Your Dorm Room Preparation Guide
10 things to bring to college and 10 things to leave at home.
by SOPHIE SCHLOSSER ★ JULY 11, 2020
Amidst the peak of spring semester, the wretched coronavirus outbreak forced universities worldwide to temporarily shut down campuses and halt their physical educational pursuits. With zero time and limited evacuation preparation, thousands of students fled campuses with nothing but a suitcase, clorox wipes, and a will to survive. The uncontained fear and uncertainty of the situation rendered me paralyzed. But as these unanswered questions flooded my mind, one positive thought bubbled to the surface: “Holy sh*t, I won’t have to pack up my room.”
After months spent dreading the notorious move-out day, this mere realization kept me sane throughout my entire fifteen hour journey home. But once I received the email providing me with assistance on scheduling “Dorm Room Movers” to pack up my room for me due to my inevitable absence, a deep pit of guilt developed in my stomach. To be blunt, I am a compulsive hoarder and my room showcases that exquisitely.
With that being said, I learned a lot from the twelve 50-pound boxes that landed on my doorstep last Monday and I’m here to deliver this pivotal message: every square inch of your miniscule dorm room is valuable real estate. Don’t overestimate what you need to bring. You have zero room for error. Literally—you have no room. Below is a guide comprising a list of ten dorm room items that are absolutely essential to your life-in-a-shoebox college experience, as well as ten items that will spare you the extra storage space. Thank me later.
WHAT TO BRING:
Fan. When I say a “fan,” I don’t mean one of those cute little fans that you can clip on to the end of your bed and feel satisfied. One unfortunate reality of college is that dorms typically don’t have AC, despite the 100 degree weather scorching outside your window. You will need a big, hefty fan for your room—in fact, you might just need two (one for your roommate). These tiny rooms get hot and stuffy. Be prepared.
Cleaning supplies. Living in a dorm and sharing everything with everyone can be a dangerous game. The first thing I regretted not purchasing before entering dorm life was an excessive amount of cleaning supplies. In fact, the best college investment I made was a vacuum—there wasn’t a day that passed without needing to use it on multiple occasions. Also, I highly suggest buying other cleaning supplies such as Clorox wipes, a Swiffer, Febreeze, multi-surface spray, paper towels, etc. Whether it’s for cleaning up the hot pocket that you dropped on your floor at 3AM or ridding the unnamable stench that wafts around the entire hallway, cleaning supplies are the key to dorm life happiness.
Brita filter. I’ll be the first to admit that I used to laugh when people swore by the use of a Brita water filter in college. After quickly experiencing the inhumane realities of college dorm sinks, I sped to the nearest Target and made the wonderful switch. Long gone are the days of unsuccessfully dodging the unidentified sink substances while trying to fill up my Hydro Flask. Enough said.
Shower caddy & shower shoes. Unarguably the most hanus dorm room sight is unattended shower supplies shoved inside an empty, sopping wet cabinet that reeks of mildew. Four words: get a shower caddy. I found that the hard plastic shower caddies stay the cleanest while the soft fabric ones typically don’t last as long. In your caddy, make sure to always have a pair of shower flip flops. Trust me, sharing showers with 50 people can get ugly. These flip flops will shield you from the clumps of stranded hairs stuck to the floor along with several other questionable shower entities.
Power strip. Considering the majority of power outlets in a dorm room are located in places far beyond one’s reach, I highly advise you to purchase a power strip. Between the plug-ins for your phone charger, computer charger, straightening iron, fairy lights, fan, microwave, fridge, etc, you’ll thank me later.
First aid kit. The amount of injuries that either I experienced or watched other people experience was striking during my freshman year of college. What was even more striking? The amount of people in my dorm that didn’t even own a singular bandaid. The solution: buy a first aid kit. I promise you at some point in your college experience, you’ll desperately need it.
Portable 3-drawer desk storage. Rewinding to the fact that a college dorm room actually feels like you’re living inside a shoebox, stackable storage space is your new best friend. A rolling cart with 3 drawers saved my life as it was used not only for storage purposes but also as my bedside table. Best of all—the wheels on the bottom facilitate the process of transporting it from the store to your room.
Plates, bowls, and utensils. A common mistake I made upon college arrival was somehow believing that every dining hall on campus miraculously stayed open 24/7. This notion is very false. In fact, most dining halls at Syracuse University closed at 9pm which is considerably early in comparison to my usual 3am bedtime. As late night snack time is a ritual, I was often left eating my ramen noodles with two pens as a substitute for chopsticks or a fork. Believe me when I say—even if you think you don’t, you absolutely need silverware.
Desk lamp. Fluorescent dorm room lighting sucks. End of story.
Area rug. Despite the fact that by the end of the year, your rug will resemble something out of the absolute depths of the jungle, area rugs are wise investments for countless reasons. In typical dorm rooms, there are very limited seating arrangements, aka two terribly stiff and uncomfortable desk chairs. A fluffy area rug will provide your friends with a place to sit comfortably in your room. Not only this, but area rugs oftentimes make dorm rooms appear much bigger and more open. You just can’t pass that up.
WHAT NOT TO BRING:
Nutribullet. You just won’t use it. I know you think you will. I promise you won’t.
Keurig. Return to item #1 for explanation.
Printer. Considering there were about 3 printers in my dorm, including one located only one floor below mine, I highly regretted bringing a printer to college. I not only barely needed to print anything at all but there are printers located everywhere on campus. I mostly used printers in study spaces like libraries or other educational buildings—rarely in my own dorm room.
Your entire wardrobe. I made this mistake and my room resulted in appearing like it was just intensely raided by the RAs each time I walked in the door. There were clothes everywhere, pouring out of every single crevice. Worst of all—I ended up wearing the same 3 outfits every single day for an entire semester. As hard to believe as it sounds, you don’t need to bring a lot of clothes to college.
Additional furniture. Are you trying to create an obstacle course before reaching the comfort of your bed? If not, refrain from bringing any extra furniture into the shoebox.
Tool kit. Unless you’re an architecture student, I truly don’t believe in my heart of hearts that you will ever lay a hand on a tool kit in college.
Candles. They’re just too flammable.
A sleeping bag. You would be so surprised how many people I met who brought a sleeping bag to school. One word: why? Among this entire list, a sleeping bag is probably the absolute last thing you could ever possibly need in college.
Fairy lights. Simply put, they probably won't be allowed.
Your entire collection of shoes. This one was definitely the hardest for me to accept as shoes are my primary form of happiness but eventually, I had to come to terms with reality. The reality is this: there is zero room for shoes in a dorm room and even worse, they are the hardest to store. Choose wisely.
It is exceedingly difficult to conform to college life in a seamless manner. Truth be told, my mom still did my laundry and packed my lunches all the way through my last day of senior year of high school. Although college is a rite of passage granting you undeniable freedom, it is still essential to acknowledge the surplus of responsibility that is thrown on your shoulders upon arrival. When dealing with the inevitable high levels of cortisol that plague your first weeks as a college freshman or returning student in general, you will crave a safe haven—a place of peace—that can be found within your dorm room. Ultimately, if you fill this space with useless objects, the chances of it feeling like your home away from home are minimal.
Cover photo credit: Instagram (@dormify)