Looking for ideas: what is the most important thing to buy for a dorm room? What is considered a must have and what is a luxury? How important is style?
What you need:
- Toiletries (toothbrush, brush, toothpaste, tampons/ pads if female, soap, and shampoo)
- Sheets
- Pillow
- Matress pad (sleeping on a dorm bed without one is almost a biohazard)
- Clothing
- Surge protector
Everything else is optional. We have a sticky on top detailing what students might want to bring to college
Style can be nice but I never decorated my dorm in an aesthetically pleasing manner. Plenty of people still hung out there.
There are already some lists on this site for what to buy for dorms. I think style depends somewhat on you and maybe on if you are male or female. My son currently in college couldn’t care less about style and his dorm rooms were all about function. He is a minimalist and his only “luxury” items were his surfboard and skateboard. He was in a triple his freshman year so there was very little space- their only real extra was a mini fridge. He didn’t care what any of his “stuff” looked like at all and just had me grab a bedspread from Target. Our daughters were a little more involved in the decoration aspect- picked out their own bedspreads and decorated walls with pictures, etc. The must haves are really just clothing, bedding, towels, personal care items, and a computer. Nice things to have are maybe some extra lights, extension cords, maybe a fan, a fridge, and some commonly used meds (tylenol, cold meds, etc) and first aid kit. Extras might include microwave or coffeemaker (many dorms have these in a common area), a few dishes and food items, a printer-although most schools have printers in student unions/ libraries and you don’t often have to print much, decorations, etc. You can usually coordinate with your roommates via FB over the summer to figure out what everyone is bringing. There is not always a lot of room dorms and in general most people bring way more than they end up needing. If you have the option, it is sometimes easier to do shopping for the extras once you get to school. Purchase your basics ahead of time and then once you get to school and unpack you can figure out what you still might need and hit Target.
@whenhen and @takeitallin -Thanks so much for the feedback! Do students bring stuff like big screen TVs, gaming systems, air purifiers, or other pricey kinds of belongings?
I’m a male and pretty minimalist. The only thing that I had to buy was twin XL sheets and a mattress topper. Pretty much everything else was something I already had in my bedroom at home.
@Bonline Yes, students do bring those things.
Some students do, but check with your roommate before bringing a TV or game system. Personally I’m not okay with a TV or videogame system in the room because of the high potential for distraction. Also, most dorm lounges have their own TVs which students often use.
I always add the suggestion of a small 20 dollar tool kit - You can find them at Home Depot - Comes with a hammer, screwdriver, pliers and a few other odds and ends. It is handier than most think when they first get them.
Also, if you feel like they are going to have a great deal of expensive items in their dorm, you may want to check with your insurance company or one of the ones that specializes in dorm insurance.
I didn’t bring my gaming system for this reason. Roommate brought his though, and it wasn’t nearly as distracting as it would have been if it were my own.
Thanks so much - great advice!
All of my guy friends had their gaming system and big TVs I don’t think it was that much of a distraction because in my experience when work needs to get done most kids won’t stay in their roo . They’ll go to the library.
Anyway style depends on the person; I have a lot of girly things lol and most of my things match (black,white,grey,pink).
I Boughy everything in my room for about 200-250