Although I am senior to be, I have been slowly preparing and extremely eager to go to college, and I was just wondering if there’s any college 101 I should know about?? Also what are things I will need that are imperative (going to ask for a lot of my college stuff for Christmas this year).
DO: Bring multiple types of bedding (i.e. 2+ sheets, 2+ pillow cases, etc.). Changing you bedding can be a drag but it’s absolutely necessary. Might as well have an extra set of bedding for when you don’t want to do laundry. It is also a MAJOR necessity to bring over-the-counter medication. I went through 3 small bottles of Advil from the amount of times I got headaches, migraines, etc. all of which were totally new to me since I entered college. I also highly recommend bringing NyQuil, DayQuil, Sudafed, etc. because dorms are a melting pot for the college plague. Bring some cubbies to organize your stuff and DEFINITELY bring a suitcase or two for when you want to move out or go on a small trip over the weekend. Also make sure you bring any schools supplies you may need, as college bookstores tend to be pricey and try to extract as much money as they can from you.
DO NOT: Don’t bring inessential clothing items. I brought a ton of heels, fancy dresses, etc. because for some reason I though I’d be going to a million galas my freshman year (the closest thing I had to a gala was an 8 AM job interview). It just takes up space that you don’t have.
Depending on whether you’re going to a multi-season area or somewhere like SoCal, I’d dress according to the weather. As a UC student, I made sure I brought light clothing and a few sweaters. My desk fan also saved me for the first week of school when everyone was melting under the heat.
Things that would make your freshman year not suck
- Powerful 15-inch laptop
- Mattress topper
- Bottle of Advil
- Bottle of ZQuil
- Baseball cap and/or beanie
- Emergency stash of 1 bottle of 5-hour energy
- Container of the most powerful disposable earplugs you can find at your local pharmacy
Bring the usual passport, ID’s, medical and health forms, insurance cards, etc…these things are easy to forget.
Bring school supplies or buy them there at places other than the college bookstore…unless you want to pay twice as much for a notebook that is no different other than the college logo on the front.
If you have to travel to college (like I did), avoid buying cheap, heavy (or bulky) items until you get there. This includes liquids such as detergent or bleach.
Surge protector that has a long cord as some schools forbid use of extension cords.
A cushion for your wooden desk chair.
AA & AAA batteries.
A three-hole punch.
Add cough drops to above list of OTC meds.
Appropriate outdoor wear–raincoat and/or winter gear. My son wore sweatshirts & sneakers to school throughout the winter, and CT winters are cold. They never owned hats, gloves or boots.
If you attend college in the Northeast, you will need the items listed above.
As @MITer94 commented, don’t pack bulky items. Amazon Prime and Amazon Pantry can ship almost anything, and for far less money than the campus market charges.