I will be living where the weather can
change drastically from one day to the
next. I work out almost every day, in
addition to a couple dance classes
every week. Here’s my clothing list.
Excessive or okay? What should I cut?
That seems like a large but manageable amount of clothing. If you were to cut anything I would say you can use most of your warm weather clothing as lounge clothing, and one of each will probably be fine in the athletic clothing, since most of that you can rinse and hang up to dry for the next day.
You also probably don’t need that many pair of jean shorts. Bottoms can be worn multiple times per week.
If this will double as your packing list, make sure to include a little more than a week’s worth (or slightly more than enough for however long you go between washes) of underwear and socks, too! Every time I travel I nearly forget underwear and PJs. Also, I don’t see any shoes on your list. Have at least athletic/workout shoes, some type of flat sandal, some non athletic close toed shoes, and something formal.
Make sure you have adequate clothing for whatever winter they have where you are going.
When I first stated college I had a hard time knowing what to take too! I ended up taking my whole closet lol But I was lucky because the closets in my dorms are pretty spacious! I suggest watching “dorm hauls” on YouTube. Watching videos on what other people take to college was EXTREMELY helpful for me. I think if I didn’t watch tons of YouTube videos like these then I would’ve never thought to take certain things to college.
Thank you, I’m going to have to pass on the rincing and not rewashing athletic clothing before wearing it again. A few wears? Sure, if it’s in the same day. (And if it’s a day that includes yoga, my run, and a dance classes that could be hours of activity in them. Icky)
You’re right on the jean shorts now that I look at it. I might end up taking them then sending them home once it cools off since they take up such little space. I’ll try to cut those in half though.
How many days will you go before the pile of clothes to be washed reaches the volume of a laundry load, or one laundry load for each category of clothes that needs to be washed separately (it is possible that you may end up with more than one load in one category when another category reaches one load)? That (plus a day or few extra to wear while doing laundry) is probably the minimum for everyday clothing. The maximum would realistically be based on the largest amount of laundry that you want to do at one time (plus the extra). Then add the occasional use stuff (formal clothes, etc., but be realistic on how often you need it).
If you do not know the answer to this question yet, and you will be at home for a week or few before leaving for college, try using clothes in the way you anticipate in college and keep track of how quickly the laundry loads grow. As it is probably warm now, you can also make a simulated laundry load pile with the cool weather stuff (long sleeves, long trousers, sweaters, etc.).
Also, do your own laundry at home to get an idea of how long it takes.
If you work out frequently, you may want to bias your clothing toward athletic clothing that can be used as casual clothing in other casual situations. That way, you can combine a work out with other activities on a given trip (e.g. go to class, go to the library, go work out without having to go back to the dorm to change clothes).
Your “formal” section seems way over the top. I can’t think of any college campus where six dresses and four skirts would be necessary, unless you have an unusual desire to get very dressed up all the time or plan to join a sorority where dressing fancy is a thing. Casual clothes are fine for everything except the occasional internship or job interview. One skirt (with two blouses for variety) and two dresses is more than enough. If after a few weeks’ experience you decide you truly need more (and have enough closet space), you can ask your parents to send them.
I’m a guy, so I don’t have THAT much to offer here, but that formal amount seems like a normal amount for girls in sororities, as far as I can tell. Honestly, if you’ll be home for winter break, and you can fit it, I’d bring more than you think you need to school the first semester, unless you have the resources to go shopping at school for what you’re missing.