Let’s face it- packing up and moving out of your childhood home can be one of the most stressful periods of your life. You’re scrambling to buy and find every possible thing you may need for your year in a dorm room, probably spending hours upon hours wandering around Bed Bath and Beyond. You’re going off of pre-made item packing lists, searching every corner of the internet for advice and texting all of your friends about what they’re bringing too. However, after my first year at school, I’ve realized that I jammed my room with a bunch of useless things that simply sat and collected dust for the entire year. Let me save you some time and money! Here are a few items that you most likely won’t need when you embark on your new housing journey and move into college.
In my nine months I spent at school, not once did I need to use an iron for my clothing. A friend had actually gifted me with a steamer, and even that I never ended up unboxing. To prevent wrinkling on clothing, consider purchasing a wooden drying rack instead for your delicates. If you find that your clothes are much too wrinkled to wear and need a touch up, steam up your bathroom with your shower and hang the item up outside of the shower- it should significantly help!
Believe me, I know how hard it is to part with your favorite pair of white converse that you haven’t worn in a year. I brought virtually every pair of shoes I owned to my tiny dorm room- and it took up way too much space. Not to mention, I ended up wearing maybe four pairs of shoes: sandals, black combat boots, a pair of tennis shoes, and a pair of athletic shoes. Bring shoes to school that go with multiple outfits, and are sturdy and durable. Oh, and if you’re living in housing with communal bathrooms, don’t forget those shower shoes to move into college!
Unless you’re going to physically pick them up and read them while you’re there, don’t bring extra memorabilia that are just going to take up space. Trust me- you’ll be spending a lot of time reading textbooks and assignments. I understand that they may be hard to part with, but they’re best to be left at home, safe on your bookshelf.
Most of your schoolwork is going to be done online, besides reading out of a textbook. Bring a couple of sturdy pens, a few small notebooks, and a trusted laptop to house all of the knowledge you’ll be learning this year. Binders, although popular in high school, will take up a significant amount of desk space. Keep your thoughts and papers organized online and ditch the plastic binder to move into college.
In high school, I was an absolute t-shirt hoarder. I shoved them all into a single drawer, and couldn’t seem to part with them when I went to college. Sure, I wore a couple of them, but the rest sat in the bottom of my drawer for the remainder of the year and were horrible to lug home, especially since I had curated a couple more shirts during the year! My tip: bring five of your most favorite and beloved t-shirts and part with the rest. Trust me- you’ll be collecting a few more!
It was extremely disappointing when all of the amazing wall decor I had purchased from HomeGoods had fallen off of my walls not even a week after I had settled into school. The command hooks sometimes just don’t cut it and will refuse to hold up that cute cork board you ordered. Instead, decorate your walls with fairy lights, pictures and memorabilia, art prints and fun posters of things you enjoy to move into college!
I’m totally kidding. Please bring soap, toothpaste, shampoo, a toothbrush, deodorant, etc. PLEASE.
Did you accidentally bring way too much to college? Let us know what you realized you didn’t need in the comments!
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