Ah, going away to college for the first time can be an exciting and at the same time terrifying experience. You are finally an adult, finally ready to spread your wings and enjoy life on your own, and at the same time you might feel lost. Not sure what you will need when you are living on your own for the first time. So it is a good idea before college starts to make a list of things that you will need to bring with you.
Some of the things that you will pack for college are obvious, blankets, sheets, pillows, pillowcases, notebooks, pens, pencils, etc. However not everything that you will need to bring is going to be obvious. Clearly you will need to pack most if not all of your clothing, or at least your fall and winter clothing for the fall semester and you can change it over Christmas break, but what about the rest of the things that you will need.
It is probably a good idea to make a list, write down what you think you will need, and what you know you will need. It is a really good idea to keep in mind that dorm rooms are small, and that you will probably be sharing a room with another individual. If you haven’t already, check with your college about taking a tour so you can see just how big the average dorm room is.
Some items you might want to include on your list are:
- Entertainment, television, dvd or Blu-Ray player
- Microwave and microwave safe dishes
- Coffee pot
- Refrigerator (some campuses offer a fridge already installed in the dorm room)
- Electronics, like a lap top computer, MP3 player, and camera
- Alarm clock for those early morning classes
- Laundry basket or bag and Laundry soap, dryer sheets. Unless you plan on coming home every weekend to do laundry you will also need a steady supply of quarters for the on campus laundry mat.
- Bike and bike lock for exercise getting to and from classes
The list can go on and on, there are probably close to fifty or a hundred things that you might need for the four months that you are away at college. Depending on how frequently you plan on coming home you can make a shorter list for your first few weeks and pick extra things up as you go. The important school related items though need to be at the top of your list.