It's that time of year again: dorm shopping. Bed, Bath & Beyond will give you a list, and every naive freshman (aka, me a year ago) will think this list is the be-all and end-all ultimate list, but it is certainly missing some key players.
1. Wrinkle release spray
Yeah, it is safe to say I did not once touch the small ironing board hanging in my closet, sorry Mom. While it was cute and was teal, why do all that work when this simple spray can do the trick in thirty seconds? I mean, I guess you can bring an ironing board if you need a table.
2. Rain jacket
I kid you not, I had three different umbrellas and did not open any of them. Safe to say, my rain jacket got me everywhere I needed to go. Ditch the umbrellas, just take a coat. Who wants to be carrying around a wet stick all day? Not me, that's for sure.
3. Snacks
You do in fact have a meal plan and food is everywhere on campus, but will you really wake up even earlier just to get breakfast? Let's be realistic, just bring the granola bars. Or late at night, will you really feel like walking somewhere? Probably not, just bring snacks. Food is also an easy icebreaker to make friends - everyone will always love you if you give them food, right?
4. String lights
So, yes, dorms do have lights, I suppose. However, they just do not create the best ambiance, especially in those early mornings. Get yourself some pretty lights to give your room a homey feeling. You will not regret not turning on the light that makes your room look like a prison.
5. Batteries
Yeah, this was my Mom's idea, but wow, was she right. I never knew how many annoying things required batteries. Those string lights? Yeah, batteries. That calculator that you need? Yeah, batteries are required.
6. Duct tape
GiphyStrangely enough, my roommate and I needed this probably way more than we should have. Yeah, it looks kinda ratchet, but I promise when that picture frame keeps tumbling on your head at night, the duct tape suddenly looks ten times better.
7. Air mattress
Yes, they do supply you with a mattress in a college, but definitely bring another one. Sleepover with friends? Heck yeah, we were more than ready.
8. Coasters
I really am not sure if anyone actually likes or notices that annoying water ring water bottles leave on furniture, but these bug the heck out of me!! Coasters, people!!
9. Safety pins
Wardrobe malfunction? Decorations falling apart? Don't know how else to fix something? Bring the safety pins.
10. Over-the-desk storage racks
Both my roommate and I thought our moms were cramping our style with these prison-like objects, but as always, they were right. The amount of stuff that we were able to store in here, still baffles me. Plus, with the right storage bins, this can actually look really cute in your room, and give a home to things you never needed to bring to college, like all of the umbrellas you'll never use.
11. Business-casual clothes.
Strange, right? But there will be a point in the semester your professor will make you do something that somehow involves dressing 'business casual', and if you are anything like my roommate and I, you will have more than enough clothes to clothe you and all of your closest friends.
If I had a nickel for every time we got a knock on our door or a text asking us if we had something or asked to borrow something, my roommate and I would definitely be rich. It was nice to be the room that people knew would be prepared, most of the time.
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