Going to college is a special moment in a young persons life. Exchanging high school for college life can be exciting for a first year college student but also overwhelming when thinking about all their back to school needs and college dorm room essentials. Plus, there’s the added stress of moving from your house to college.
Moving to college doesn’t have to be an anxious moment and by preparing for it, you will be ready and will likely remove the unwanted stress in the process. After a few years, you will begin to get the hang of it and you probably will already have much of your stuff at school already anyway, but for your freshman year, it’s very important that you set yourself up for academic success with a college packing list including all of your dorm living and school supplies.
Getting Ready for Dorm Life
When move in day arrives, you want to be ready for a seamless transition, so let’s see what kind of stuff you should be thinking about and what you need to get ready. This is important because if you don’t have a proper place to sleep and chill out, it will effect your productivity in school. Plus, most students spend time in their dorm rooms doing school work so it’s crucial to their studies that it remains a productive environment as much as it is for peace and relaxation.
First let us begin with a few categories to help break this down.
- Essentials – This includes all of your clothing, bedding, toiletries, and food.
- Productivity & Leisure – Consists of everything from a books and computers to surge protectors and basic office supplies. Basically, everything you would need to chill or work.
- Storage – Well spaced storage equipment that can keep you organized and tidy.
Essentials
Moving away from the comfort of your own home can be a big change for you but there are many things that can enhance your overall comfort. Most colleges use twin Xl dorm beds so you should consider owning at least 2 sheet sets with soft pillowcases along with a mattress topper for extra support just in case the mattress you get is not so good. There are lots of mattress pad choices with the most popular being memory foam.
Good hygiene is an absolute must and there will be a few things to look out for since you’ll be sharing space with others. Owning a toiletry bag to keep your toothbrush and other personal items away from germs or bacteria along with a shower caddy to make it easy to carry your bath soap, shampoo, and conditioner with you. You should also consider shower shoes since you will be sharing space with others and there are a lot of very contagious things that young adults (especially athletes) can pass on from their feet. Even though there are always first aid kits in school, it also never hurts to add one of these to your list.
Food is also a vital need everyone has. Basic things like a coffee maker or a mini fridge to store water bottles and small cold snacks can be a lifesaver when trying to stay focused on your studies.
The Deco Chef 15-Inch Under Counter Mini Fridge would be a perfect choice for any dorm room. This mini fridge is small with a width of just 15 inches but still boasts up to 85 liters of storage space for food and beverages. It’s stainless steel design is easy to clean from spills and average dorm life wear and tear and its adjustable legs make it easy to fit exactly where you want.
Productivity and Leisure
Doing work while living in a dorm can be tricky, especially if you’re the type who is easily distracted. Ensuring that you have the supplies you need will help promote a healthy work environment and can even motivate you to get more done.
Setting yourself up for success means having everything you need to support you being successful. School is a lot of work and the more organized you are the better your chances of not being overwhelmed and staying on top of your studies. Using a simple academic planner will help you get acclimated with the new lifestyle. There will be a lot of reading and taking notes, so make sure to have plenty of highlighters and sticky notes. A nice LED desk lamp for late night study sessions and some binders to keep your learnings neat and tidy will also help.
When it comes to electronics, you will be using a lot between your smartphone, smart tablets, laptop, and everything else you will need to charge. Some of these devices can be expensive so ensure you have enough power strips that will protect your devices and chargers from power surges. You should never use extension cords for your computer devices unless it is also a surge protector.
In addition to enjoying some good tunes, one of the best things you can do to stay focused is to buy a nice pair of noise cancelling headphones that will keep the mayhem that happens in college dorms out of your peripherals while trying to study. (FYI the Sony WH1000XM4 are the best and most comfortable noise cancelling headphones, plus they have tons of amazing features like being able to manage the 8 mics that pick up your environment if you want to be in transparency mode).
Owning the right laptop computer is also an important factor. It will be for leisure and entertainment as much as it will be for school work so you should think about the graphics card and processor for watching shows or playing games. Additionally, you will want your computer to have enough USB ports to charge or add devices such as a monitor, extra keyboard and mouse, or speakers. The size of the laptop should also be considered if you’re interested in portability as to take it with you to watch something with your best friend or work on it while in bed.
Storage
This is not really a rocket science type of concept. You’re moving into a new place to live and you’re going to need extra storage. Storage containers that can be locked works great for valuables. There are storage bags that are also fireproof and water resistant for highly valuable items. Storage bins that can also fit as under-bed storage containers will save you a lot of space and help keep you organized. Bed risers can help you create this and you can even use these containers as extra under the bed drawers in a way. This is also a great place to keep extra hangers for your clothes and maybe even a tool kit to keep handy just in case you decide to get handy.
You will also need a proper backpack or laptop bag to store your every day essential items that you want to keep on your persons whether your in class or in your room. This is usually a very personal type of item as every persons body and needs are different. A great way to measure if a bag is for you is to create a list of things you will store in it and factor the bags size and compartments to your list.
The most vital thing every college student needs is a focused mentality to work hard and make their academic dreams a reality. Just make sure to have fun while achieving success. College years are a special time that creates moments and friendships that will last a lifetime.
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