I bet that you’ve seen a lot of checklists for your first year away at college. Bed, Bath & Beyond offers a checklist in their stores that is pretty impressive. You can be sure that they don’t leave anything out — and I mean anything. They organize their list into five neat little sections: one for anything to do with bed (with everything from sheet sets to duvet covers, to sleep masks to tapestries!?) , one for everything cleaning (bathroom, laundry, etc.), one for mealtime, one for organization, and one for lounge time.
This list (and many others that you might make) are a little excessive and yet still don’t offer some things that you are going to trulyneed.
Take it from someone who had to learn the hard way, packing only the necessities is not only smart it’s… well necessary. This is especially true for those of you that are going to be living on campus in dormitories.
So here is my top ten list of things that the new college student shouldn’t go without:
10. Lysol – it may seem like a “mom” thing to do, bringing Lysol with you to college, but I found out quickly that it’s a lifesaver. You’ll want to spray aerosol Lysol disinfectant spray all over everything before you start moving your stuff in. The Lysol or Clorox wipes come in handy too.
9. Flip-flops – this one is on BB&B;’s list, and for good reasons! Sure you may already own ten pairs of those foam rubber buddies, but you’ll want one pair that you designate solely for the showers. You don’t want to walk in the community showers (and, newsflash most dorms have only community bathrooms) and prevent yourself from getting the cooties from previous user all over your feet.
8. Mini-fridge – yes, they’re expensive but they end up paying for themselves. Because sometimes ramen and cafeteria food aren’t what your body needs, the mini-fridge becomes the college student’s best friend. You’ll want a place to keep bottled water cool, keep fruits and veggies fresh, and freeze the occasional snickers bar. If you’re going to have a roommate, check and see if he/she has already purchased one if you can. If not you two can go half and half if you plan on sticking it out together throughout college.
7. Fireproof lock-box – you may ask why on this one, but believe me it becomes valuable. When you trek out to college, you’ll want to bring lots of important documents like your diploma, social security card, birth certificate, and insurance papers. You never want to have to go without these super important pieces of paper, so make sure they’re safe! It’s also important if you’re bringing any expensive small items (like jewelry or ipods) and you’re leaving town for the weekend.
6. Power strips – your dorm or apartment may have a policy against this, like mine… but honestly I used them anyway. Make sure you purchase power strips with a surge protector, because you never know when a storm is going to roll in!
5. $10 in quarters – that’s right, get quarters and lots of ’em. You’ll need these babies for laundry, vending machines, scantrons, and more. But mostly laundry.
4. Shower curtain – These come in handy as a makeshift curtain for your dorm if there aren’t any blinds or the room just isn’t dark enough for you. You can find adjustable bars that expand and retract to fit your window (they’re supposed to be for setting up shower curtains in apartments, but they function well in dorms).
3. Dolly – no, I don’t mean your Raggedy Anne doll or the big-chested singer. I mean the handcarts that dads keep in their garages. These are priceless on moving day. Most people forget them or assume the dorm will have one – when in reality that’s all they usually have…one. Chances are, you’ll need to bring your own because if you’re not on the first or second floor, you and whoever you can con into helping, will haul everything up yourselves. I highly recommend a convertible hand truck (they sell at homedepot.com for $59). These will let you tackle items of all shapes and sizes up to 800lbs.
2. Febreze – Because college kids are usually too busy to find out where that smell is coming from.
1. Laptop – Some of you are saying, “Duh!” but others have been hesitant about making the big purchase. I spent one year at college without a laptop and realized how much more difficult I had made life for myself. With a laptop, you can type notes in lecture classes where the teachers talk too fast. Sure you can record the lecture, but who actually goes back and listens to it? Not me. You can also save money. I saved $150 in books in one semester because I could get material online. You also need something for your R&R; time, and laptops are a lot more versatile. And hey, when you decide to visit home, you can just take your work with you! I purchased a Dell Inspiron 1505 with 1gig of RAM and 40 gigs of hard drive for about $700. So far, it’s been a great laptop for my budget.
Hopefully, this helps. There are a lot of things to remember to bring to college, but keep in mind that everything you bring you’ll have to store over Winter and Summer breaks. Prioritize, and start packing at least two weeks in advance, and get excited because college rocks!
