not talking about one of those egg chairs from Amazon. I mean cute stuff from the $1 section at Target and cute lights to hang pictures on. Do not go overboard—if you have to ask yourself whether or not you need it, you probably do not. Remember, everything you move in there must get moved out, so shop carefully!
DO get power strips.
I promise, they do not have enough outlets in your room.
DO get a mattress topper.
Those twin beds are rough in general, but a mattress topper makes it bearable.
DO stock up on supplies before the semester begins.
I promise you, leaving campus is a pain. Try to purchase a few months' worth of school supplies, beauty products, and cleaning tools to make trips to the store as infrequent as possible.
DO NOT bring your entire wardrobe.
I guarantee you that you will win some free shirts and buy some cute stuff from the bookstore. Bring about two weeks' worth of clothes just in case you get behind with laundry.
DO NOT bring a microwave.
There was one on my floor and a few downstairs. A mini-fridge was helpful though.
DO NOT bring a fancy TV.
I had a cheap, average-sized TV in my dorm that I used maybe three times a semester. My dorm had big beautiful TVs in the hallways and on the bottom floor of each building, as well as a ton of TVs in the dining hall. I primarily use streaming services and I could not get my Chromecast/Amazon Firestick to work on public Wi-Fi, so I stuck to watching from my computer.
And let's be honest, you probably won't have that much time to watch TV anyway.
There are a ton more of things to look out for, however, I hope these tips are enough to get you started. Happy dorm shopping!
