I remember my freshman year, I was so eager to get to college and move in. I had so many ideas for decorating my dorm room. I even requested to move in early so I could get the better side of the room. After all your going to be living there for the next two semesters right? Alas as the first week came to a close I already had a pretty big list of things I either forgot or needed to go out and get. In hopes that you won't befall the same fate as me here are my top ten items that you don't want to forget when packing for college.
Power strip- Dorm rooms are notorious for not having enough outlets. It's a good bet that the room your moving into doesn't either so you should pack a long power strip. Your going to want to be able to plug in your laptop, cell phone, alarm clock and just about everything else in your bag not to mention curling iron for when your going out so the longer the strip the better.
Ethernet cable- Not all dorms come with wifi and almost all campuses don't allow students to have their own especially if it's not offered. If you don't have a long enough Ethernet cable to reach that plug that just so happens to be on your roommates side of the room your going to have a hard time doing work let alone arranging your dorm room to accommodate your short cord.
Advil- I can't tell you how many times I woke up on a Sunday morning with a headache so bad all I wanted to do was go back to sleep. What's worse is that most of those times I didn't even have Advil to stop the pain. It's a good idea to bring the largest bottle of asprin you can find. I prefer the Advil liquid gels because of hoe fast acting they are.
Box fan- Most colleges don't offer air conditioning to their students in their rooms so It's a really good idea to bring one of these. The smaller fans are alright but a box fan can go in your window and trust me it makes all the difference when it's 98 degrees outside and you're stuck in your dorm room writing a paper.
Command strips- These seem to be the standard wall hanger in all college dorms. They go on easy and come off even easier (sometimes). I love using these because I can literally stick them anywhere and hang just about anything even my collection of bags. If your looking for a cheap way to hang things on the wall without having to worry about it falling off every 5 minutes because your tape isn't strong enough then invest in a bunch of these.
External hard drive- You never know when technology is going to fail on you, it's a smart idea to keep your files backed up. Your going to be thankful that you did when you spill that mixer all over your laptop and seemingly lose the term paper you've been working so hard on the past few weeks. I can't tell you how many of my friends broke their computers or had a hard drive crash and didn't back up their files before hand.
Umbrella- Rain can strike at any time even when it feels like the most beautiful day of the year the weather can change in an instant. My freshman year it rained so hard my dorm actually flooded once and I was so unprepared. Your going to regret it when you just finish doing your hair and you look out your window to see a big storm cloud pouring down rain so hard you wished class was canceled.
Febreze- I may not have a great sense of smell but let me tell you when you wake up on a Sunday morning and your sheets smell like you threw up a whole handle of tequila you'll be happy to know you can at least make your dorm room smell like Spring flowers even when you don't. Or when your roommate decides to go all natural and not shower for a week your going to rest easy knowing you can febreze the crap out of their side of the room when their gone.
Shower sandals- College dorm bathrooms are disgusting (yes even the girls bathrooms are gross). After the girl living in the room next to you tries to make it to the toilet to boot but barely makes it through the door it'll be nice to have something to wear that isn't one of your nice pairs of shoes. It's a good idea to buy cheap sandals like the Old Navy rubber sandals. Their great for the shower because they don't retain any water and are easy to slip on and off.
Band-Aids- I'm a bit accident prone, I go through almost a box of band aids every couple of weeks. When I was in college it seemed as if I didn't have a band-Aid on something was wrong. Bring a few boxes in varying sizes and styles. Like clear ones for when your going out or water proof ones for when your getting in the shower. Try to avoid the tough strips though because they leave a sticky residue that's near impossible to get off without feeling like your scrubbing your skin away trying to do so.
What's on you essential packing list?
xoxo Rebecca
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