College is right around the corner and especially for freshman, sometimes it is hard to decipher through your clothes and belongings (that you have kept in your room for the past who knows how many years) and decide what you specifically need to bring to college. For most freshman, you are probably living in a dorm, so that leaves you with very minimal space on what you have room for. However, I am here to tell you that there is a way to bring all the rights things, but also have your own splash of personality to the room.

If you know me at all, you know that my dorm last year and my room in my sorority house this year have both been decorated pretty strategically and fun. For those first couple weeks before moving to college, you probably find yourself going through clothes or keepsakes from literally ten years ago that you did not even know you still had. But good news, there is a much easier way to execute the big move from home to college.

First things first, go through all your clothes.

You never know, you honestly may surprise yourself because you did not realize how much crap you actually still had. Then you find it and say "Oh my god, I have been looking for this!"... but in reality we all know you really have not been. But for that sake, you keep it anyway because you honestly believe that you might wear it again.

Here is the cold hard truth: you won't wear that again. Throw that dang t-shirt away. It has been packed away for so long for a reason, and you obviously did not miss it too much or you would have found it several years ago, so just throw it out. Once you go through ALL your clothes, this makes it so much easier to decide on what you actually NEED to take to school, what you might just keep at home, and what you can give to Goodwill. This also goes along for keepsakes and knick-knacks as well.

Second, find a specific way to decorate.

I know, you are excited. For some of you this might be the first time you get to decorate a room for yourself in several years so you are really excited to decorate it exactly how you want without the influence of your mom over your shoulder.

For me, I love tapestries, pictures, plants, string lights, pretty canvases, and dreamcatchers, so that is how I am going to decorate my room. Decorating your room is all based off your personality. Your freshman room is supposed to be your happy place, or maybe even your place of escape at times, so decorate it how you wish without the influence of your mom or dad giving their two cents on how it should be decorated. Look through home design stores; for example: Home Goods, Hobby Lobby, Old Time Pottery, Target, the home section of Urban Outfitters, and any other local places that might be close to just you. This way you can get an idea of how you want the gist of things to look. Then later once you get the flow of things going in your head, that allows you to add your own flavor of your personality to the decor.

Third, do not overpack.

Freshmen have the tendency to overpack (yes, I had this problem too). For some reason, the idea of being away from home and away from parents just freaks freshmen out so they think they need to bring any and everything because they can not just run down the hall to ask their parents if they have any extra of something. Although, I promise you that you will hate yourself on move in day if you have to move to campus with 4-5 cars full of stuff that you honestly think will fit in your tiny dorm room.

Fourth, bring doubles (and possibly even triples) of things.

For example: buy doubles of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toothpaste, q-tips, face wash, deodorant, and anything else that you think you might go through pretty quickly. I had a bucket that I brought with me that was dedicated solely to all my toiletries. It helped me a lot by knowing for the first few months I was good and I did not have to go to the store just to grab some toothpaste because I was out. This way once I ran out of something I made a list, but I also had extra to fall back on so I could make my way to the store whenever I got around to it.

Fifth, DO NOT OVERPACK THE SNACKS!

I honestly thought I was never going to eat so I made sure that my family sent me with a whole bunch of snacks and I barely even ate any by the end of both semesters. It is important to keep some of your favorite snacks and drinks in your room, but do not overdo it by making sure you have plenty of meal items and an over abundance of snacks.

Sixth, if you are a coffee fanatic like I am, bring your own Keurig.

Yes, there are typically Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks on campus or around campus. However, after a while that constant coffee-buying everyday gets ridiculously expensive. It is okay to have a fancy drink from Starbucks every couple days, but if you are a person who just enjoys coffee period then I would suggest bringing a Keurig. This way you can make coffee whenever you want without having to walk or drive anywhere and it is so much cheaper to do.

My freshman year of college was so fun and it is a time that you need to just absorb what is going on around you because you will never get your freshman year back again. Freshman year of college is a vital turning point of life where you get to find out who you are as a person without the influence of your parents or whoever around you at all times. However, it is important that you are prepared with the right essentials for freshman year to be a success. If I knew what I know now, then my freshman year would have been a total breeze with much less confusion!