We all know how it goes. Freshman year, you pack three of everything because you think college is some deserted island where you’ll never have access to a drug store or supermarket, but by senior year you’re lucky if you even remember to bring a toothbrush. And there are the obvious things that everyone knows a girl can’t live without: a laptop, a phone, books (although even that gets more optional with each passing year), school supplies (this is defined loosely, the other day I watched a boy scrawl our paper topic for one of my classes on a napkin he found in his pocket), your favorite pair of leggings, that pair of jeans that are almost as comfortable as your leggings (but not quite obviously).
But then are the unsung heroes, the little everyday, ordinary objects that play a huge role in our lives, but get none of the recongition. These are the top ten random objects I wouldn’t have been able to survive college without.
1. QTips
Seriously, I know it seems obvious. They seem to be in every bathroom you’ve ever been in. But one time I forgot to buy them and felt like my world was ending. It’s not just the initial ear clearing purpose, it’s how you get rid of that pesky eyeliner that sticks on your eyes the morning after, how you make sure you have the perfect manicure, and how you get rid of the polish in your cuticles once you decide to change colors. Plus, as one of my guy friends was kind enough to point out, no guy likes a girl with icky waxy ears. Very unsexy.
2. An Old Sweatshirt You Don’t Care About
Let me tell you something about college in New Hampshire: it gets cold. And not just the bundle up in a sweater and hug yourself cold, but a cold so deep you feel it in your bones, especially in the winter during weekend nights. I can’t tell you how many friends I know who have brought their new, expensive winter coats to a party and either left them behind in a closet , or had them stolen by some asshole with no morals. College, even the seemingly nice ones, can be sort of a dog eat dog place. So the more crappy sweatshirts you have that keep you warm but also won’t earn you a screaming call from home when you inevitably lose it at a frat party the better.
3. Brita Water Pitcher
Water bottles are cool and all, but you know what’s cooler? A Brita filter that turns a lot of tap water into a lot of filtered water free of charge.
4. Reusable / empty water bottles
If you don’t have the fridge space for a Brita, there’s always the Reusable water bottle solution. If you live in a dorm, there’s usually some water fountain in which water is both accessible and drinkable. Most campus’ even sell their own water bottles with filters installed, for an extra pure taste. Also, if you want to take some “water” out with you on Friday nights to a party, a plastic empty water bottle will quickly become your new best friend.
5. Ibuprofen / Advil / Excedrin
Of course, always a necessity when facing one of those ugly Sunday morning hangovers but one of my roommates takes Excedrin for just about everything that ails her from period cramps to an achy back after being hunched over a desk in the library all night. I think one of the most commonly asked questions on campus’ worldwide is, “Hey, do you have any Advil?”
6. Phone Case with a Built in ID Holder
Sure, you can go with the lanyard option …. if you want everyone to know you’re a freshman. If not, there’s always the phone case with the built in ID pocket. If you’re 21, this is especially helpful when you start going to the bars, and all you want to bring out is your license and credit card.
7. Stapler
There is nothing worse than that disappointed glare your Professor gives you when you hand a five page paper over with the corner tab folded over because you didn’t have a staple. Trust me, the five dollar investment I made in a stapler was worth never seeing that face again.
8. Cash
I know that people in the “real world” (the mythical place they force you into once you graduate and ultimately have to not only answer the question “What Will You Be When You Grow Up?’ but actually be it) use cash, but it seems like something that becomes especially important when making a last minute decision to split a pizza with a friend, or when one of your roommates is picking you up something at the liquor store. If I had a dollar for every time one of my friends said, “I only have my card, can I pay you back?” …. Well I’d be able to pay them back for all the times I said the exact same thing.
9. Baby Wipes
This is one of those things you think you’ll never need until you start using them, and then you can’t imagine your life without them. They’re excellent for make up removal, for dirty door handles in the bathrooms of seedy frats and bars, and for clearing off tables in Chipotle. Seriously, buy a pack, your life will never be the same.
10. Extra Pair of Headphones
Headphones are fundamental to the college experience. Seriously, I keep a spare at all times just in case mine ever fail me. If you’re in the library, you can still bump Fetty Wap while in the quiet room undetected, it makes long walks to class more bearable, it’s necessary if you’re trying to run on the treadmill at the gym and listen to your new Spotify playlist and it’s especially ideal when your roommate’s boyfriend is over (if you catch my drift ;) ) Whether it be a Tegerity lecture or Netflix, it’s much easier to focus when you are listening privately with headphones. Plus, however will you blatantly eavesdrop on the couple fighting in front of you in line at Dunkin Donuts if you don’t have your headphones in but your music on pause to give the illusion you aren’t hanging on every word of their “I know you favorite your ex’s tweets still” argument?