7 Things I Wish I Brought to College Freshman Year
Going to college can be a nice experience, especially for teens. Still, in preparing for life in college and packing our stuff, we often get overwhelmed and leave out certain things we wish we had taken to college when we eventually get to move to college. I’m not going to lie; moving out into the real world is scary. But nothing you do will help you more than just getting out and making friends in college.
Being in a new city, country, or dorm with literally nothing to your name is an interesting experience. Here are seven things you wish you had brought with you to your first college freshman year.
You may have read several packing lists for the first year, just like me, and you ended up not packing everything you needed for your first year in college when you moved into your dorm in college. These things which I wish I had brought to my first college year include:
- Extra Long Extension Cord
- Bedrest Pillow
- Printer
- Noise-Canceling Headphones
- Toilet Paper
- Food Storage Containers
- Towel Wrap
Extra Long Extension Cord
Once you moved into your dorm, you realized that the outlet spacing was not ideal like mine. Some of your outlets may be in inconvenient places, leaving you with a problem with how to charge your devices. A simple solution is an extra-long extension cord. With an extra-long cord, you’ll be able to charge devices wherever they’re comfortable for you. This will allow you to place lamps, clocks, and other devices in convenient locations without worrying whether your charger will reach them.
It’s always good to have an extension cord in your college dorm. Not everyone has the luxury of being right next to an outlet or two like some of my friends did. Most dorms have 2 or 3 outlets per room, but you’re sharing those with your roommate or another person if you happen to have a triple room. Also, dorm rooms tend to be pretty small, and sometimes you need that extra length or extra room to get that laptop, phone, hot plate, etc., plugged in.
Bedrest Pillow
I definitely could have used a bedrest pillow while working on homework. It’s comfortable and supportive, which is perfect for studying in bed. It would be even better if you had some armrests on your bed to support the bedrest. This is one of those things that I never really knew I needed until I got to college to discover that there are so many times that you sit on the floor. It was one of those things that I didn’t have but wished I had brought with me to school.
I had to get the bed rest pillow, and I was very grateful to have the pillow whenever we had friends over, and all the chairs were taken, or when we were watching a movie in our dorm room, if there weren’t enough chairs, or even if I just wanted to sit on the ground outside. The bed rest pillow is another thing you should bring to college as a freshman or even a sophomore.
Printer
You may not want to spend the money on a printer, but if you are majoring in something that requires writing papers, having your printer will save you a lot of time, money, and frustration. While getting a printer, also do well to get print paper. Because you would need a lot of the printer paper when you make use of your printer, also you never know when you would need extra sheets for home works and assignments.
A printer is one of the most important things you should bring to college. When I was in college, I had to go to the library or computer lab every time I needed something printed out, and there were times when they were closed. If you have your printer at home, you won’t worry about that. Also, you can print out things whenever you want. It is convenient, so you have nothing to lose.
Noise-Canceling Headphones
I wish I knew that noise-cancelling headphones were not just for business people or older people on planes. Please Bring them to college. It is easy to get distracted by your roommate, your neighbour, the TV, or other things around you. These headphones are lifesavers when it comes to preventing distractions. Some people like to use earplugs for a similar effect, but I find the earplugs more uncomfortable and less effective at drowning out noise than the headphones.
The noise-cancelling headphones work well, and they’re comfortable enough to wear for long periods. They also come with a case and a cable, so you can still listen to music without needing batteries to power the noise-cancelling function, which is helpful if you forget to charge them.
Toilet Paper
Do yourself a favour and buy some toilet paper for your dorm room. When the bathroom in your dorm is out of toilet paper, you will be prepared. Trust me, it has happened several to people I know, and it was not fun; bathrooms on campus never seem to have enough toilet paper either. It’s good always to be prepared to avoid getting caught unawares.
Many dorms have shared bathrooms, and there will be times when you have to walk down the hallway to use the bathroom. Bring your toilet paper or a pack of tissues because you never know if there will be any in the bathroom to avoid getting disappointed or embarrassed.
Food Storage Containers
I wish I had brought these; I love them. They’re so good for packing food because they don’t leak. They’re easy to clean, and you can wash them in the dishwasher. They have ones with a little spoon that you can bring with them, and they have ones that are just containers. They save money because then you can make your food and put it in there. It’s also a way to bring leftovers from the dining hall back to your room. Food storage containers are really useful because you can use one container repeatedly instead of buying plastic bags, which are bad for the environment.
Towel Wrap
It is not uncommon for dorm bathrooms to be shared between multiple students, which means there may be limited time in the morning to get ready for class. Bringing a towel wrap means that you can easily walk from your room to the shower and back without running into anyone half-naked or, worse, fully naked. Towel Wrappers are bathrobes with velcro that make them easy to wrap around your body.
The first thing I would suggest bringing is a towel wrap. Showering in the dorms was one of my least favourite things about living in the dorms, and unfortunately, it happened every day. A towel wrap fixes both issues by keeping you warm on your way back from the showers and providing a bit more privacy than your average towel.
Even though I lived in an all-girls dorm, it still took me some time to get used to walking down the hall to the showers wearing nothing but a bath towel. While carrying my shower supplies in one hand and tightly holding up my towel, a towel wrap would have been the perfect solution.
FAQs
What should I bring in the first year of college?
If you’re are planning on resuming for your first year, it is almost like the list of things you could buy are endless. Therefore, you should list your most essential items before any other things. Some of the essentials include a computer and any necessary supplies/accessories, a calendar or planner, Pens, Paper, Pencils, Notebooks, Binders, etc.
What do you wish you brought to college?
The talk of what you wished you had is a matter of individual preferences. Still, there are many things you would have wished to bring to college, some of which include food storage containers, towel wrap, printer, toilet paper, tool kit, noise-cancelling headphones, extra-long extension cables, bed rest pillow, etc.
What should I do before my first year of college?
Before going to college for your first year, you need to do certain things to ensure you are ready before the first year. The things to do before ore first year include Learn How to do Laundry, Learn How to Cook, Shop for Dorm Room Essentials, Find Cheaper Ways to Get Your Textbooks and Find Activities on Campus to Get Involved in.
Conclusion
Think about the time, money, and effort you’re about to spend on college for a second. The campus may be ready for your arrival, but are you ready for theirs? Are you organized? Do you have what you need to stay productive during your upcoming school year? If not, now is the time to get organized. You already have the writing utensils and notebooks, which are most likely all you will use during classes, but having your dorm room stocked with some extra supplies can make all the difference in making sure that yfirsthman year and subsequent years go as smoothly as possible.
