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Looking for college move-in day essential ideas? Check out Intern Anna’s suggestions below!
College Dorm Room MUST-Haves!
Hi there, Anna here, I’m PPP’s college intern! If you’re reading this post, chances are you or someone you know is about to head off to college for the first time! (YAY!) Starting college is such an exciting season, but I remember all too well the stress around knowing and then choosing what to pack and buy.
If you want a few suggestions, check out my 12 must-have items for college below. Also, don’t forget to check out our Ultimate College Packing List! Hopefully, these resources can be helpful as you prepare for this exciting time. Drop us a comment if you have questions or suggestions!
Top College Dorm Room MUST Haves!
This collapsible laundry basket is my top recommendation for college kids! Doing laundry in a dorm can be challenging, but this basket has made it so much simpler for me.
Not only is it super easy to store in my closet, but it’s also pretty heavy-duty (more than you’d think)! I use this basket for laundry, but it’s also a really convenient way to pack and haul clothes when I travel home! I’ve gotten so many compliments in the communal laundry room, and so many friends have asked me where I got it!
This collapsible laundry basket is one of the most practical, helpful, and fantastic items I brought to college, and it’s my absolute #1 pick! (I got mine at Aldi in the “Aisle of Shame” last year, so keep an eye out, maybe they’ll come back this year – but you can snag a really similar one here right now!).
One fun fact about me is that I am really picky about my water. Plus, I have an Owala, so I drink a TON. Moving to college, I wasn’t sure how to get free, clean water on campus without going to the dining hall.
This Brita saved my roommate and me from drinking tap water from our bathroom! You don’t have to change the filter too much (I changed it maybe 3 times over 8ish months), and you know that the water you’re drinking is cleaner and easily accessible! Trust me, you won’t regret it!
I don’t know about you, but those bright white LEDs give me headaches and make me feel like I’m in a hospital setting, which I don’t want my room to feel like. If you’re like me and you enjoy more natural or yellow lighting, I’d highly recommend investing in a lamp, fairy lights, or string lights!
I bought this lamp and still have it on my desk, 3 years later! I know it’s a bit pricey, but it was totally worth it! I’ve really enjoyed being able to plug various devices into my lamp and be able to turn it on and adjust the brightness with just a touch. I also bought these overhead lights to hang in my dorm. These lights made my dorm room feel so cozy at night and especially during the winter! Now, I have them in my living room! They’ve made my apartment feel warm, welcoming, and like home.
As a student, you’re always in a hurry (and for me, that means I spill things more than I’d care to admit). I would definitely recommend investing in a durable vacuum that you can bring with you once you graduate from college. This is something that I didn’t buy that I wish I had.
If you want to keep your smaller space clean, make sure to invest in a good vacuum!
This item goes hand in hand with the collapsible laundry basket. It was really nice to have a backpack to carry to the laundry room rather than lug a flimsy basket up and down flights of stairs. Not only is it easy to transport, but it can also save space in your room or closet! It has been super functional and practical all 3 years, and I’d really recommend it.
One thing that you will learn quickly is that you can never have too much storage in a dorm! I cannot recommend storage enough! The items that were the most helpful for me when it came to storage were these plastic totes.
I had enough space that I could keep them hidden under my bed, and then when I needed them, I could pull them out. I used them to store clothes, transport items back and forth between my house, and “trade out” my clothes when the seasons changed. Plus, you can use them to help store your college gear when you come home for the summer! (*shown above)
Whether you’re hanging up a whiteboard, string lights, or other decor, you will need LOTS of command hooks and strips! I personally think you can never have too many! (My roommate and I had some extras after we moved in, but by the end of the year, they were all gone!)
Trust me when I say, you won’t want to take out your trash every day, and that’s the reality of having a small trash can. I would recommend finding a “happy medium” so that you’re not taking out your trash every day, but your dorm doesn’t stink because your trash has been there for days. I bought this midsize trash can for my dorm room and a smaller one for our bathroom, and both worked perfectly! 
Most people know that when you go to college, you’ll need a mini fridge, but the secret that most people don’t know is that you need a specific kind of fridge. One with a separate freezer! This was an absolute game-changer for me!
I was able to have frozen desserts, frozen home-cooked meals from my mom, and ice. It is definitely worth the extra cost! This is the fridge that I got (IT’S ON SALE RIGHT NOW!), but I got mine off of Facebook Marketplace, so definitely check there too!)
Your dorm is where you’ll be living for the next 8+ months, so you’ll want to make sure that it’s as comfortable as possible! Whatever you can do to make sure you’re going to sleep well (even if it’s only for a few hours), is well worth the investment!
Most dorms require students to have surge protectors to prevent an electrical shortage (and potentially fire), but many people I moved in with didn’t know and were scrambling to the store so they could get their lights and appliances plugged in. I bought 2 of these surge protectors and they worked great for me!
Medicine/Vitamins/First Aid Kit
*This is not medical advice, just the suggestion of a college girl; do with it what you will. 😉 Unfortunately, when you get sick at school, no one will be there to take care of you, so you have to take care of yourself.*
One way to prevent illness and stay on top of your classes, activities, work, and other responsibilities is to make sure you have the necessary vitamins, medications, and other first aid supplies. For me personally, I took a LOT of Vitamin C, and that was my secret weapon that kept me healthy all of cold/flu/allergy season. Again, this is not medical advice; these are just some of my thoughts!
My Top Tips For College Dorm Rooms:
- When packing clothes for college, less is more!
- You won’t have everything you need, no matter how much you prepare, so be ready to run to the store!
- You won’t spend all of your time in your dorm, so it doesn’t have to be anything fancy; just make it a place where you’ll feel comfortable. 😉
- Storage, storage, storage!
- Start looking for things you might want sooner rather than later! I’d start checking in May and June because that’s when older students who are graduating from college will start selling their items on Facebook Marketplace! *This way you can snag a GREAT deal!*
Want to stay organized at school? Check out our Student Planners HERE!
Someone gave me an “ICE Pack” (In Case of Emergency) for graduation. It was a small box filled with BandAids, travel size bottles of advil, tylenol, pepto, tums, burn cream, triple antibiotic ointment, an Ace wrap, and a few other things. By the end of the first semester my whole floor called me “Nurse Betty” because so many people had dipped into my little ICE pack. Someone even hung a sign on my door “In case of emergency, see Nurse Betty”
Ha ~ love that Megan! 🙂 Such a great gift!
I’m glad to know that I’m not the only one who has a room that’s been taken over by college supplies! My daughter wants to raise her bed high enough to fit her desk and dresser under it to create more space.
We purchased metal bed extenders that are 3.15”x3.15”x23.5” on Amazon (they are much more solid that they look). We will sit her bed on top of 4 – half cinder blocks that are an 8”x8” cube, we purchased at Home Depot for $1.35 each and spray painted them black to match the color of the extenders. This will raise her bed to about 55” total.
Bed Bath and Beyond also has a College Pass for students that is basically a 20% off coupon that is continuous until 9/21/21. We got lots of great deals…I was able to get a colored mini Keurig for $45.
Target was where we got her plates, bowls and cups for $.50 each.
Kohl’s for towels at $3 each.
Marshall’s for some cute Rae Dunn decor.
Etsy for color themed pictures (printed for free on Shutterfly-only paid for shipping) for a wall collage and personalized door hanger.
Amazon for decor, storage bins, and other miscellaneous items.
We’ve done a lot of shopping around to compare prices and find sales to get the lowest prices possible.
Oh, and thanks to you, Laurie, I was able to grab my daughter the pair of Hunter boots that she wanted from Nordstrom Rack for 60% off instead of her paying the full amount.
Will the linked mattress topper work on Twin XL? Thanks for all the tips : )
Hi Ruth ~ the memory foam topper is for a Twin (not Twin XL), so it would be a little short on the XL ~ but you can probably find one specifically for a Twin XL on Amazon! 🙂
I have bought the Umbra Little Black Dress jewelry organizer for many a high school grad heading to the dorms. It takes the space of 1 dress in the closet, but holds all the jewelry they could possibly bring for under $20.
Here’s an Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005OQFLM2/
Thanks so much for the tip Heidi! 🙂
I was gifted the black and pink toolset when I went to college 10 years ago. It was the only toolset we owned when we got married, helped put together 3 homes and 2 nurseries for our children before we finally bit the bullet and started purchasing better quality tools. The best graduation present I received, hands down!
Wow ~ love that Jayci! 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing!
My daughter was lucky to be in a relatively new dorm that had a shared bathroom between 2 rooms. So we found an over the toilet organizer at ALDI that came in very handy for the girls’ bathroom “essentials.” It wasn’t super sturdy, but it served it’s purpose. I also found a storage cube that turned out to be very handy for extra storage as well as extra seating when friends came to study.