As the school year concludes, college preparation begins to feel even more real. Whether attending college close to home or out of town, many incoming first-year students are choosing to live on campus to have an authentic college experience, meet new people and gain independence. Packing for college can be stressful, as you’ll need to think carefully about what you really need and what you’ll have room for.
You’ll likely receive a packing list from your school telling you what to bring and what is not allowed. It’s a good idea to read and utilize this list as a general guideline for what to pack, but each student has different needs as to what they’ll need to bring. Along with using the provided packing list, you can look for inspiration and advice from current or past college students, including alumni of the school you plan to attend. I’ve found many packing lists on social media, and I also have many friends who already attend the college I’m going to. They’ve had plenty of tips on what to bring and shared what they benefited from bringing, what they ended up not needing and things to bring or leave that weren’t shown on the packing list. My college, Minnesota State Mankato, has a pretty standard packing list, with prohibited items including candles, cooking appliances such as hot plates and air fryers, weapons, alcohol, tobacco, halogen lamps and space heaters. These items typically pose safety hazards and are not allowed in most college dorms.
Space is a huge defining factor. If you plan to live in a dorm, you will have very limited space. You may think you’ll need to bring your entire wardrobe to have an outfit for every possible occasion, or want to bring your entire sneaker, trading card or toy collection. There is slim to no chance you will be able to fit that much stuff into a dorm and still have room to move and breathe, so keep it simple and be very selective about the non-essentials. It’s best to limit decor to posters, banners and signs you can hang on the wall, rather than a million random desk ornaments that may take up space, collect dust or break. The rooms at my college are fairly small. My roommate and I have discussed how we will arrange the room and what we’ll bring. Knowing myself, I can be quite disorganized sometimes, so I’ll need to be very intentional about saving space. Clutter can accumulate fast in a small room, especially if you share it with others, so stick to the useful essentials and leave behind the paperweights.
In most dorms, you’ll likely want or need to bring a microwave and a mini fridge. You may also want a futon, TV, coffee maker, a rolling caddy for personal care items and snacks, a mirror, a lamp and a rug, to name a few. Many of these items can be expensive to buy new, so consider bringing items you already have at home or looking at second-hand options. Ask friends and family if they have any of these items, and to keep an eye out for them. This can save a lot of money, not to mention that thrifting is great for the environment and helps prevent overconsumption. Check Facebook Marketplace or similar sites, as well as local thrift stores and consignment shops, for expensive items that you don’t really need to buy new. You could also check liquidator, open box or scratch-and-dent stores for imperfect or overstock items at a discounted price. For example, a family member of mine had a rarely used extra microwave they no longer needed and gave it to me to use in my dorm. That’s one less thing to buy.
Planning and communication are the most important when it comes to moving into college. You’ll need to decide where you want to live and what type of housing you’ll be in. Do you want to live at home and commute every day if you’re close? Do you want to live in a dorm on campus? What type of dorm? Maybe an apartment off campus? Do you want roommate(s)? Do you know anyone already who could be your roommate? Do plenty of research on the types of housing available to you. Visit your school’s website to view the housing options and floor plans. If you know who you’re going to live with, communicate with them about who will bring what in terms of appliances and large items, and set a precedent on items you’re okay with sharing and other boundaries. My roommate and I agreed to live in a standard double room due to the lower cost compared to a suite. We looked at the different residence halls and decided which one would work best for both of us, and openly communicated during room selection. We also talked about possibly going for a student apartment next year and finding other people we’d like to live with, but this year we chose a dorm to be closer to campus as first-year students. To our surprise, a 3-5 person apartment goes for the same yearly rate as a standard double and has much more space and features.
There are also ways to find a roommate if you want one, such as using your school’s roommate matching system if they have one, talking to friends who plan to or already attend your school or posting on social media groups and pages. It is also beneficial to meet with your potential roommate, if possible, before deciding to live together, so you can get to know them and their interests and lifestyle. I met my future roommate on an Instagram page. We met up at the mall and got along very well, and we can’t wait to room together.
