By Lexi Hill, University of South Carolina ‘18
On the other hand, it’s not so great because you have next to no idea what the hell you are supposed to be doing. It’s sort of like walking around a pitch-black room trying to find your phone charger. Not easy. Here’s a list of things you need which will hopefully make freshman year a little bit less intimidating.
1. A Swiffer
Admittedly, I am a very clean human, so it was important to me that myroommate be slightly tidy, too. But, even more so, it was important that we kept our general space clean too. We had these super quick cleaning sessions that lasted for like 10 minutes, but really got the job done. We would’ve been lost without our Swiffer.
2. A mini fridge
Of course most colleges have cafeterias, or require you to get some sort of meal plan, but it was also super useful to have small snacks or fruit at the ready. So, keep your mini fridge stocked with little treats so you can grab and go on your way to class. You can find affordable, cute ones at Jet.comlike the one featured below.
3. A humidifier or fan
It’s no secret that dorm rooms can be gross, and they might even lack air conditioning. Save yourself a sleepless night and pick up one or the other. Humidifiers are best to help clean the air, or to keep mold away while fans are better for keeping the temperature down.
4. Cute bins or adjustable baskets
Your dorm room is similar to a small cubby, but then you have to divide that in half. So basically, you have zero room. If you’re like me and have a weird accumulation of shit, grab bins to store everything in. Seriously, you can lay them out or slide them under your bed, but if you find some cute ones, they don’t have to be an eyesore.
5. A good shower caddy
A lot of college dorms have communal showers, but even if you have your own that you share with your roommates, you still need a caddy. It helps keep everything at arms reach and organized.
6. Cups, plates, & napkins
If you have a pregame in your dorm - which you totally shouldn’t do, because that’s against the rules -make sure you have cups. Everyone always needs cups. It’s also good to have disposable silverware for whenever you eat in your dorm.
7. Command strips
If you don’t want your dorm room to suck or be really, really boring, thenyou need command strips to easily hang decor on the walls. The best thing about command strips is they come off, leaving no damage behind.
8. Netflix
Honestly, having a TV is not necessary. When I was a freshman, I barely watched shows, but if I did, I just used Netflix and my laptop.
9. Mattress pad
You don’t want to be the freshman with the most uncomfortable bed. That’s a terrible rep to have. So, find a good mattress pad.
10. Extra phone chargers
You will not go through freshman year of college without losing your charger or someone taking it. There are charger thieves everywhere.
11. Protein bars, goldfish, cereal, FOOD
Just like having a mini fridge lets you grab some cool snacks, keeping a bin with some goodies in it is a life saver. Instead of buying drunk eats and wasting tons of money, you can drunk eat from your secret stash of Goldfish instead.
12. Jewelry organizer
Preferably hanging, so it saves you space. One thing you’ll learn about college is that shit goes missing. It’s really easy to lose or misplace stuff, but having a home for everything makes it easier to keep track.
13. A shoe bin, or shoe organizer
If you are a girl, you literally cannot survive without one of these. You can find shoe organizers that hang on closets, or you can even find ones that have a hook that can be hung from command strips on a wall.
14. Actually buy your textbooks
I used to avoid buying textbooks in order to save money for literally anything else, but then my dad found out and shit hit the fan. If you’re spending money on your education, don’t skimp out on the books, seriously, you need them. Definitely don’t buy your books from the bookstore, use sites like Chegg instead or rent used.
15. This one is for the boys and also really chill guys: Xbox or any sort of entertainment system
It really depends on the type of person you are, but some people literally can’t live without a TV or game system. If this is you, bring one, it makes a difference!