The college dorm room will become your own pad and probably your first real taste of freedom. Once you complete high school the college dorm room experience will probably be the only thing you think about all summer. Sure you will pick your courses and try to figure out how you will cover the tuition costs but the dorm room is what most young people think about. You will probably hear more young people discussing what to bring to college than what courses to take. I never had the college dorm experience but fortunately many friends have and they helped me put this article together.
Coffee maker. I rarely drank coffee myself until I started college but sleeping 3 hours a night will definitely require a cup or two of coffee. Unless you feel like walking over to the coffee shop every time you get tired, a coffee maker is pretty much a must.
Hangers. Simple but effective. Get into the habit of hanging your clothes (not off your bed or your fridge) because you don’t want to walk around in wrinkled clothes.
Can opener. Your fantasy plan to cook a nice meal every single day will probably end by the second day of living in a college dorm or rental apartment.
Mini fridge. The dorm room fridge is the most popular item you will have. Store your beers for the evening and the water needed to hydrate yourself the next morning. Also great for storing food for the next few days so you don’t have to go shopping all the time.
Microwave. The college dorm room microwave is probably a close second most popular item and definitely a dorm must have.
Laptop. For the nights you want to get away from your dorm room to read in a quiet space.
Desk lamp. For all of those all nighters that you today you must be thinking you won’t pull but believe me you will.
Television with DVD player. A college dorm necessity, for all of those nights you can’t fall asleep or rainy Sunday afternoons.
Hard drive key chain. Sorry guys you can’t tell your professor that your laptop crashed or that you can’t retrieve that 20 page essay from your hard drive. With those excuses out the window it’s important that you own one of those easy to carry hard drive sticks as it’s a dorm room necessity.
Sandals. Don’t laugh at this because you will realize how important these are when you use the public bathroom.
There you go, the college dorm room checklist is probably shorter than you expected it to be but please have some fun and add more items to the list.
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Computer, TV, videogames, music and fridge and microwave are all the essentials, especially freshman year. Those were good times.
Always check to see what’s allowed in your dorm! My dorm disallowed microwaves, hot plates, or any other heating appliance without an automatic shutoff. (They provided at least one microwave for community use on each floor.) I definitely second the can opener, though – I was the only freshman on my floor to bring one, so people were constantly borrowing mine! And bring really cheap flip-flops for the shower – my siblings bought me a pair, but didn’t realize they were actually cool light-up ones that weren’t waterproof, so I had to buy another pair. (I miss those light-up sandels, they were awesome!)
I could do without the coffee maker and the TV
I can only drink tea (that’s why).. and I don’t really watch TV
But here’s my list:
- Mini Fridge
- Microwaves/Hot plate (may not be allowed)
- Can opener (I don’t eat cans now, but I did in college)
- Flip flops (MUST HAVE!)
- A robe (ANOTHER must have for when you are stumbling out of bed half naked)
- USB drive
- Hangers & this kind of fold out thing that has little pockets? It’s $10 in a dollar store, and you can do little makeshift cloth shelves and stuff your sweaters and can openers and cutlery in these cloth shelves that hang off the rod… takes up less space
- Laptop (essential, and why I don’t need a TV)
Oh I forgot the kettle. Huge must have. Esp with food packets.
An alarm clock!
When I had those bright and early finals I would set my cell phone alarm (my usual waker-upper), a real alarm clock and have someone call me (like my Mom).
It’s so easy to ignore the cell phone alarm, but when you have a final that would be tragic.
Thanks for the comments, it makes me realize even more what I’m missing out on by living at home while in college.
@Craig I imagine many late nights with the video games!
@Stephanie Maybe I should have written 2 can openers. One for you and one for the moochers lol.
@ FB Good strategy on not having a tv. I wish I could only drink tea and no coffee. I love the caffeine boost in the morning too much.
@Dee Yes we both have the exact same elaborate alarm system. I used my cell phone, my laptop, and have my Mom or girlfriend call me.
Oh! Something big I forgot: don’t forget to coordinate with your roommate, if you’re going to have one. Hopefully your college will send you their contact info ahead of time. My roommate and I split up who would bring the mini fridge (her) and who would bring the TV (me) and other things like that – things you don’t need two of in a room.
Of course, you might be able to get away with not getting the TV at all, if you watch most of your stuff online via Hulu or network websites, and you have a decent computer monitor. Most computers have DVD players now too, so you’d be mostly all set – especially if your monitor has inputs to hook in video game consoles!
Ah, the list of things to bring to college; one of those traditions for incoming freshmen to go over, carefully research and consider, and ultimately find something that wasn’t covered or that they forgot. I’m going to assume that, in addition to all the listed items, everyone remembers to bring clothing, bedding and bathroom supplies, and silverware and flatware (even if all you eat is Ramen noodles and cafeteria food, having access to some forks and plates for when company comes over is a good thing). My best suggestion is to have at least one nice suit/dress suit. Even if you’re a freshman and years away from having to interview for a possible job, a good suit (with dress shirt, tie, and everything else you need to look fancy) is a must. You never know when a dance or other event that requires you to look sharp will arrive. (Plus, if you join something like a public speaking team, as I did, having a suit (or suits) on hand will be a god send.)
Wow, that’s quite a packed dorm you got!
You need a love couch man and a corner to hide all your junk when you bring the lady back. Women love a clean room!
Try to get cheap everything! Chances are, things will be “borrowed” and/or destroyed before you move on. Walmart’s the place for cheap. Even for that cell phone that’s gonna double as an alarm to get you to class on time. Check out the pre-paid TracFone w/ pretty decent Motorazr v3a and other models. For just $45 a month you can engage in UNLIMITED gab and text fests. No contract. No strings. No gouging. Leaves a little extra cash to trash the Ramen once in a while.
I agree that a cofeepot is a must!!! It is not only good for coffee but if you just heat water up in it then you can use it in your cup of ramen, to make tea or hot chocolate etc.
Remember to bring two sets of sheets, tons of quarters for laundry, an airtight container to stash your snacks (then you can hide them under your bed or in your closet from moochers if neccessary), jump drive is a must!!!, it is a good idea to have your own printer and extra paper and ink that way if you finish your paper right before class you can print it off in your room and not have to hope to be able to somewhere else, I also suggest some personal decorations (check with your school to see what you can do – some let you tack stuff up but many will only let you use that putty stuff) because it just makes you feel more like you are at home- your new home