What You Actually Need For Your Freshman Dorm Room
- haileybunde
- Jul 21, 2017
- 6 min read
Any quick Pinterest search will pull up thousands of websites and blog posts claiming to have the ultimate guide to what you do and don’t need your freshmen year. However, a lot of these ‘necessary’ lists are created by companies to sell their items. That’s why I decided to take the time to make a list of the actual items you will and won’t need in your freshman year dorm. I am not promoting any of these items, they are all my personal suggestions based off of my freshman year, to help you try and pack a little lighter.
Things You Do Need
Mattress Topper
This is a must for just about any single mattress you’re going to encounter in any dorm. I can’t imagine finding a dorm room bed that doesn’t need a mattress topper. You will be sleeping on this twin bed for the next nine months of your life, and it’s so important that you do what you need to make yourself comfortable. Mattress toppers come in all shapes and sizes, firmness, and prices, so take the time to find the right one for you.
Surge Protector
There are only so many outlets in a dorm room AND you have to share them with a roommate AND they never seem to be in the places you need them to be. Last year, I used one surge protector on my desk and one by my bed. You’ll definitely need at least one for all your chargers, hair tools, and other needs. It will save you tons of time moving things around just to find an outlet.
Shower Caddy
This is just an absolute must. You can keep all of your shower stuff in a caddy at all times, so you don’t have to look for things before every shower. Shower caddies just make life easier.
Hooks, Hooks, Hooks
Hooks are so useful!!!! Especially if you have lots of bags, scarves, or necklaces, hooks will you be your best friend. It’s also so great to have a hook right by the door that you can hang your keys on whenever you come into your room. Hooks just provide that extras organization. Command hooks are recommended, but some dorms like TCU didn’t allow us to use Command Strips, so I kept over-the-door hooks on my closet doors.
Wrinkle release spray
I had a pretty cramped closet, and things naturally got wrinkly. Wrinkle release spray was a life saver, since an iron or steamer were rarely options. I used the spray at least once a week when I had to smooth out my skirt before giving campus tours. If you have any event that you need to look somewhat nice for, you will get usage out of wrinkle release spray.
Vitamins
Chances are, you’re probably not getting the nutrients you need, especially if you’re eating mostly dining hall food. I would highly recommend just getting in the habit now of taking vitamins. They give you a lot of the vitamins and nutrients you need and will probably help prevent sickness, which is always lurking around the corner in college. This year I began taking a women’s multivitamin and fish oil pills, as well as melatonin pills before bed. I recommend starting out with some sort of multivitamin.
Keurig
Okay, I guess this isn’t a necessity if you don’t drink coffee… but see if you still don’t drink coffee by the end of freshman year. For me, a Keurig was a must. A single brew Keurig worked just fine for my freshman year dorm, and many dorms only allow single-cup coffee brewers. Keurigs are also great because of the things you can use them for besides coffee, like tea or ramen.
Brita pitcher
Most dorms will need some kind of water filter. The water from our sink was not great, so it was nice to have a Brita pitcher, and we could fill it completely up to always have water easily available. Make sure that you get a pitcher that will fit nicely in your fridge; last year my roommate and I had one that was small enough to fit perfectly in the side door of our fridge, which saved us a bunch of space for other food.
Water bottle
I got into such a good habit of drinking tons of water every day, and I think it’s a great habit everyone should develop. I would fill up a water bottle every day for class, and then when I was in my dorm, I would fill up my insulated tumbler and drink from that all evening.
Things You Don’t Need, but Would Really Use
Essential oil diffuser
This is one of those things I didn’t know I needed but now that I have it, I can’t imagine life without it. My mom bought me the diffuser and oils off of Amazon, and I have gotten so much use out of both. Essential oils are great for relaxation, focus, or if you just want your room to smell good (especially since candles aren’t allowed in dorms). My older brother tried my diffuser out and bought one himself because he like it so much. If you like things that smell good in a subtle way, or want something to help you relax, I would HIGHLY recommend an essential oil diffuser.
First aid kit
I know this should probably be under the ‘necessary’ list but I can say that I never once used a first aid kit during freshman year—and I fell down A LOT freshman year. We always had bandages on hand, but that’s (hopefully) all you’ll need. For any more intense medical needs, the front desk of your residence hall should have a First Aid kit.
Extra long phone charger
If you sleep in a lofted bed this is a necessity. If not, this will just come in handy throughout the year, whether you’re charging your phone in a friend’s room or studying at a coffee shop.
Planner
Okay, I wanted to put this under the ‘necessary’ list because of who I am as a person, but I understand that not everyone is as passionate about organization as I am. I don’t get how people got through high school without some sort of calendar, but if you did, that’ll definitely change in college. Some people can get by with just the calendar on their phone or computer, and if that works for you, do it! I personally like having a planner to save long term dates and have a better visualization of my schedule, and using the calendar on my phone for quick adds. What’s most important is just finding a way to stay organized, and sticking with that. I personally recommend finding the planner that works for you; they come in all different styles and prices.
Rug
A rug is by no means necessary, but will definitely help make any dorm room cozier. Sometimes you just want to come in your dorm room and plop on the floor. For some, it’s the main seating area in their dorm room for Bachelorette nights. Either way, a carpet is a much comfier option than a hardwood or linoleum floor.
Shoe organizer
Another must if you have lots of shoes: a shoe organizer. You can find them super cheap a Target at the beginning of the year, and they just provide a lot of extra storage in such little space. I personally had a hanging shoe organizer on the side of my closet and another shoe organizer on the bottom of my closet.
Desk Hutch
For me, this added the extra storage I needed. I liked a lot of photos and mugs on my desk, so a hutch kept my writing space clean. It was probably the best purchase I made for my room freshman year, but it may not be necessary for everyone.
Things You Don’t Need
Outlet bed risers
I feel like I see these on every single list for college freshman. For anyone considering buying these: DON’T WASTE YOUR MONEY! You have to make sure the risers fit your bed posts and they only add about two or three inches of height. Save your money for better things.
Throw pillows
Whenever you see a picture-esque dorm room, the bed is full of fluffy blankets and gorgeous pillows. I didn’t buy one throw pillow and I have no regrets. I suck at making my bed, so throw pillows would be completely unnecessary. If you do make your bed, you have to take the pillows on and off every day! That seems like a hassle to me. I kept three sleeping pillows on my bed: two for sleep, one for support when I was reading or watching Netflix in bed. That worked just fine for me, and no one notices (or cares) if you have throw pillows or not.
Reading books
I kept a collection of my favorite books in my room and I didn’t read any of them. You just don’t have enough time. If you do like to read, just keep it to one book at a time if possible.
T-shirts
You will get t-shirts for everything. Especially if you’re in a sorority or go to a school like TCU that has events every week. Bring about two t-shirts to get you through those first couple weeks, and after that you’ll probably have enough to last you a lifetime.
Obviously, this isn’t a comprehensive list, but these are some things that my friends and I researched and brainstormed. Overall, always pack on the lighter side for your freshman dorm, and go from there. You can always buy things as you realize you need them, but it’s a frustrating foot to start off on if your dorm room is already cluttered with things. Your dorm is a small space, and you want it to be your own, without having every single thing from your room back home! Give yourself the room to start over.
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