21 Not-So-Obvious Things to Remember for College Dorm Rooms

Last week I was on the road (over 50 hours in the car!) driving from Texas to Maryland to take my son to college for the first time. I wanted to share with you the things I learned that are helpful for most dorm rooms-- things that may not be obvious to buy or pack.

I did not include the traditional "mini-fridge and microwave" kind of stuff in this list-- only things that are not top-of-mind for most people in this process.

By the way, my son did let me set him up pretty well! Not sure how long he'll keep it that way, but above is a photo of how I left his closet.

And now, drumroll please... the list:

• Lots of 3M Command adhesive hooks, various sizes and types. Our dorm rules did not allow nailing anything into any walls.
• Printer paper. We bought the printer, but didn't think about how he'd need paper for it!
• HDMI cable or monitor cable. We had an extra monitor for his laptop so he'd have two screens, but it didn't have a cable to connect them together.
• Loooonnng ethernet cable. Making sure you can use a wired connection anywhere in the room.
• Extension cords. Because you never know when you need them.
• Power strips/surge protectors. There are never enough outlets in rooms like these, plus you need to protect your electronics from power surges.
• Accordion file. Although students today have much less paper than their parents did, they still need a place for a few files to be stored for warranties and course syllabi and materials. An accordion file with 13 pockets or so is small and is perfect for starting out.
• Light bulbs. Bought a new desk lamp, but it didn't come with light bulbs.
• Bookshelves. There were not any bookshelves provided, which is weird because students have books. We put some together quickly from Target.
• Paper towel holder & paper towels. Again, with the adhesive mount on it. 
• Disinfectant wipes. Gotta clean something sometime, even if you are a college boy.
• Disposable plates, cups, and utensils. For clean drinking cups, for that random birthday cake for someone in the suite, or for leftovers brought back from the cafeteria.
• Zip closure freezer bags in quart and gallon sizes. I use these all the time, plus, to fly on a plane you need the quart size bags to put your liquid toiletries in. Unlimited reasons to have these! He will thank me later.  :)
• First aid kit. Basic Neosporin and bandages, etc.
• Hangers. Should be obvious but it wasn't to me-- duh!
• Garbage can. They don't provide them. 
• Oscillating fan. They don't have AC in Maryland everywhere like we do in Texas!
• Bathrobe. Living in a co-ed suite, we insisted our son have one even though he never used one at home... also, it gets cold in Maryland!
• Tide "Pods" for laundry. Kind of foolproof for college guys, and it won't be messy with spilled liquids or powders in the room.
• Lap desk. I use one myself at home. They make it easier to work on a laptop and keep your machine (and your lap) cooler. It's even good for your hard drive and components because you can accidentally block the fan when you put computers down on soft surfaces.
• Assorted drawer dividers. For the desk drawers for paper clips, pencils, pens, etc.

Of course there were many other things that we brought with us, but many of them are obvious and boring. What would you add to the list from what you've learned? Share in the comments!

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Comments

[Anne Blumer]

Hi Lorrie,
I traveled with my daughter to college (Hawaii) and agree with all that you listed, especially the 3m hooks! She is a girl, so a few girlie things:
1. Makeup mirror
2. Lingerie washer bag and soap
3. Swiffer (she wasn't much for cleaning her room at home but she insisted on Swiffer, Clorox wipes, and Windex)
4. Vacuum or Broom/dustpan
5. Full length mirror (her room has one but her brother's did not)
6. Lock for locking drawer or a lock box for valuables
7. She needed a router because her room does not have wifi

Great post idea!

[Stephanie Rasley]

Great list! I would add:
- basic toolkit: box cutter, masking tape, screwdrivers, pliers
- basic office supplies: stapler, Scotch tape, scissors
- flashlight & batteries

[Maggie]

We are from VA and would recommend a trunk that fits under the bed that can be locked. Put off season clothes in there. We have some warm days in winter and the kids will want a pair of shorts or it will be cold quicker than they think so will want a jacket. My daughter left her winter things at home and we shipped them to her later in the year. She brought some summer things home at Christmas so her room was not too crowded. She also used the trunk for snacks she did not want her roommate to eat. And this was a big problem her first year. The roommate and her boyfriend were constantly eating her food in the fridge so she kept everything locked up.

[Maggie]

Oh yes, don't forget the laundry bag.

[Gina O'Flanagan]

A smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector, should the room not be already equipped. There should be an alarm system in the building, but not necessarily detectors or alarms in the rooms.

[Beckie]

Febreeze
Stainstick & teach them how to use!
A variety of Post-a-Notes, especially the ones to mark pages in textbooks) & a dozen of favorite pens
Iron (for those special occasions)My girls didn't like wrinkles...still don't.
Erase board for the outside of the door for messages
Jar of peanut butter for protein
Small tool kit and scissors.

[Liisa Glandorf]

A hanging jewelry organizer. The Container Store has "The Little Black Dress" that holds tons of jewelry: http://www.containerstore.com/shop/closet/jewelryStorage/hanging?productId=10030180

[Lorie Marrero]

Great additions to the list everyone! Thank you so much for sharing. It's also nice to know I am not alone. ;)

[TR]

I noticed that no one mentioned bed lifts. Most dorms have more than one person and very little room. My son and his roommate used the bed lifts to raise their beds higher up so a small freezer (size of small microwave) would fit under the bed along with storage bins.

As for bookshelves... make certain that they are the kind that go on TOP of the desk since most rooms have almost no place for floor standing bookshelves. These shelves can also be used for computer, router and other items that need space on the way to small desks that are in dorms.

[Ellen Lopes]

I started collecting little packets from take out, like mustard, ketchup, soy sauce, the whole nine yards and kept them in a very large jar. My son told me he and others were always going into that jar.
Baby wipes. They work for so much.
First aid kit. Definite.
Snacks in like a big plastic container, or they will buy them out of machines that cost way to much!!!!

[Nicole T]

I would add:
Duct tape
a Sharpie Marker
a plunger (if the room has a private bathroom)
earplugs - you never know if roomie is a snorer!
scissors

[saita]

hello
i would like to know where you got your lap desk. thank you.
sarita

[Lorie Marrero]

Hi Sarita, You can get lap desks at office supply stores (or even craft stores) and you can also find them online- http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1/176-4141340-7842236?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=lap+desk.

Good luck with your search!

[Devon H.]

Hi! I'm currently a freshman at college, and I'm living in a single dorm room that was converted to a double. My roommate and I share 160 sq. ft. with bunk beds. Not the most ideal situation but we make it work. I absolutely agree with the command hooks. You can never have enough.

--Also, don't forget possible wall decorations. I have some wall clings that make it a little more homey.

--Definitely under-the-bed storage (Container store has variety of sizes and shapes)
--Organizational desk boxes for extra binders, folders, and such.
--Lots of pens and pencils b/c you will lose them quickly.
--A bed organizer, especially if you are on the top bunk and need a place to put your stuff.
--Container store also sells a little dorm shelf that will attach around the post of a bed. I put my glasses on it at night, since I'm on the top bunk.
--Lastly, I suggest an extra change of sheets.Sometimes after I do laundry I'm too tired to put my sheets back on my bed. If I put the new sheets on when I take the dirty ones off, I'm already doing stuff so I'm more motivated.

[Lorie Marrero]

Thank you so much for the student perspective, Devon! Great tips and product suggestions, too.

[Dami]

I love the idea of the shelf that attaches around the post of the bed. I am going to check into getting one for my son who will be leaving for college this summer. One thing that I have done for him is made a binder with copies of all the important papers he may need but I'm not quite ready to give up to him permanently. Like his birth certificate, insurance info, immunization records, etc. This way I still have the originals but if he needs them he has them too.

[ashley]

batteries and airfreshners are a must as well!

[Lorie Marrero]

Excellent additions to the list, Ashley!

[Amy]

Good List, my daughter is going away to college in the fall.
May I suggest a roll of quarters for the laundry room....

[Cassia]

- I agree with a simple bag of tools -- all of the girls on my floor (& sometimes other floors) always came to my room to borrow mine.

- Can opener

- Flash drive/usb/ thumb drive(If you don't already have one), you may have a laptop but there are group projects and it might be nice to have a backup copy of that 10+ page paper when your computer fails

- 2 laundry baskets (1 each for colors/ whites) plus when you have more than one load to do you can get your clean laundry in one basket while the other one is still holding the next load to be done

- Someone mentioned quarters for the washer: this depends on the school/dorm, at mine we pay a fee each semester when we pay housing/tuition and then we have unlimited use

- Various folders (manila, butterfly, normal pocket, report cover. etc.) I have had classes that often want you to turn in a project a portfolio in a certain kind of folder.

- Whiteboard/dry erase: allows others to leave messages for you or vice versa. When I didn't have anything on mine my artistic neighbor would always draw a cool picture!

- Shower caddy ( I also would fill travel size bottles with shampoo/conditioner/bodywash so that I wasn't always carrying the full bottles to the shower with me. Plus if you go on a trip with friends, club,etc. you are ready to go.

- Command hooks

- A trip to the store for food/snacks to keep in the dorm (perfect for late night studying/hangout sessions and way cheaper than buying it from the on campus mini-market type stores or vending machines.

- Ethernet cord definitely comes in handy when the campus wifi is down for maintenance or being really slow ( I and so many of my floor mates learned this freshman year!)

- If I think of anything else I will add it

(By the way, these tips are coming from someone starting their junior year this August!)

[Lorie Marrero]

Wow, Cassia! Thank you so much for the insight. I will add this to the list for my second son leaving for college this summer.

[madison]

Im going to be a college freshman this fall, but I've done a ton of planning for my dorm already, and have pretty much gone through it all since I've always gone to overnight camp.

-I would definitely get some plastic storage drawers (1 or 2 sets) that you can keep in your dorm or try to fit under your bed. in college you always need more storage space, whether it be for more clothes, or all the little things you dont want to just have lying around.

-an extra fleece blanket, throw or snuggie. your gonna need it in addition to your comforter.

-bulletin board(s)/magnetic dry erase board(s) to hang up flyers, post its, etc.

-an agenda or hang up calendar (or better yet, both). Most important thing ever when it comes to keeping track of all your assignments.

-a brita water filter - so you dont have to purchase water bottles all the time. Just fill it up in your room or hall's bathroom, and the water is filtered and good to drink.

-lamps AND a desk lamp. and a flashlight. dorm lighting tends to be terrible, so the lamps will make the room less dull. and a desk lamp is good for studying. the desk lamp and flashlights will be helpful if you have to wake up way earlier than your roommate but dont want to wake them.

-duct tape, sharpies, and those white avery brand labels. You always need to label stuff.

-for shower products, get the extra large size. you never know when you'll find the ride or the time to the store to buy more.

-lanyard for your school id, some cash and your keys.

-cheap microwaveable dishes. (in addition to the disposable ones) 1 or 2 plates, bowls and mugs will be fine for when you want to heat up some food, or make coffee/tea

[Lorie Marrero]

That is a great list, Madison! Thank you for sharing!!

[Chelsea]

Our dorm rooms had small bookshelves mounted to the wall across from each other. We bought a board and rested on the top of the bookshelves and then had additional storage for cereal etc.

[claire]

I would add a step stool. My bed at school is very tall, which is great for storage, but very difficult to get onto, especially if you're short like me. So a stool is very helpful for both that and for reaching the top of the closet where I store extra sheets and towels and things. Also, a mattress topper is a must have. The beds are pretty uncomfortable. Lots of lights are great as well. I like using the christmas lights because they can be used as decorations and a less-harsh light source than the flourescents.