There are extremely detailed lists that already exist online and I'll link them below, although I'm sure you've already seen 99% of them. In this post I really just wanted to highlight what I found useful as well as things I shouldn't have spent money on.
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| It's funny to look at this picture now because my laptop has many more stickers and my desk definitely has a lot more stuff on it right now |
Drury provides students with a mini fridge and microwave. So the two more traditional residence halls (the ones where you have a roommate and share a bathroom with suite mates) give you a mini fridge and microwave per room. In my residence hall I have my own room but I'm in a suite with 3 other people who also have their own rooms. We have two bathrooms, so I share a bathroom with only 1 person. Each suite has a shared fridge/microwave in this situation. Basically what I'm saying is that I didn't have to buy these items so I won't be listing them, however, if you can bring them you'll probably want them.
What not to pack:
- A lot of school supplies. You learn what works best for you within the first few weeks and then you can go out and buy the needed supplies.
- A hanging cubicle attachment for your closet. My closet at school is pretty big and I found that this ended up taking up more space and I didn't really use
Creative Commons/Target Hanging Closet Organizer
- "When I have free time stuff" aka art supplies, coloring supplies, a lot of books, etc. I know that I brought a lot of this stuff on the off chance I had free time, but guess what? When you get free time in college you don't want to destroy your room with crafting supplies (okay sometimes you do), most the time you want to just turn on Netflix and aimlessly scroll through social media. Is it the most productive? No. Sometimes it's what you need, though.
- A TV (let me explain). I'm not a huge TV watcher at home so I didn't find it necessary to bring a TV with me to college. I just watch Netflix and YouTube on my laptop. The lobby of my residence hall has a TV so if I did ever want to watch a specific show I could go out there and do so, however I have never done that.
What to pack:
- Under the bed storage cubes. These have been some of my most handy tools since moving in to my dorm room. When I brought my fall/winter clothes to school I was able to fold up my summer clothes and put them under my bed until spring rolled around (so I didn't have to haul clothes back and forth). I bought two of these. One I am using to hold a majority of the shoes I brought, the other I actually brought home with me this weekend. I filled it with some clothes and random things I haven't used and I'm leaving it at home. I'm beginning to pack up my room and I wanted to just clear some stuff out. These cubes are great because they hold so much but they are super easy to hide under your bed.
- A floor length mirror. I placed mine on the front of my closet door.
What to pack:
- Under the bed storage cubes. These have been some of my most handy tools since moving in to my dorm room. When I brought my fall/winter clothes to school I was able to fold up my summer clothes and put them under my bed until spring rolled around (so I didn't have to haul clothes back and forth). I bought two of these. One I am using to hold a majority of the shoes I brought, the other I actually brought home with me this weekend. I filled it with some clothes and random things I haven't used and I'm leaving it at home. I'm beginning to pack up my room and I wanted to just clear some stuff out. These cubes are great because they hold so much but they are super easy to hide under your bed.
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| Creative Commons/Bed Bath and Beyond |
- Three compartment drawers. I don't have any great photos of this, so I'm sorry, but you'll get the idea. I use this to store my snacks and other food (very important). I have found that this is super helpful because it doesn't take up a lot of space but it definitely maximizes my storage.
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| It's really blurry, but I got this gray 3 compartment drawer from Aldi. It is something I use every day and absolutely love.
- A back study pillow. I really didn't want to buy this because I thought I'd never use it, but honestly it's probably the one item that I use the most. I don't like sitting at my desk to do my homework- I always do my homework in my bed. I have found that this pillow makes my life 100x easier and is super useful.
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| Sorry this photo is at such an awkward angle |
- A night stand+lamp (don't forget about the light bulbs). I got my night stand from IKEA and my lamp from Target. These are two things I didn't think of until last minute but now use every day.
- Photo frames and pictures. I think one of the best ways to make a dorm room feel like home is to decorate it in pictures. It's also really neat because after my first semester I was able to switch out some of my high school photos with ones I got from college. Having photos of your family makes it a little easier to transition into your new college "home".
To anyone going off to college, be super excited! I know it can be terrifying but I assure you that you should feel more settled and ready to take on college within a few weeks. I know I could list out so many more things to pack and not pack but I wanted to keep the list fairly short. Like I said before, I'll link some other way more detailed lists below. And again, be sure to look on your university's residence life page for their specific packing lists.
If you have any questions about dorm life or move-in, feel free to contact me!
Until next time,
Taylor xx
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