Transitioning from your home to your new dorm room requires you to adapt to a completely new space. Not only will your space be smaller, but you will also be sharing it with another person as you navigate university life. Planning out what you’re going to bring with you and what you need to make the most of dorm life is crucial to how the rest of the year goes for you. To help you get some inspiration, here are five college dorm essentials you’ll actually use.
1. Bring community appliances like a new ice maker.
Some newer dorms will feature a communal kitchen where everyone can store and prepare their food. If you want to make the most out of this space, consider bringing some appliances they won’t have, like a mini ice maker. A countertop ice maker can prepare a few pounds of ice at a time in a matter of minutes, making it so that you don’t have to rely on minimal freezer space to keep your refreshments cold. Whenever you want to chill something, you will have ice cubes at your disposal in no time.
2. Find the perfect blank notebook to start a bullet journal.
Every college student should have their own planner/journal where they make to-do lists, plan out their schedule, and stay on top of their coursework. Learning how to bullet journal will give you the support that you need with just a blank notebook and a set of colored pens. Even better, you can find a journal with an expanding folder in the back where you can store some necessary resources. For example, let’s imagine that you’re a high school student who was accepted into the National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS). Far from some NSHSS scam, this legitimate organization will help you connect to scholarships, mental health resources, and internships. Once you transition from high school to college, you can keep all of these honor society resources in your new notebook for easy access.
3. Store and transport your laundry seamlessly with a mesh basket.
Your available laundry areas won’t likely be directly near your room. Having a mesh laundry basket that you can easily store in your dorm as well as seamlessly transport once it comes time to do your laundry is one of the most important considerations that few college students make. If you don’t want to lug around a hard plastic bin that hurts your hands, invest in one of these essential tools now.
4. Keep a shower caddy in your room with all of your toiletries.
Most dorm showers only offer small cubbies that you can store your items in. However, these aren’t designed for permanent storage. The biggest concern that you should have is making sure that no one steals your things, which is easy if you keep your items in one communal place. The next issue that may arise is that your items get wet and moldy in a community area that’s nearly always moist. To prevent any of these things from happening, have a shower caddy ready with all of your essentials so that you can carry your items from your room to the bathroom area with ease.
5. Use thin storage bins for additional storage under your bed.
Dorm rooms offer minimal storage space as you have half of the room to yourself and most of it’s occupied by your bed, desk, and closet. Purchasing items like thin storage bins for your clothing, snacks, toiletries, and school materials will make it easier to fit everything you need into your dorm room without having to stack things on top of each other.
Few college students understand what living in a dorm is like until they experience some of these issues for themselves. If you want to prepare now rather than learn your lesson later, purchase the five essentials above to get the most out of your dorm life.