One of the biggest things about moving to college is getting a dorm room. It's like a brand new bedroom to decorate, and deciding what to bring to college can be very stressful! We all ended up bringing stuff that we never use, like that three-hole puncher that you just had to have. And we all realized approximately an hour after our parents dropped us off that we forgot to get shower shoes. So here you go college freshman -- a comprehensive list of everything you need for college.
Bedroom
- Sheets: One set is really all you need. More than one just takes up valuable drawer space
- Comforter
- Duvet cover
- Pillows: Leave the decorative ones at home. They just take up too much space.
- Pillow cases: Bring at least one spare in case.
- Stuffed animal: Again, just bring one or two
- Blanket
- Bunk bed pouch. These are awesome to keep stuff in so you don’t have to climb in and out of a lofted bed!
- Two bath towels
- Hair towels
- Two washcloths
- Two hand towels
- Bathrobe
- Shower shoes
- Shower caddy
- Small towel to set your wet shower caddy on. Awesome, so you don’t get the floor all wet.
- Makeup mirror
- TV: The best kinds are the ones with built in DVD players
Laundry and cleaning supplies
- Laundry soap or pods
- Dryer sheets
- Stain remover
- Fold up drying rack
- Clothes hamper
- Clorox wipes
- Dust rag
Desk supplies
- Pens and pencils … duh
- Highlighters
- Glue
- Tape
- Paper clips and binder clips
- Pencil lead
- Erasers
- Sticky notes
- Book marker sticky notes
- Stapler and staples
- Desk lamp
- Surge protector/power strip
- Laptop
- Laptop case
- 10-foot phone charger
- Earbuds
- Notebooks/binders and paper
- Spare notebook for scratch paper
- Tacks
- Backpack
- Pencil bag for your backpack
- Scissors
- Flash drive
- Markers or colored pencils
- Blank or colored paper
- Pencil sharpener
- Agenda/desk calendar
- Sharpies
- Extension cord
Dishes
- One bowl
- One plate
- Water bottle
- One cup
- Fork, knife, and spoon
- One Tupperware container
- Big bowl
- Dish soap
- Dish brush
- Water filter
Storage
- Storage bins
- Smaller storage boxes
- Mini shelf
- Ziploc bags
- Desk supply organizer that fits in drawer
- Jewelry organizer that fits in drawer
- Storage box for medicine
- Makeup storage box
- Hanging closet organizer
- Command hooks
Toiletries
- Shampoo
- Conditioner
- Soap: Bring a few extras
- If you use bar soap, get a soap box
- Toothpaste: Bring some extra
- Toothbrushes: Again, bring a few
- Face soap
- Zit zapper
- Lotion
- Makeup: Only bring what you actually wear and some eyeshadow in case you need to dress up
- Sharpener for eyeliner
- Cleaner for makeup brushes
- Makeup remover
- Nail polish
- Nail polish remover
- Powder for stinky shoes
- Deodorant
- Perfume
- Hand lotion
- Chapstick: Bring extras
- Medicine: Tylenol, Nyquil, allergy medicine, thermometer, band aids. Petty much anything you would maybe use at home, bring it.
- Cough drops
- Cotton balls
- Q-tips
- Floss
- Tissues
- Mini tissue packs for your backpack
- Nail clippers
- Tweezers
- Blow dryer
- Flat iron
- Curling iron
- Headbands
- Hair ties
- Hair clips
- Bobby pins
- Hair spray
- Heat protecting spray
- Any other products you use
Decorations
- Command hooks
- Christmas lights
- Picture frames
- Pictures
- Foam sticky pads: These are the best for hanging pictures on the wall
- Posters
- Canvases
- Little white board/dry erase markers
- Decorative candy jar: This is one of my favorite decoration items because it is cute and functional!
Clothes
If you live close to home, it is so much easier to bring what you need based on the current season and then switch clothes out when the weather changes. Clothes are kinda hard to pack. If you haven’t worn it in a while/don’t really like it, don’t bring it. It will only take up space.
- Jeans
- Denim shorts
- Sweatpants
- Yoga pants
- Leggings
- Athletic shorts
- Long sleeve shirts
- T shirts
- Cardigans
- Sweatshirts
- Sweaters
- Button up shirts: Flannels, chambray shirts etc. Basically any clothes to layer are awesome!
- Tank tops
- T-shirts to wear to work out
- Black or khaki pants
- At least one nice shirt for an interview or presentation
- At least one dress
- Skirt
- Cute jacket that would look good for an interview or presentation
- Rain coat
- Winter coat
- Fleece jacket
- Socks
- Fuzzy socks
- Underwear
- Pajamas
- Sports bras
Shoes
Again, don’t bring every pair of shoes you have, if they aren’t comfy, don’t bring them. You will probably never wear high heels.
- Cute tennis shoes: Vans or Keds are perfect for college
- Cute comfy shoes: Sperrys and Toms are great
- Workout shoes
- Flip flops
- Cute sandals
- Athletic sandals
- Ballet flats: These are perfect to wear to interviews or for presentations and are way more comfortable than high heels
- Slippers
- Rain boots
- Snow boots
- Cute boots for fall
Accessories
- Sunglasses
- Winter hat
- Baseball hat
- Gloves
- Scarves: Both warm winter ones and cute ones
- Belt
- Watch
- Tights
- At least one nice necklace for interviews or dress-up days
- Any other jewelry you like
- An extra purse or bag in case you get tired of yours
- Overnight bag
- Small bag for taking to class/meetings in case you need it
- Wristlet for when you don’t want to take an entire purse, but need something
- String backpack for going to the gym
- Little bag for packing food if you need to
The important things that you never thought of
- Insurance cards
- Copy of your social security card
- Driver’s license
- Checkbook: If you don’t have one, I would highly suggest getting one! It is a great alternative to cash and often times you can use checks to pay for club dues, etc.
Snacks
Pretty much anything that you like that will also last a while is a perfect college snack. Limiting the amount of food you keep in your room or only keeping healthy food on hand will help you avoid the freshman 15!
- Granola bars
- Fruit snacks
- Pretzels
- Nuts/trail mix
- Apples
- Chips
- Candy
- 7-UP if you are feeling sick
Random things you’ll probably end up wanting
- Umbrella
- Fan
- Trash can
- Grocery bags for can liners
- Tooth brush holder
- Sewing kit
- Gum
- Air freshener
- ID holder
- Lanyard
- Fun things to do when you’re bored: free reading book, adult coloring book, movies
- Cards
- Envelopes and stamps
- Flashlight
- Lint roller
- Blanket for sitting outside
- Extra phone case
- Alarm clock
- iPod for the gym
- Ear plugs
- Eye mask
- Door stop
