Dorm essentials lists do a great job covering the staples for a comfy dorm, while sometimes shirking in the technology category. As a STEM student, I’ve had several rude awakenings to my packing failures.
From pulling everything out of my desk, to desperately searching for a calculator charger, and hitting up the dorm hall GroupMe close to midnight to ask if anyone has a printer I can use. With common packing shortcomings in mind, here are my top underrated tech additions to your packing list:
- Cables
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FSU’s residence halls have TV rooms where you can hook up a computer to run through your project, PowerPoint, or cast a streaming app, and you may not want to run all the way to a library in your time of need, which is where your personal HDMI cable comes in.
HDMI cables are cords that can connect your laptop to TVs and projectors around campus. The front desks at both Dirac and Strozier Libraries will allow you to check out an HDMI cable to borrow, but most times it’s just more convenient to have your own.
You might also want to bring an ethernet cable to connect your devices to the wired internet, since the wireless connection in the dorms can be a little slow sometimes.
- More Than One Charger
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On the worst day of your classes, when you are at your most stressed, your phone charger is going to meet its sad, short demise. However, you can be prepared in advance for this unfortunate rite of passage by having an extra one in your desk somewhere. You may also want to bring a charger with you in your bag if you don’t plan on going back to your dorm for most of the day.
Any charger that regularly experiences a lot of wear and tear, like your laptop or iPad charger, should have a backup. Sometimes, your cables will just stop working, but you can prevent a freakout by having an extra on your packing list.
Freshmen are also guilty of forgetting cords for things they rarely have to charge. As soon as finals week rolls around and your calculator is at critical battery life, you’re going to be dropping $15 on the most specific charging cord on the planet.
Most small devices like calculators and remotes take a Micro USB, Mini USB, or USB-C, so if you bring each of those, you should be ready for any personal cord emergency. Having extra cables can also make you a hall hero when someone is asking in the floor GroupMe if someone has a TI-84 charger at 11 p.m. the night before an exam.
- Noise-Cancelling Headphones
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Quiet floors in the libraries are great places to get work done, but if you have to get some grind in around campus, a good pair of noise-cancelling headphones will help you lock in. Working on a project while sitting under the trees on Landis Green is great, but it’s even better when you can’t hear any power tools.
Construction is always going on somewhere on campus, so headphones can save you from the nonstop power tool noises breaking your focus.
- Adaptors
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Most modern computers don’t have a lot of connection options, so if you are the proud owner of a MacBook with a single USB port, you may want to invest in some cord adaptors. I’d recommend an USB-C/USB to HDMI adaptor so you can project your laptop without having to fight with casting software.
If you’re in a technology-heavy major, another good adaptor to purchase is a USB to ethernet cord so you can connect devices without a USB port to the ethernet connections in FSU’s dorm rooms for direct connection. The FSU ethernet is typically faster and more secure than the wireless connection, which makes an ethernet adaptor worthwhile if you need high bandwidth for your schoolwork.
- A Printer
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Printers are less essential than some of the other things on this list, since the majority of classes at FSU don’t require you to turn in hard copies, but depending on your major and preferred notetaking strategy, it may be more convenient to have physical printouts of things.
Some colleges, like the College of Engineering, offer free printing to their students, but printing at Strozier and Dirac comes with a small fee. 10 cents for black and white, and 25 cents for color per page, is a good deal until you have to print a large file on a budget.
Having a personal printer might also save you during a career fair, when you’ll probably have to wait in line to print out copies of your resume, since everyone else on campus inevitably has the same plan.
While these things aren’t requirements for college classes, they’re good packing list items to consider as college courses get more technologically advanced. FSU does a great job of making the internet and tech useful and accessible from everywhere on campus, so you might as well take advantage of it!
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