Top 10 Residence Hall Must Haves

Living on campus is an exciting part of the traditional undergraduate experience. In your residence hall, you will build community with your hallmates and bond with your roommate. It will become your literal home-away-from-home! Packing up your life at home and moving into a completely new space can seem like an impossible task. It can be difficult to decide what needs to make the trip and what needs to stay behind. While it seems like every item in your room is important, the truth is that there are just a few things that are absolutely essential to bring to college. Don’t make the mistake of bringing everything and the kitchen sink. Here are our Top 10 Residence Hall Must-Haves!

1.    Comfortable bedding. You may want a mattress topper or mattress pad to make your bed even more comfortable. Consider purchasing a pillow-top, memory foam, or egg crate topper in the appropriate size for your mattress. These are a great investment since you can use it for the next four years! Don’t forget cozy comforters, blankets, pillows, and sheets. Most stores now offer “bed in a bag” kits which contain all the bedding essentials for college students. Make sure you’re buying correctly sized bedding. Most mattresses are a Twin XL or a standard twin.

2.    Fun decorations. Your residence hall room is essentially a blank canvas. Showcase your personality by decorating it with pictures, lights, flags, paintings, and anything else that you like. Popular now are tapestries, Christmas lights, flags, and posters. Bring a cork board or a whiteboard to help keep you organized, or pin keepsakes to. The options are endless!

3.    Command Strips/Hooks. Since no nails can be used to hang things on the walls, command strips or hooks will become your best friend when decorating. These ensure damage-free hanging. These can be bought in multipacks, so you’ll never run out.

4.    Shower accessories. Don’t forget the towels! Two or three nice towels are important to have. Bring a shower caddy to keep all of your shower supplies contained, since you may not be able to store it in the bathroom.  A bathrobe and shower shoes (like flip-flops) are a good idea too!

5.    Laundry Basket. Don’t forget your laundry basket! This will come in handy as you’re making trips to the laundry room every now and again. Plus, it helps keep clothes contained and off the floor for when you’re spending time in your room.

6.    Storage containers. Extra storage is never a bad thing! Consider storage containers like drawer units or a shoe organizer to keep things contained. Find out exactly how much space is in your room and think about what storage solutions you may need. A really easy storage solution is over the door hooks – you can hang everything from your backpack to jackets on it!

7.    Keurig or Coffee Maker. Do you need a daily caffeine fix? Don’t forget your Keurig or coffee maker. Instead of visiting the campus coffee shop multiple times a day, you can save some money by making your own.

8.    T.V. This is an optional must-have. A TV is great if you enjoy watching a lot of shows on cable, or if you like a screen bigger than your laptop or mobile device to watch Netflix. Talk to your roommate and see if they plan on bringing one and talk about sharing it.

9.    Mini-fridge. A mini-fridge is an optional must-have, but it can come in handy! Keep drinks cold and store college snack staples like Pizza Rolls in it for those occasions when you need a midnight snack.

10.    A microwave. This will be handier than you may think! There are a plethora of delicious snack foods that can be prepared in the microwave. Think about popcorn, mac and cheese cups, ramen noodles, hot pockets, and more. Plus, in the winter, you can make hot chocolate to keep you warm while you study.

There you have it – the Top 10 Residence Hall Must-Haves for any college freshman. Following our list ensures that you come prepared and ready to move in with the essentials – so you’re not left sleeping in an uncomfortable bed, showering without a towel, or looking at blank walls. Of course, this isn’t an exhaustive list - there are plenty of other items that you’ll decide you want or need. When you’re packing, make yourself a list of the things you know you absolutely must have. That will help you consider every little item and ensure that you don’t accidentally leave anything at home. Keep in mind that you will get breaks, where you’ll have the opportunity to take items home or bring them back to campus. This allows you to decide what’s essential from what’s just taking up valuable space.