I know for my first year of college I wasn't sure at all what I needed and what I didn't. Turns out I brought some of the necessary things, but left behind others that totally slipped my mind. Now that it's my second year, I feel like I did much better, but I'm wondering what other essentials I've forgotten.

What are your favorite things that you have brought to college for your dorm living experience? So far I've found a mini fridge, microwave, and electronic tea kettle/coffee pot to be extremely useful and definitely necessary! Sometimes it's too late to go to the cafe and it's always nice to have food available for when you're feeling lazy. I heard that bringing a blender can be good, though I never have. I think one of my suitemates this year brought one, but we've yet to use it.

Any tips/suggestions on what to bring? I'd love to hear what special objects you guys have found!

It used to be that a Bottle Opener was necessary (required) equipment in a Dorm, but now there are twist-tops...

I haven't done the whole college/dorm thing yet, but I have been on my own (kind of) in the barracks when I was active... which really is kind of dorm-like. =p

I think the main things I had that I used a lot were

- my computer
- my TV
- my XBox
- my 5.1 6-dvd/cd changer sound system
- my toaster/coffee maker machine
- my microwave
- my fridge

Not to mention the ton of food I always had on hand... so I never had to run down to the dining facility for food.

I lived in a dorm for one year...then an on-campus apartment for one year. I commute now 'cause it's cheaper to live at home *grins*

Make sure that you get yourself a nice, sturdy backpack: preferably one that's also comfortable on your shoulders. You could have to haul that thing - fully loaded, of course - a pretty good distance every day. Across the campus...or even just across the parking lot...can be a long walk.

You can never have enough light in your dorm room. Get a lamp for your bedside. Get a lamp for your desk. Get a flashlight in case the power goes out (it's happened before). Just don't bring candles. They're banned in most campus housing complexes because so many fires have started as a result of them.

Even if you have wonderful roomies, you're never going to agree on every little thing. Make sure that you have a fleece throw, for example. That nifty lil' blanket is going to be very handy if one of your roommates likes to keep the common area colder than you'd prefer.

Oh, and stock up on toilet paper. You'd be amazed at how quickly two or three people can go through a four-pack.

Nessacary Things (For Me):

-A Fan
-A Mini-Fridge
-Ramen Noodles. Lots and lots of Ramen Noodles.
-A few pots and pans
-A Laptop
-A small TV
-A Toaster
-A blanket
-A blender
-2 or 3 Lamps
-a bag or backpact (I use jansport backpacks)
-A radio with nice speakers (I use an iHome)

There are other things as well, but I think those are the biggest things I need.

This post has been edited by the-artistic-bunch: Sep 23 2007, 06:02 PM

From what I've heard and experienced, it seems as if duct tape is one of the main things college students completely forget about. We've all used our fair share of duct tape for countless different purposes and bringing it to school is a wise idea.

Headphones. For when you want your music but your roommate doesn't.

I've also found that a good pair of earplugs is nice. You never know when your floormates will decide to run down the halls screaming when you want to get some sleep.

I've heard a Foreman grill is an awesome thing to have, but I haven't been able to try this out because my school doesn't allow them. If yours does, you might want to check it out.

Because space is scare, one of those pillow/chair things is really nice to have on your bed. That way, you can study/watch TV from a "couch."