The process of joining college can be fun but figuring out what you need in the dormitories can lower the spirit. No one leaves high school knowing what to pack for college. The first step is coming up with a checklist for the things you might need. It might not reflect your budget but will help a great deal. As a parent or the student to be, you should make sure that these essentials are in place before admission. What do college students need for their dorm rooms? Let’s check out this list of items.
Bed and Clothing Items
- An Alarm Clock – To wake you up early enough to prepare for classes
- Bed sheets – Carry with you duvets, sheets and pillows for the beds
- Clothes – The dorm closet is enough for you to arrange your clothes there. Make sure you have enough clothes to serve you from one laundry day to the next one.
- Hangers – They will help to hand your clothes in the closet hanging line. Your heavy coats, ironed shirts or tops can be hanged instead of folding them.
- Laundry basket – Where you put your dirty clothes for laundry.
- Pictures and decorations – Make your room look more alive by personalizing it with some good pictures/artwork
- Storage boxes – Good for keeping personal stuff and even locking them safe in there.
Technology
- Computer – It’s more convenient for you to have your own laptop even if the school has a computer lab
- TV and DVD player – Let them be of a reasonable size and not so powerful. In case you will be sharing a room, talk to your roommates and decide who brings what.
- Printer/Scanner/Copier – Some professors still like to have written reports, and sometimes its helpful to be able to print out resources for studying. There are specific dorm-room printers that are inexpensive and compact, so consider those.
Bathroom Essentials
- Bath items – Have like two sets of washcloth and towels.
- Bathrobe – Important to use to and from the bathroom
- Flip-flops – To avoid stepping barefoot on the public bathroom (consider there are some health hazards of college dorms).
- Shower Carrier – This will help you carry your bathroom essentials to the bathroom and back. It is optional though.
Kitchen Essentials
- Appliances – Make sure you carry in the appliances that are allowed in. In this case, you can coordinate with your roommates and decide on what to bring.
- Utensils – Includes the dishes and glasses. These items are important to have even if you will be taking meals from the school’s cafeteria.
- Snacks – It’s good to have a bite or two while studying.
Personal Items
- Personal documents – Never leave behind important documents like certificates, ID cards, Driving license, registration forms etc. Birth certificate should be carried along as well, you might get a job immediately after college.
- Medication (if any) – If you are under any form of medication, carry enough with you that will serve you until your next visit home. If not, make sure that you refill them at the nearby chemist as required.
- For those concerned with the safety of individual items, you can consider a dorm lock box, and/or read up on these tips from SafeBee.
Wrapping up
The above list of items doesn’t limit you. These are just the basic items that you shouldn’t miss to have in the dorm.Depending on your lifestyle, carry as many stuff as you can so long as the school allows. If you are going to live in a room that you do not share, the better. You will have the freedom to have anything you want in the room without having negotiations with roommates.