Checklist to College – Your 14 Must Have Dorm Essentials

Bath, Bedding, Decor 0

-Updated August, 2023

While the heat of summer is still going strong, the thought of back to school may seem far away. But with many colleges starting soon, now is the time to start planning what you’ll need for the semester. Depending on your University, you may be looking at a few optional sizes. A traditional dorm room is usually less than 130 square feet per person. Some colleges offers apartment dorms (for higher cost, naturally) that can go upwards to 180 square feet. In any case, it’s going to be smaller than you’re used to, and that means getting creative with your space.

First, let’s focus on the essentials. If you’re sending someone to school or heading there yourself, these are the items you NEED to have if you intend on being able to function.

#1 – BED LINENS

Definitely confirm with your college what size bed you will have at your dorm. Some schools stick with twin-size beds, however, most these days supply an extra-long twin. This one item will likely take up the greatest amount of real estate in the room, so it’s your best opportunity to bring in your personal style and color. As an additional idea, consider asking your roommate what color choices they like and/or were thinking of bringing into the space. A coordinated color scheme can really help make the space look larger (as opposed to contrasting décor which makes the eye immediately segment the space, making your tiny room look even smaller).  Here are some fun bold choices we like

 

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#2 – MATTRESS COVER, TOPPER & PADS

Trust us on this one, you will be glad you did. Standard college mattresses are a mere 6 inches thick. That’s 4 to 6 inches thinner than the mattress you’re probably sleeping on right now. Not to mention, that cover will help reduce the ick factor that you are most definitely not the first (or last) person to sleep on this fellow. This is definitely the one item you can feel confident going heavier on the expense, because believe us, you will be glad you did. Looking for more good options? Check out our entire article on Covers, Toppers & Pads to learn more…

 

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#3 – STICKY STRIPS & HOOKS

Putting nails or thumbtacks into your dorm wall is a big no-no for just about every college out there. So how to best take advantage of your tiny real estate? Command Strip sticky strips + hooks are amazing and come in all styles and strengths. We recommend grabbing a few of the light duty for smaller items, like keys, toothbrush, sunglasses, headphones, phone charger, calendars, class schedule, etc. Medium weight is perfect for hanging small pictures, belts, jewelry, even your ipad (use 3 hooks, 2 below and one to the side and just slide the tablet into it). Heavy weight (5lbs) fellows are great for hanging jackets, coats, bath towel, robe, shower totes, a small mirror and if you are feeling like those college supplied blinds aren’t cutting it for you, you can even use them to hang lightweight curtains (Editor’s Note – check with your college first to confirm curtains are permitted, as some schools do not allow any window covering other than the issued window blinds).

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#4 – WALL DECORATION

Speaking of no-no’s and dorm walls, you can add paint and standard wallpaper to the list. So how’s a student supposed to pin up their posters, let alone show off their amazing style? Washi tape to the rescue! This stuff has become a certified Pin & Gram phenomenon with millions (yup) of ideas showing just how great this Japanese-inspired tape can be. It sticks to drywall and cinder block (yaaas!), and comes in all sorts of colors and prints. Use it for hanging your posters and creating cool wall designs from general patterns, flying airplanes, origami, just about anything you can think of.  And if you can’t think of it, there are scores of places to grab inspiration.

Looking for something less DIY? Check out self-adhesive reposition-able vinyl wall decals. Easy peel and stick and add just the right amount of pop to those drab walls.

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#5 – DIMMABLE DESK LAMP

For those late night cramming sessions and/or the dreaded all-nighter, don’t add the stress of a grumpy, sleep-deprived roomie to your list of things to deal with at 2 am. Oh, and a big word of advice – skip the halogens and go for LED. Just about every college we know of prohibit halogen bulbs due to safety concerns. Here are a few stylish, UL certified dimmable options we like

 

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#6 – DECORATIVE LIGHTING

Now that you have your task lighting out of the way, let’s talk about setting a fun ambiance when you aren’t studying. Because those florescents are NOT doing your mood any favors. One of the best ways to do this is to add some decorative lighting. These can be in the form of LED string lights and/or fairy lights (sorry, non-LED are pretty much not allowed in most colleges these days). String not your thing? You can create some big novelty light energy using LED PVC tube lights. They come in just about every color out there, and many of them let YOU have control of the color via a handheld controller or a smartphone app.

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#7 – SHOWER TOTE

If you’ve never had to share a bathroom with anyone, dorm life can be an eye-opening experience. You may be sharing with just your roommate or three or four…you get the point. A good shower tote will keep your things organized and within reach. There are several types out there but your best option is to go with mesh. Fabric gets wet and stays wet and plastic can mold. Here’s a few good ones we like

 

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#8 – BATH ROBE W/POCKETS

Speaking of sharing, this one is a must have. Dorms equal lots of students going to and fro, often around the same time. Consider this your conservative cover-up. And yes, get the one with pockets, because “wow I really wish I didn’t have pockets” was said by no one…ever.

 

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#9 – SHOWER SHOES

Almost every college these days requires these. Really, you should pick up a pair even if they don’t require it. Hey, we know you practice good hygiene but can you speak to everyone using that dorm and/or student gym shower? Yeah, we thought so too…

 

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#10 – QUICK DRY TOWELS

We all love an indulgently plush towel but not when it’s still drippy when you get back to your room by day’s end. So we recommend a good quality quick dry terry towel…actually, we recommend 3 – one bath sized, one hand towel and a wash cloth.

 

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#11 – COLLAPSIBLE LAUNDRY BAG

It is official, your mother isn’t coming with you to college, so you are going to have to do laundry yourself. How often you do it is up to you but let’s just say on average most students do their laundry about once a week. That being said, a home size hamper really isn’t necessary, nor does it make sense to waste precious floor space with a hard plastic monstrosity. Best case you want something light, easy to carry and ideally something that can be folded away when not in use. We love the pop-up mesh laundry basket over the standard fabric bag because it’s easier to carry and you look a little less like you just came from a bank heist, plus many have built in pockets on the sides for carrying your laundry detergent, bleach and fabric softener. No more getting back to the dorm only to discover you’ve left your tide pods back at the laundry room again.

 

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#12 – MINI-FRIDGE

Again, this is one to check with your college first. Some colleges only allow you to rent their approved versions while others are fine with you purchasing one so long as it follows campus approved rules for appliances. If you do end up having to rent, there’s nothing saying you can’t freshen it up in the same manner as your walls (ie Washi tape and removable decals). If you are able to purchase, here’s a few durable ones that should handle the year well for you

 

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#13 – ELECTRONICS & ACCESSORIES

More than just a convenience, laptops are a must have for colleges, just like your smart phone. Along with the accompanying cords, adapters, chargers and cables we recommend a good surge protector, a midrange external hard drive (2 TB should be perfect to cover work, files, photos and anything else in the event of a laptop accident), noise cancelling headphones and because campuses can be notorious for burglaries, a smart lock, which can be fitted into most doors and digitally connected for keyless entry and monitoring of who’s coming and going.

 

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#14 – UNDER BED STORAGE

Remember at the beginning we talked about real estate? A typical dorm comes supplied with a bed, a desk, a small dresser/nightstand and chair. That’s about it for furniture and yet those items will take up more space than you realize. Why add to the clutter trying to figure out where to put those plastic crates or that weird plastic 3-drawer thing? Instead double up on the real estate you already have and use the space under your bed. A 12 shoe storage solution and 2 good sized breathable storage bags should fit nicely under your bed and keep your room that much more roomy. Oh, and do yourself a favor and skip the hard plastic boxes – they’re great for long term storage but you’ll be making daily use of these storage devices in lieu of an armoire and fabric makes for a much easier experience (plus they are a lot easier to carry and maneuver around).

 

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