Post by Emily Rothenberg
Getting ready to go off to college or are preparing to send your first child to college? Here is a simple list for you of 15 things to bring to college that you may not have thought of yet. Some of these items may already be on your college shopping list, but others – you may have never guessed!
1. Weather Resistant Clothing
Invest in a warm snow jacket and warm snow boots if you are going to a school where it can regularly snow. Invest in a good rain jacket, comfortable rain boots, and a strong umbrella, as well. What a lot of students don’t realize is that a very large amount of time, whether it is walking to classes or walking to meals, is being spent outdoors. You need to be prepared for walking in thunderstorms, snow storms, and other weather scenarios.
2. Car Supplies
This is very important specifically for commuters. Be sure to fill your car with an “emergency kit” including jumper cables, and ice scraper/snow brush, chains for your tires if you are going somewhere where it snows regularly, a blanket, some food and water, and anything else you may need during your school day.
3. A Small Coffee Maker
Sometimes the walk to the nearest coffee place is out of the way of your other classes. If you were to have your own coffee maker in your room, it makes waking up for 8 A.M.s a little more bearable! It will also save you a lot of money during the time you spend at college. Be sure to add this to your college shopping list.
4. Shower Shoes
Make sure you bring a couple of pairs of shower shoes. Even if you’re not dorming, you may want to take a shower at the gym after a workout, and the shoes are a must! Buy some inexpensive pairs that you won’t mind throwing away at the end of the semester.
5. A Mini Stapler, White Out, and Tape
You would be surprised how often you need to make a last minute change to an assignment that you’re about to hand in, and how often you realize that your packets of work are not stapled. Packing a mini stapler, a small bottle of whiteout and a small cartridge of tape may be very helpful over the course of the semester.
6. A Planner
Even if you weren’t the one to write in your agenda book back in middle school, a planner may really be helpful in college. Write down all of the assignments from your syllabus directly into your planner, and then add in all social events and club meetings that you know the dates of. This will help you see what work needs to be done early so that your events don’t clash.
7. A Drying Rack
Most students who dorm say that a drying rack helps them exponentially during laundry day. Most dorm rooms do not have places to hang your clothes to dry, so one of these may be super handy! Many of them are collapsible, as well, so you won’t be taking up too much room.
8. A Shower Caddy
It’s helpful to be able to carry one thing into the bathroom instead of a dozen. A caddy will help you organize all of the essentials you need to use in the bathroom and shower. They do not take up too much space, and they reduce clutter in the restrooms!
9. Headphones
Headphones are essential. You can use them at any point in your day: workout time, study time, or sleep time. Keep a good, comfortable pair of headphones (and a nice playlist) on you at all times.
10. A Bright Wallet, or a Lanyard
Once you get to college, you will be given an ID that should be kept on you at all times. If you lose the ID, there is usually a fairly hefty replacement cost. Buy yourself a wallet or lanyard in a color that won’t easily blend in to your backpack and your books, and keep your ID, keys, and extra money, in there at all times. It will save you a bunch of scrambling-to-find-your-ID time!
11. A Sewing Kit
More often than not, students do not have a ton of time to go shopping for new clothes over the course of their semester. Keeping a small sewing kit may come in handy when a button pops off of your shirt and you need it for a presentation tomorrow morning. Knowing a simple, easy stitch will save you time and money over the school year!
12. A Lock
A lock is important to have and it is something that most students don’t think about. Some universities offer lockers for their commuting students so that they don’t have to take several trips with heavy books, and there are always lockers in the gym locker rooms that recommend the use of locks. Some art classes even require you to leave materials in a locker. Clearly, a lock is something that comes in handy in many different forms.
13. Stamps
Students will be sending and receiving mail and care packages fairly often. Buy some stamps that you can keep with your paper and your envelopes to be able to send things back and forth with your family back home!
14. A Laundry Basket
With a laundry basket, you eliminate the annoyance of stuffing your clothes in to a bag and hauling it downstairs to the laundry room. With a basket, you’ll have a much easier time bringing your clothes down on laundry days. You can even fold the clean, dry clothes, and stack them into the laundry basket to take back upstairs. It is a much neater way of handling your wardrobe!
15. A Book Lamp With a Clamp
There will be many nights when your roommate will want to go to bed and to turn the lights off, but you’re still up studying or doing homework. A lamp with a clamp is super useful because you can clamp it onto your desk or the side of your bed and have the light shining only on your work, and not in your roommate’s eyes. Now you can study at any time of the day or night without worrying about bothering your roommate!
Hopefully, this college shopping list of necessities has helped you plan for college. Thanks for reading!