Moving out for the first time can be scary, especially moving into a dorm with a stranger that you have never met. If you need some help on what to buy for your dorm room, you have come to the right place. Make sure to communicate with your roommate, though, so that you don’t buy the same things!
Essential #1: Mini Fridge
A mini fridge is one of the most important and convenient things to have in a dorm room. You can keep your drinks cold, keep leftovers from the dining hall, or save some ice cream! Some colleges may provide this for you, so make sure to check before buying one.
Essential #2: Water Filter
You do not want to drink the water from the sink, or have to find a water fountain to fill up your water bottle. Having a water filter that fits in your fridge is extremely convenient, and you will be certain that your water is clean!
Essential #3: Mattress Pad
Take it from me- the mattresses on the dorm beds are HORRIBLE. They are extremely thin and you will probably be able to feel the springs underneath of it. Save yourself the sleepless nights and invest in a nice mattress pad for your dorm bed.
Essential #4: Shower Caddy
You probably will not have a private shower, and in this case you will need a shower caddy to carry all of your things to the bathroom. My favorite kind is the plastic one with holes, that way the water can drain from it easier.
Essential #5: Shower Shoes
Again, you will probably have to share a shower in your dorm, so you definitely do not want to forget to buy some shower shoes. I had some plain rubber flip-flops from the dollar store that worked perfectly fine for me.
Essential #6: Storage
Living in a dorm room is basically like living in a shoebox. You need to bring storage containers in order to maximize the space that you have. I kept storage bins under my bed to keep extra clothes in, and I had bins in the top of my closet as well. This gave me much more space in my dorm room.
Essential #7: Alarm Clock
This seems pretty self-explanatory, but is extremely important. You cannot skip classes in college, and you will not have your mom or dad there to wake you up!
Essential #8: Fan
A small fan is one of the best things I had in my dorm room. Sometimes it was hard to regulate the temperature, and having the option of a fan helped. It also made it easier to sleep at night by drowning out the sound of my roommates YouTube videos.
