College Tips: Things You Need--Did you forget it?

Hey guys,
Going through my freshman year, I definitely found quite a few things that were useful to me that I didn't realize at first. I planned and over-planned (as I seem to do with everything) and luckily had most of these things with me. This list could be different for you, but considering my major, living circumstances, and location, these are what worked for me:

1. Rain Boots & Umbrella

 

Picture from here

 

Rain boots were one of the last things I picked up before leaving for school. I paid about $15 for them at Target (though I'd love a pair of these Hunter boots! I really like the lighter blue ones in the picture.) and they worked just fine. These saved me on days where I had to walk across campus in the rain. I'm not going to say I didn't ruin a pair of shoes in the rain--but if you can avoid getting shoes ruined, you might as well!

 

Same thing goes for an umbrella. Bring more than one---they break (They're also FIFTEEN DOLLARS at the bookstore. No thanks.)

 

 

 

2. Glue Gun

Picture from here

 

 OKAY, not all of you are going to need a glue gun. For me, it came in handy. I brought it only because I thought I could use it for craft projects, but I ended up using it while making bows for my cheer team, as well as in one of my classes (a basic design class).
 

 

3. Fan

Picture from here


 

 A fan is definitely one of the most important things you can bring to college, whether your dorm will have air conditioning or not. My dorm had excellent air conditioning and I used mine all the time, even in the winter. The vertical fans take up a lot less space. (BONUS: You can also use it to block out the sounds from your noisy neighbors, I know I did.)

 

 

4. Extra lamp

Picture from here

 

 A fan is another great addition to your dorm room. You may not always want the ugly fluorescent light shining on you. I also had Christmas lights hung on my wall.

 

5. Garbage bags, dish soap, small vacuum

Picture from here

 

Cleaning supplies are great for your dorm. A small vacuum like this one is great so that you don't have to use the community one (ours was stolen by the end of the year haha).


 

6. Pod laundry detergent

Picture from here

 

 These are awesome and keep you from lugging a big bottle of laundry soap to the laundry room.
Sidenote---my dorm laundry room had a sign saying we couldn't use these. We made someone else in our dorm try it first and nothing bad happened, so we ended up doing it all year.


And that's all I can think of! Any other suggestions? Feel free to leave them in the comments!

Sam



College Tips: Move in!

Hi guys!
In a little over a month, I will be starting my sophomore year in college. I wanted to reflect on my freshmen year and give you all some tips on move-in day to help it go smoothly.

BEFORE MOVE IN:

Tip 1: Sign up for orientation!
At my school, at least, if you are signed up for Freshmen Orientation, student volunteers will move you in to your dorm, meaning you don't have to carry all your stuff up to your room by yourself. Good stuff.

Tip 2: Don't bring your whole life.
Seriously one of the biggest mistakes I made. I lived in a single dorm my freshman year, so it wasn't as big of a deal, however, I had a lot of stuff around that I just didn't need (sweaters in August, 2 different pairs of essentially the same boots etc.). Think about what you actually need and coordinate that with how often you will go home during the year.

DURING MOVE IN:

Tip 3: Stay calm.
On my move in day, EVERYONE got on my nerves. This is most likely your last day with your family for a while, so make the most of it while moving in.

Tip 4: Be prepared.
Make sure your belongings are organized enough to set up things when you get there and so that you can find what you need.

Tip 5: Dress appropriately.
I think it was around 95 degrees on my freshman move-in day. Wear something cool and comfortable, you'll be moving a lot of stuff.

Tip 6: Buy things near your campus.
Don't bring things you can get at any nearby store all the way from home. After you settle into your room, you can stop by a nearby grocery store/Target/Walmart and pick up food (especially cold things), shampoo, and other necessities.

Tip 7: Explore campus!
After you're done moving in, meet up with a friend, your roommate, go with your family, or even by yourself and figure out the campus--fun things to do, classes, important offices, etc.


Things in your room may not be perfect on the first day. You might decide to move things in the coming weeks, so just make sure that you can get to what you need on your first day and that it's at least somewhat organized--it's fine to move things around as you progress through the year!

Good luck!
Sam