stuff i needed in my dorm room in college
there are a lot of websites that say “what you need” for college and list out a huge list of stuff to pack. they are full of bullshit, and half the shit they say you need you don’t, especially if you’re on a budget. here’s the stuff that i personally needed in the dorm rooms and in my opinion are pretty useful in college:
- the beds in college are extra large twin sized, which means they’re longer than normal beds. make sure you have two sets of bedsheets and pillowcases, and that you wash them regularly. i know laundry sucks, but you don’t want to be sleeping in smelly sheets.
- if you’re willing to splurge on a mattress pad, get one, because you don’t know what happened on those mattresses before you were there and they also tend to be a bit uncomfortable. but they’re not necessary
- get a fuzzy blanket. you can get them at walmart or target and they are cheap. you will need emotional support while you study and wrapping yourself in a blanket like a burrito or even taking it to class is one way of getting it
- rugs, like those cheap floofy ones, are real nice when/if you plan to use your room for hanging out a lot. my best friend had one in her room and we loved sitting on it to watch youtube vids and such. you can also bring pillows if you want to sit around on the floor more often. imo this option is way better than a couch because couches are heavy and you might have to lug em upstairs. alternatively, those dorm chairs you always see in the ads at bed bath and beyond or target for cheap are good as well. they’re popular with college kids for a reason
- slippers. the warm kind, that you can wear around the dorm in winter. my best friend had ones with dragons on them. alternatively, fuzzy socks
- shower slippers. the plastic kind, that you can wear into the shower so you don’t get foot fungus (do NOT shower barefoot. i cannot stress this enough)
- consider air freshener. cheap shit like febreeze or whatever, not for your own room, but for the communal bathroom. sometimes they smell realllllly bad (PRO GAMER TIP: if you find that there’s a communal bathroom farther away from your room but used less often, USE IT I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH. communal bathrooms are GROSS and more traffic = grosser bathrooms)
- a cheap vacuum. one of those battery charged, compact ones. you will never know how much you will love having a vacuum until you don’t have one. some dorms keep vacuums on their floors, but they almost always smell bad. if your dorm doesn’t have carpet, congratulations! i wish i was you
- a tea kettle. if your dorm allows them, get one. you never know when you’ll want tea or instant ramen late at night
- in some dorms they have open closets without doors. if you get one of those cheap shower rods, hooks, and a curtain, you can put a barrier on your closet, which is nice especially if you have people over and you don’t want them to look at your stuff
- i think having just one set of utensils and a couple of mugs is enough in college since you eat a lot of cafeteria food anyway, but always remember to bring a sponge and dish soap so you can wash your dishes. they don’t have to be nice utensils just Utensils right
- a good desk lamp so you don’t strain your eyes studying late at night
- a monitor, keyboard, and mouse are great if you plan to spend a lot of time in your dorm room working on the computer. not necessary, but it’s nice to have if you work on a lot of research papers and you need a bunch of tabs/applications at one time. NOT necessary at all though
i want to stress this: do NOT feel pressured to make your room “aesthetic” or “cute.” some people spend tons of money to make their dorm rooms look like a luxurious hotel room, and that’s fine- that’s their own money. i think in the end tho, you want your dorm room to feel like home and a place to rest at the end of the day when you’re really tired and stressed out.
and my other pro gamer tip for you: keep your room CLEAN. if you have a roommate or share a suite with other people, it is even MORE imperative that you keep your room clean. i once went over to someone’s suite and their neighbors had rotting food on the ground and trash literally EVERYWHERE on their side of the shared study space. please don’t live like this! it is very stressful and causes anxiety! i know it’s difficult to tackle large messes, which is why it’s very important for everything to have its own place at the beginning and get into the routine of putting everything into its place after. some people are messier than others- totally understand that- but if you can’t see the floor in any part of your dorm that doesn’t have furniture, you need to clean. don’t let your dirty laundry build up either- do it consistently, every two weeks, so you have stuff to wear and your room doesn’t smell.
hope this advice helps those of y’all starting college soon, and best of luck to you with moving in and starting a new chapter of your life!