You’re all excited for starting college – you’ve got your roommate, you know your dorm, and visions of your own little home are beginning to dance like sugar plum fairies in your head. You suddenly realize that you don’t know what things you really need in your dorm! Here are a few things that I would recommend adding to your packing list.
- LAMPS – the dorms have fluorescent overhead lights, and it can sometimes be overwhelming. I brought a small lamp with me to keep on my desk, and my roommate had fairy lights on her side of the room. Fluorescent lights have been known to contribute to weariness and anxiety, so having other options is a good idea! Between the fairy lights, lamp, and sunshine through the window, we rarely used the overhead lights.
- A rug – in the wintertime, that floor can be cold, and cold feet aren’t a pleasant way to start the morning. A small rug goes a long way in adding to comfort and hominess in your room.
- A mattress topper – A good night’s sleep makes all the difference in your day! A $30 mattress topper from Amazon has held up well these last two years.
- A corkboard or dry erase board – these can add such fun! Whether you use them for school or not (mine rarely sees school use), they can be the perfect place to add pictures, a Bible verse (I put a new one up each week) or friends and family can leave little notes. I still have a note that my dad wrote from my freshman year on mine and on days when school seems like too much, it is a sweet source of encouragement!
- A power strip – with only one outlet on each side of the room, a power strip is necessary! I used Command Strips to attach a power strip to the foot of my bed and could easily charge my phone, plug in my lamp, and have the fan blowing.
BONUS: A house plant or two! A classmate of mine gave a speech this spring on how much plants can help the air in our dorms, and they add such a homey touch to the room. She gave each of us a Pothos plant to propagate. It was so much fun to watch it thrive over the course of the semester, and I am planning on bringing several little plants here in a few weeks.
We are so excited to have you on campus in August! Go Bears!
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