It’s your first year on an actual college campus, and you’re super excited to finally be getting out of the house of a long year of quarantine and online school. Getting ready to be on your and move into your college dorm room can be scary, especially when you don’t know what you should or shouldn’t bring. It can be really easy to forget certain dorm room essentials and even not know you need them at all. There are also things that you will need later down the line that you will wish you had when you’re in the first couple of weeks at school.
DO Bring a Hanging Shower Caddy.
The first thing on this list of must-haves is the hanging shower caddy. This is much like the regular caddy you bring into the communal bathroom, but instead of sitting it on the side as you shower, it hangs on the showerhead. As a woman of color with thick curly hair, wash days were dreadful, having to bring all of my products and reaching out the shower to grab my shampoo and condition! With the hanging shower caddy, you can not only have all of your hair care products in front of you but also your shower essentials such as; razors, detangling brush, soap, and of course, your loofah/wash rags. You can pick up one at any Target or Walmart for around fifteen dollars.
Don’t Bring a Bunch of School Supplies.
The first thing I wanted to do as a freshman was go shopping for a bunch of new notebooks, pens, pads, and binders. Although, when you go to your first class Monday and get your syllabus, you’ll realize the only thing required for the course is the textbook and a pencil. In some courses, you won’t need anything but your laptop! Teachers require different specific items depending on the course, so the best thing to do is wait until you get the syllabus for every class and then go shopping for those things specifically. That way, you won’t have a bunch of school supplies don’t you don’t need to take up space in your dorm room.
DO Bring a Carpet.
A carpet for your dorm room is something a lot of people don’t think about until they wake up for their 8 am and walk on their icy cold floor with their bare feet. A carpet is something that you can buy together with your roommate ( if you have one) so it covers the majority of the room, or you can get a smaller carpet to put right by your bed. A smaller carpet would also be convenient under your desk, so when you’re studying, you can relax your feet on it. Also, this would be especially ideal for those who don’t want to wear socks 24/7 in their room and don’t feel comfortable walking with their bare feet.
Don’t Bring a Printer.
I speak from experience. I brought a printer by freshmen for convenience and never used it. Multiple places on your college campus will allow you to print for free or a couple of cents a page. Printers are expensive and cost money to upkeep. They also take up space in your already small dorm room. You’ll have to buy 50-60 dollar ink whenever you run out, and also paper. Unless you want to put the printer in your budget every month, just use the printer your college campus provides.
Do Bring Plastic Drawers
Something I kept buying when, even as a sophomore, was plastic storage drawers. They proved so helpful in storing and organizing all of my products. I’m somebody who has a vast collection of soaps, deep conditioners, creams, etc., so having a place to put all of them allowed me to save a ton of room in my dorm. Also, the plastic drawer organizers are small and can fit much anywhere in the room. Plastic drawers can be used to store not only products but also undergarments that you wouldn’t necessarily want to be in your larger drawers. They are also college student budget friends and are usually only around 10 dollars from target or Walmart coming in a variety of colors.