August 18, 2018
What To Pack For College
Hi everyone! It’s crazy to start thinking about heading back to school, I feel like summer just started! I’ll be heading back next week and wanted to share what I packed in previous years when heading to school as a freshman. When I moved away to college I pretty much packed everything I could, a lot of which I didn’t need. In this post I’m going to share with you the things I found absolutely necessary to pack! I am lucky enough to go to school very close to home so it’s very easy for me to come home and bring clothing back and forth, but if you don’t have that option edit out as much excess as you can. After reading Kate Schelter’s ‘Classic Style’ I became very aware of how badly I needed to cut out the excess in my wardrobe. I know packing can be stressful, but if you forget something there is always Amazon Prime haha!
Enjoy!
Bedding:
Living in a dorm room the beds are not always the comfiest, but by the end of my first year I actually preferred the bed in my dorm over my bed at home! Here’s what I brought-
1. Monogrammed duvet cover and pillow shams : I bought simple bedding because that way I knew I could use it for more than one year, and not have to keep re-buying bedding.
2. Mattress Pad and Duvet Insert : These made SUCH a huge difference, and made my bed so cozy!
3. Twin XL Sheets : I brought two sets of sheets, so that if one set needed to be washed I had another to put on. This made it so much easier throughout the year, and it was also fun to mix up the prints once in a while!
4. Throw Pillows : Sometimes dorm rooms can be so drab, and a perfect way to add some fun to my room was my throw pillows!
5. Extra Blanket : There wasn’t a lot of space in my room for extra seating so when I had friends in my room they normally would just sit on my bed and use the extra blanket I had. Also when I had friends visiting it was great to have an extra blanket to offer them! It looked great at the end of my bed too!
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JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.Closet:
I had a hard time with this one, the closet in my dorm was actually a great size, but I still brought WAY too many clothes. Pack the things you know can be styled multiple ways and wear the most, leave behind the things that you haven’t worn in months but think you might wear it. I’m the type of person that took everything out of my closet and moved- definitely would not recommend!
1. Workout wear: before college I never went to the gym on a regular basis but found myself going almost everyday by the end of the year! I wore workout clothes frequently, especially because they are also perfect to wear to class on a lazy day and to class.
2. Steamer, Iron, Wrinkle Release : My FAVORITE thing I brought to school was my mini steamer. It’s inexpensive, and works great. We did have an iron in our room, but in the morning before class it was such a hassle to use. All you have to do for the steamer is plug it in, steam, and go! I also am a huge fan of wrinkle release- which is a simple fix for wrinkles! Moral of the story- the steamer was a necessity for me, but the bulky iron and ironing board was not. All of my friends would even come to my room and use my steamer!
3. Shoes: I would only recommend bringing the shoes you wear frequently, and probably only one pair of each style. Footwear definitely depends on the person. This year I will definitely cut back on the amount of shoes I bring because they take up a lot of space in a closet. I plan on getting a shoe organizer, similar to the one I linked at the end of this post to help my roommates and I cut down on the space our shoes take up.
4. Clothes: Bring the things you know you will wear, like I said before it’s important to cut out the excess. I probably brought over 10 striped tees to school- I ended up frequently wearing my favorite one and hardly wore the others. When packing going into my Freshman year I basically threw everything I could into duffle bags and suitcases, and when I got to school had no room to put everything. Before leaving I would recommend going through what you plan on bringing and edit out as many things as you can.
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Desk Space:
Having a comfortable desk space is very important for me because its likely I will be sitting at my desk for long periods of time doing work! I added a few things that I utilized throughout the year, and made my desk an easy place to get things done.
1. Lamp: A lamp is great to help see when studying, also I loved having a lamp to turn on to make my dorm feel a little cozier!
2. Desk Accessories: Things I totally forgot to pack as a freshman were desk accessories! Make sure you bring paper clips, a stapler, tape, white out, pens, pencils, and all other desk needs. It’s so much easier to have these things than having to run out and find a stapler the morning a paper is due! I also found post-it notes to be helpful for writing down reminders.
3. Speaker: I love to listen to music while working on blogposts and schoolwork!
4. Desk chair: This is definitely an optional thing, but I found it made my desk area a lot cuter and more personalized!
5. School Items: Don’t forget to buy things like notebooks, folders, an agenda, and your textbooks! I like to order my textbooks and even sometimes rent them on Amazon or Chegg- that way its so much cheaper than buying them all from the bookstore. If you like to use index cards when you study, I would bulk up on those too!
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JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.Around your room:
1. Rug: Having a carpet in our room made it feel a lot more like home and not a dorm!
2. Storage: I brought plastic storage drawers which were great for storing extra clothes. Storage is only of the most important things at school to help you stay organized. My roommate also brought a fabric shoe hanger to hang in our closet, we ended up using it for all of our hair appliances and miscellaneous things and it was great! The shoe storage shelves I mentioned previously are also a great way to save space. I also brought a lock box to keep a few things safe and locked away! There are so many things used for storage I could go on and on, but only you can really know what type of storage will be best for you.
3. Mirrors: One thing I forgot was a full length mirror! This is so important for getting ready in the morning- I just got one that hung over our bathroom door. I also used a smaller mirror to keep on my desk so I had my own area to do my makeup.
4. Technology: Having a power strip is essential, there’s only so many outlets in a room so being able to plug all of your things in is important. Alexa from Amazon became like another roommate- loved having her to play music! Don’t forget any of your chargers– even for the little things you could forget about like headphone chargers! If your school doesn’t have a printer accessible I would recommend one, we didn’t need one but some may find it necessary! A long phone charger cord is always nice to have- especially if you’re on a top bunk like I was for my first semester. I am definitely investing in an external hard drive this year so I can free up some space on my computer. Another thing I love is my Amazon Fire Stick, it’s so nice being able to use it instead of getting cable.
5. Cleaning supplies: This is the one thing I forgot- so happy my roommates didn’t! Things like windex, febreeze, stain remover, bathroom cleaner, etc. are all great things to have to keep a clean room. A vacuum is also important especially when living in a room with a bunch of girls- long hair ends up everywhere! We also loved having a Swiffer, they are so easy to use! Clorox wipes also were a favorite in our room. Stain sticks also come in very handy- I always keep one in my purse as well. Bring a small trash can to keep under your desk as well!
6. Laundry Items: Sadly, mom isn’t there to help with laundry anymore! I found Tide Pods to be the easiest. I would toss one in my load of laundry, and then use dryer sheets to keep my clothes smelling nice! Also make sure when shopping for a laundry basket your priority is function. Mine was very cute, but not always the easiest to carry.
7: Bathroom: I brought a variety of towels, and brought specific colors so that I could differentiate between mine and my roommates. If you have your own bathroom like I did, I would recommend something to hang in the shower to hold everything. If you are going to have a communal bathroom, shower caddys and flip flops are an essentials! Don’t forget to pack your favorite shampoo, conditioner, etc. You’ll also want to bring other essentials like tweezers, advil, cough medicine, bandaids, and things of that nature just in case.
8. Beauty: Probably things you won’t forget to pack, but just as a reminder! Don’t forget your straightener, blow dryer, curling iron or any other hair appliances.One thing I didn’t think to bring at all as a freshman but ended up using frequently was nail polish remover and cotton balls. Of course don’t forget your toothbrush / toothpaste, and if you still wear a retainer like me!
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JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.I hope you all have an amazing time at college, and as always thanks so much for reading!
