College Checklist: What You Need in the Dorms

Angela is an avid reader who studied English Literature in college. She has a passion for the written word and loves literature.

It is often a daunting task to know what to bring and what to leave at home when going off to college. Since dorm rooms are small and often shared with other students, knowing how much space one has is essential. Bringing extra stuff can be burdensome to the student or his roommates.

Also, students often forget to bring items that they have never had to buy before. Maybe they were provided by their mom or by their teacher. Either way, those items were always readily available. Now that they live on their own, they need to rely on their resources. It is easy to forget such essentials as toilet paper, printer paper, and insurance cards. The comprehensive list below will help you not forget anything for your first year at college.

Bathroom Supplies and Personal Items

Many of these items are not items you generally buy yourself, although it is often items you will need in a pinch. It is a good idea to have medicine ahead of time because you may not be up to walking to a store when you need them. Although some dorm rooms will provide toilet paper, you may want to buy some that are softer for your bum. Some will also allow you to rent a vacuum and other supplies. It's good to find out what you can borrow from your front desk.

It all depends on the college. Some do, and some do not. You would need to check with your college of choice. The most common setups for bathrooms include one bathroom attached to the dorm room, a bathroom shared by two dorm rooms, and a communal bathroom shared by those who live on that floor. You will want to know the bathroom setup as you pack for college so you know what supplies you may need as you may wish for a more convenient bathroom tote for one that you have to walk to rather than one you have in your room.

Bathroom Supplies and Personal Items

Checklist for Bedding and Living Area

Cleaning Supplies

Clothing

Below is a comprehensive list of all the clothes one might need for any occasion, but everyone's needs are different. When heading off to college, you may not need all your clothes, but how do you know what to leave at home. Some questions you may want to ask yourself when deciding which clothes to bring are:

• Does your college do formal events? Are you going to need formal wear? If not, leave it at home!
• Are you planning on attending interviews for college?
• Are you planning on attending a church?
• Do you like to work out, or are you planning on taking a sports class?
• How cold is it during the school year? Are you going to need all of your summer clothes, or a couple of pairs of shorts just in case?

Often it is a good idea to bring at least one dress outfit, just in case. You never know when you might be invited to an event or have an interview, where you want to have something more dressy than your jeans and sweats.

Clothing

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Miscellaneous

Kitchen Supplies

School Supplies

Don't forget! Now you are the one who is going to have to provide the paper clips, pencils, and other supplies. There are often on-campus stores for the items you forgot, but these usually charge much more than you could buy at a local store, especially if you can get back-to-school prices.

School Supplies

© 2010 Angela Michelle Schultz

Comments

Angela Michelle Schultz (author) from United States on June 27, 2011:

This list is the list I made when I left for college, and it helped immensely!

Rose Clearfield from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on June 22, 2011:

These lists are always helpful for students getting ready to start college. Thanks for putting one up on HubPages!

Angela Michelle Schultz (author) from United States on July 06, 2010:

Thanks so much for stopping by, I'll have to look into netspend. If I think it's awesome, I might have to post it on an upcoming article I am writing!!

Netspend on July 06, 2010:

Yes! This list is amazing. As a college senior , I remember when I had to pack up and move to school. When I forgot to pack something I ended up making a trip to the store to buy it. Netspend is a popular company that provides prepaid Debit cards. I used it for emergencies and little things. I kept in my wallet and it came in handy many times. Please, everyone who reads this, make a list and seriously consider all the above items. Living area supplies, laundry supplies, and bathroom supplies are very important!