What To Bring?

As fall rolls around most first year students are extremely anxious about school. I know that I was so excited to buy everything but my dad kept saying, and I quote, "We'll by everything on Labor Day Weekend," which by the way was 3 months later, in September!

I wanted to start buying things before high school even ended, and I knew i'd have the urge to buy things, but instead I decided to keep myself busy with exercising, and relaxing. However, I did come across a fantastic list of everything I could possibly EVER need for college, and I suggest that all college students look at it because when I did I found myself saying, "OH I never would have thought of that," many times.

So here's the list...

A
Acne/cleansing wash and acne cream
Address book
Alarm clock: very important!
Alcoholic drinks if you’re over 21
Allergy medicine: Claritin or Benadryl or other anti-histamine
Anti-Itch cream: for bug bites (also good if you’re going to do road-trips off campus to mountains/lakes on weekends etc)
Atlas-- any cartographers out there? A world or nation atlas is informative

B
Backpack/messenger bag
Balls: Basketballs, footballs, soccer balls, volleyballs, baseballs, tennis balls
Bandages and band-aids: for sprains and cuts
Batteries, especially AA
Bicycle, helmet, LOCK
Binders
Bins or boxes for storing papers/folders
Blanket: fleece or thermal
Bleach
Blender
Board games (Monopoly, a chess or checkers set etc)
Body lotion
Bookcase: find a slim, tall bookcase if you’re pressed for space. It’s good for organizing text and literary books; of course you can store anything on it-- from food to board games to boxes of cleaning supplies. Great storage. If it’s a shorter bookcase, you can put decorations atop it-- pictures, a vase etc.
Bottle opener
Broom or short-handled brush with dustpan (if you don’t care for vacuums or Swiffers)
Brush: get a good scrubbing one for cleaning grout/tough stains
Bucket: get a sturdy one for use in cleaning/mopping
Bug spray (to keep your skin from those awful mosquitoes etc)
Bulletin board with pins

C
Cable/wiring organizer: for your computer wires
Calendar: to keep track of the date and days; dry-erase calendars are awesome for scrawling in important events and then erasing for the next month
Calculator or graphing calculator
Camera-- at least a disposable one
Can opener
Cds
CD cases, or soft-cover
CD folders which are more space efficient and easier to carry
Cereals, cereals, cereals
Chair: a comfortable one, not a desk chair, but more of a reading/relaxing seat.
Try the:
a) Butterfly chair
b) Egg chair
c) the classic beanbag
Chair cushion: if you don’t want to bring or buy a desk chair, buy an attractive seat cushion for the chair that the college provides
Chips
Clothes
Clorox Disinfecting Wipes are amazing, easy to use and leave a good scent
Coffee
Coffee machine
Cold and cough medicine: Robitussin/DimetapCollege-rule line paper
Colored markers and colored pencils
Comb or hairbrush
Comforter
Computer-- Laptop or Desktop or Notebook.
Conditioner (hair)
Condoms/birth control pills/contraceptives etc.
Contacts
Contact lens case
Contact lens solution
Containers: small plastic or mesh containers for small accessories (paperclips/tape/white-out/jewelry/makeup)
Cooking pans and pots
Cordless Phone and/or Cell Phone: very important!
Correspondence: Various cards or letter paper, for birthdays or congratulations etc
Cough drops/lozegnes
Cotton balls: many uses, including for applying/wiping off make-up, applying antiseptics to cuts and wounds
Cotton facial pads: for applying or removing foundation and other make-up, also for applying facial lotions, toners and astringents
Curling iron (hair)
Curtains: if your dorm room doesn’t provide curtains, an attractive set of curtains can help bring color and life to your room

D
Day planner, dayrunrer, agenda etc
DayQuil/NyQuil
Decorator’s Lamps: these are pretty, inexpensive ways to light up your room and add color
Deodorant (can’t forget that!)
Desk chair-- colleges provide a desk chair, but it often isn’t as nice as the one you probably have at home. A good desk chair that swivels and is on wheels is great
Desk lamp: many stores sell extremely inexpensive and colorful desk lamps, but the more expensive ones are worth it too.
Desk organizers
Dish bin to carry any plates/flatware etc to dorm sink
Dish detergent
Diskettes
Dry-erase markers
Drying rack (for wet laundry-- dryers are often all occupied by the time your clothes are clean from the washing machine, so a drying rack might be helpful)
DVD player or VHSDVDs or Videos

E
Eating Utensils: inexpensive utensils OR disposable plastic utensils will do: packs of disposable OR two to four inexpensive sets of knives, spoons, forks, cups, mugs, plates, bowls
Eggshell pad or mattress pad or mattress foam
Electric lights: like Christmas lights you put on your tree or around your house-- small strings of white-light bulbs can be lovely strung around the edges of your ceiling
Envelopes (white, letter type)
Erasers
Eye drops

F
Fabric softener for the dryer
Facial lotion (especially if you’re in a colder climate and your skin will tend to dry out more easily)
Favorites books
Febreze: excellent to temporarily rid clothes (and blankets, pillows, etc) from odors
Files and expandable filing folders
Flashlight
Floss
Folders-- with pockets and three-prongs
Folding chairs/tail-gaiting chairs/folding lawn chairs-- any easy, folding chair that you can quickly prop open for guests or haul down to the game for tail-gaiting is a plus
Footstool (if you’re vertically challenged)
Foreign Language Dictionary: for whatever language you’ll be taking in college
Foreman Grill
Fragrance: perfume or cologne, or body sprays
Frisbees!Fruit: apples, bananasFruit juices-- orange, apple, grape, tomatoFuton: a bed at night, great for seating two or three visitors or for watching TV

G
Gatorade and other sports/electrolyte drinks
Glasses
Granola bars, Nutri-Grain bars
Graphing paper

H
Hair dryer
Hairbands/hair pins for ladies
Hairspray/sculpting cream
Hammer
Hand-held electronic games (Gameboy etc)Hand and feet cream
Headphones-- very important-- both to block out annoying sounds from your roommate or keep music your roommate doesn’t like to yourself
Highlighters
Hot Pot: I love this thing. Quick and easy and hot, no need for an electric kettle or coffee machine or microwave with it
Hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol

I
I-Pod or other music player (MP3, CD player)
Internet access software/wiringIronIroning board

K
Kleenex or other facial tissue

L
Laptops and desktops: for work/studying, but plays your music and DVDs as well

Laptop case

Laundry basket: a lot of people prefer the sturdy plastic baskets to laundry bags. Can hold folded clothes better as well

Laundry detergent

Laundry Hamper or Bin: hampers are always useful; some of us use canvas bins with handles to toss wet towels and dirty clothes in; others have large mesh or canvas laundry bags (folding hampers are great if you need space)

Lip balm

Lint-roller

Loofah/sponge or wash towelLysol, especially the sprays and the all-purpose cleaners (though the scent is sometimes too strong)

M
Make-up (a lot of more low-maintenance girls I know often just go with the basics-- foundation or tinted moisturizer for covering up flaws, mascara and lip gloss or a lipstick)
Manila envelopes (for papers or reports that you don’t want folded)
Map-- of your country, your state, the world, your college campus
Masking tape
Microwave
Milk
Minifridge or Microfridge
Mints or minty gum

Mirror-- a good mirror (full length)
Mop
Mouse
Mouse pad

Mouthwash
Multi-vitamins (especially vitamin C, when you’re trying to keep your immune system up around cold season)
Muscle Relief or Icy Hot Patches or Thermal Patches for achesMusical instrument/music books

N
Nail clippers
Nail file
Nail polish remover
Neosporin
Nightstand: if you’ve got room, nightstands are nice-- put a small lamp and your reading books atop it. Looks pretty and if it has drawers, it offers more storage space for whatever you’d like.
Notepads

O
Oxi-Clean gets rid of stains

P
Pack of playing cards
Pain and fever relief-- Tylenol, Advil, ibuprofen
Paperclips
Paper towels
Pencils
Pencil case/container
Pencil Sharpener
Pens: regular blue, black and red; have at least one, nicer ball-point pen as well
Photos and picture frames
Pillows
Pine-Sol: the original scent is great, it’s good for floors
Plants: IF you can take care of them. They’re lovely and it’s nice to have some green in your small dorm room
Plasti-tak or other mounting material that won’t leave stains or holes on the walls
Popcorn
Pop-Tarts
Posters, of course
Post-its
Powder drink mixes: They are cheaper to buy than sodas, and all you need is a large pitcher of water and a spoon.
Powdered lemonade and Kool-Aid are cheap and easy to make.
Power strips (because you’ll only have so many electrical outlets)
Printer Paper (white)

Q
Q-Tips: tons of uses-- for cleaning the insides of your ears, for applying or removing make-up, etc

R
Radio/stereo
Ramen/Cup Noodles (of course)
Razor, shaving cream and aftershave for males
Religious texts: if you’re religious, bring your Bible or Koran or Torah etc.
Reusable water bottles, like Nalgene bottles
RobeRoller-skates or ice-skates
Rolls of coins or your laundry card
Rubber bands
Rug!: to add attractiveness to the bare tile or wood floor of your room-- and keep your feet warm when you slip out of bed winter mornings

S
Safe or lockbox for valuables: jewelry, watches, etc-- actually, any box with a lid will do to store your valuables in, just as long as you don’t leave your bracelets, watches, rings etc lying around
Screwdriver
Shampoo (if preferred, you can pour your shampoo or conditioner in small plastic bottles with flip tops-- see Container Store-- to save space in your shower tote)
Sharpies or any other permanent marker (thick and thin)
Shaving lotion, gel or body wash for shaving
Shaving razor
Sheets: at least two and preferably three different sets of sheets for your bed, often college beds are extra-long twin size
Shot glasses
Shower caddy/tote: should have a hole or holes in the bottom, for drainage
Shower shoes (flip-flops)Small pair of nose hair scissors (gross, I know, but for any overgrown hairs from your nose)
Snapple/other tea brandsSoap or body wash
Soap container: it’d be best to have a container for it, so the other items in your tote won’t get soppy and sticky. Bed Bath and Beyond has some handy plastic soap cases with latches
Sofa or armchair: if you can fit at least a small one into your room, go for it!
Soup
Spiral notebooks
Sponge: get one for cleaning dishes, another for cleaning your dorm/bathroom
Spray bottles, clear: for various uses-- holding cleaning fluid
Stamps
Stapler and staples
Steamer or Footlocker: these are more expensive, but they’re usually attractive and add character to the room. You can store extra blankets or out of season clothes in them. If you have room, they look good at the base of a bed. You could also sit on it or store books or knickknacks atop it.
Stomach Relief: Ah, Pepto Bismol.
Straightening iron (hair)
Sunglasses
Suntan lotion
Swiffer Dry: extremely easy to use, quick and easy to clean (just dispose of the cloth after use; hard to pick up more than lint and hair).
Swiffer Duster: excellent and easy to hold and maintain
Swiffer Wet: use like a mop, very easy to use and leaves a great fresh scent
Swim goggles

T
Tape measurer
Tape dispenser and clear tape refills
Tapestries: hang them up on the wall, above your bed, etc...
Teabags
Three-hole punch adapter
Toaster oven
Toothbrush
Toothbrush case: Bed Bath and Beyond has a great little plastic toothbrush container with a latch, so the bristles of your toothbrush don’t get all gross jumbled next to everything else in your shower tote or caddy
ToothpasteTowels (at least two sets each of bath towel, hand towel, face towel etc)
Trash Can
Tree Floor Lamp: these are good because you can use one lighting source to illuminate different parts of your room-- in a tiny room, one light can be aimed at your desk, the other at your bed while you read, the other at the ceiling.
TV
Tweezers

U
Umbrella- a good, sturdy one

V
Vacuum: any slim, lightweight one will do. It doesn’t need to be an expensive, bulky vacuum to get the job done.
Vacuum: hand-sized, to clean up dust in corners, on desks etc...
Vaseline: or petroleum jelly. It’s oily and sticky, but if you don’t have lotion or lip balm handy, a spot of Vaseline will do it.
Video game console
Video games
Multi-vitamin
Vick’s Vapo Rub: I always put this on my chest and throat when I’m sick
Vitamin C: to keep up your immune system during cold season
Vitamin E: this comes in two forms-- one is in a gel-like pill, the other is in a small glass jar. The ingestion of vitamin E is supposed to soften your skin, strengthen your hair. The vitamin E in a jar-- vitamin E oil-- is often put on scars or stretch marks to advance healing and lighten the scar
Vitamin D/Oscal: to keep your bones strong

W
Washcloths or washrags: use old ones for rinsing or drying dishes, and cleaning floors
Water bottles
Water filter pitcher and replaceable filters
Water pitcher: a regular one, if you don’t want filtered
Waterless hand sanitize
Whiteboard with dry-erase markers (lots of people hang these outside their rooms so friends can leave messages)
White-out or correctional fluid (I prefer the rolling, tape-dispenser-like white-out)
Windex or other window cleaner; the wipes are especially handy
Writing Basics: a writing style book, a dictionary, a thesaurus