This year has been a bit of a change for everyone, but especially so for students heading to campus for the very first time. With essentially two classes of new students arriving on campus this year and the dorm rooms back at triple capacity, space is going to be tight. Moving away from home for the first time generally yields a ton of questions about what to bring, but with small closets and beds so close you can touch, there isn’t really enough space for anything in excess. Here are a few things I recommend sending back home or at least packing to bring home over the next break:
- High School Clothes and Memorabilia
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As often as you might’ve worn that class T-shirt or sweatshirt, it is highly unlikely that you will continue to wear them after you obtain a few UCLA pieces. Since the Enormous Activities Fair and the start of club meetings, you may have already gotten a few new pieces of school gear to rep, so those high school T-shirts and sweatshirts will probably be pushed to the back of your closet until move-out. It might make sense to take those home when Thanksgiving rolls around.
- Excess Linens
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Moving out for the first time and being responsible for doing all your own laundry as well as a full new class and social schedule (and the freedom that comes from living alone) means that you might not be doing laundry as often as you originally planned to. Even if you are able to do laundry once a week or more, you don’t need more than two sets of sheets or towels. You only need one extra set in case of a spill because you will wash them as needed. Having more than two sets will just be a waste of valuable space.
- Appliances/Extra Furniture
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Other than a mini-fridge (or a micro-fridge) and a fan (if you are living in a classic hall), you do not need any kitchen appliances or extra furniture. UCLA also doesn’t allow a lot of different appliances and when you’re living in the dorms, you will likely eat most of your meals in the dining halls or on campus. Additionally, most buildings have communal microwaves for residents, and a couple of places on the Hill have community kitchens that you can reserve if your urge to cook hits. With so little open floor space in the dorms, you also don’t want to sacrifice any of it for extra furniture. Each student has a bed, a desk and a small closet and drawer space, so there really isn’t room for a plush chair or a futon. Even if you wanted to swap your hard wooden desk chair for a comfy one, you might find it difficult or impossible to get anyone to pick up that standard-issue dorm furniture.
- A Ton of High Heels
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College life seems so glamorous in the media, but truth be told, UCLA is very hilly. You won’t be walking across campus back and forth in a whole lot of heels and there aren’t many occasions you would want to wear heels to on a regular basis. In fact, it is best to choose only a few pairs of shoes in general. Shoes can be pretty bulky and a lot of us tend to reach for the same couple of comfier pairs every day so that space could probably be put to better use.
- Ironing Board
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Just like you won’t be wearing high heels very much, you probably won’t be dressing up in your nicest clothes too often either, and most people don’t spend much time ironing their clothes. While it might seem nice to have that ironing board, there really isn’t much space to store it. A mini iron is more than enough and you can iron on any hard surface. A small steamer also could work well, or you could try to borrow one from someone else in your dorm. If you’re truly worried, there are heat-resistant foldable surface protectors you can buy on Amazon to protect your desk for ironing on.
- Expensive Jewelry/Other Pieces
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Please do not bring anything that is irreplaceable to campus. If you know you’d be very upset if you were to lose it, don’t bring it. It is so easy for things to get lost or stolen in the dorms and on campus, so leave those special pieces at home.
- Prohibited Stuff
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Due to safety regulations, UCLA Housing does not allow students to bring halogen lamps, coffee makers, hot water dispensers, toasters, microwaves, candles, grills, stoves, space heaters, AC units, waterbeds, weapons, pets (other than fish with specific limitations), and a few other items you can take a look at here. Resident Assistants likely will be seeing your dorm and may even do dorm checks, so try to keep contraband out of your dorm.
Since a lot of us will head home for Thanksgiving or even earlier in the quarter, it shouldn’t be too hard to drop some of those unnecessary items back at home. It also makes for an easier move out if you aren’t forced to sort through and pack up so many items that you just don’t need. With the start of Fall quarter and so much to look forward to on campus and outside of your dorm, you really just want a nice space to study and sleep in. Take a bit of time to move what you don’t need and enjoy the added space!