We’ve been hearing in our focus groups that excited college freshmen-to-be are starting to think about what to pack for their dorm room. Here is a TOP TEN COUNTDOWN of the essential items for a freshman dorm room:
10) A reliable alarm clock. It may seem trivial, but many freshmen are stuck with at least one morning class a few days a week – (sorry about that). Having an alarm clock you can count on will not only ensure that you wake up for this class, but that you will wake up on time!
9) A power strip/extension cord. There’s no debate that your room will have electrical outlets – but who knows where they may be in relation to you and your roommate(s) beds, desks, and dressers. A power strip or extension cord helps make the search for electrical power quick and painless.
8) Posters and photographs for the walls. Your dorm will be your home for nearly a year, so make it feel like home!
7) Kitchen supplies. Even though most freshmen eat in dining halls, there is always that late night snack you and your friends will eat in the dorm. Bring some cups, a few plates and bowls, and a set of silverware. Plastic kitchenware is great because no dishwasher is needed to clean it! Oh ya, bring dish soap too.
6) Shelving with removable parts. This shelving is ideal for storage in small and cozy freshman dorm rooms. Whether you put it next to your desk, beside your bed, or in your closet, these stackable compartments are helpful to organize all of those things you might usually lose.
5) Shower shoes! A pair of flip flops for the dorm showers is a must. Community bathrooms aren't that bad, but your feet will thank you!
4) Laundry supplies. A Box-O-Box focus group participant summarized the agony of doing laundry at college: “I wouldn’t have survived the first week without detergent, a drying rack, a laundry basket, an iron and ironing board, and a Tide-to-Go Stain Stick,” the sophomore recalls. So, talk with your roommate about who is going to bring the iron and who is going to take laundry lessons from their parents, and viola! Clean clothes.
3) The technological devices none of us can live without. Make sure to bring a laptop, TV, DVD player, Xbox, Wii, iPod…all needed for college survival!
2) A fan. Regardless of where you attend college, your dorm will be warmer at the end of summer and in early fall than during other times of the year – especially if you live in high rise dormitories. Bring a fan to cool and circulate the air. We suggest bringing a fan even if your dorm has air conditioning, which is often controlled by the building and not turned on all of the time, or may not be as “functioning” as you may like.
1) Bed elevators. Why the most frequently recommended item? Mike from Box-O-Box remembers: “There just isn’t enough storage space in the dorm room, and the beds are too low to fit things under. I couldn’t have fit half of my items in my room without making extra storage space under my bed.”
Other common suggestions that we heard from students: you should consider bringing a tool box, a first aid kit, a hanging shoe rack for your closet, extra tea/coffee, a full length mirror, and some kind of lamp for extra lighting.
Additions? Subtractions? Advice from upperclassmen and post-graduates? Feel free to comment, of course!
