What to Bring to College: Your Personal Packing List

One question every first-year college student asks is, “What do I bring to college?” Since most residential colleges require first-year students to live on campus in a residence hall, we’ve provided a list for students in that situation.

We recommend you think of your room as a mini house. You want to have what you need for everyday activities, while adding a personal touch to make it feel like home. At the same time, you don’t want to have so much stuff that your space feels crowded and uncomfortable. This list is not quite for the minimalist; it is all about being prepared.

After you contact your roommate(s) and explore the Residence Life webpage, you are ready to start gathering items to put into suitcases. Here are recommended items, organized into a few main categories:

• Seasonal and weather-specific clothing—Boots, jacket, and umbrella for rainy weather. For winter, you’ll need a coat, boots, hat, and gloves/mittens.
• For the shower and bathroom—Flip flops or slide sandals for residence hall showers. Pack a shower caddy—make sure it has plenty of small holes on the bottom, so that the water that gets in it while you’re showering drains out (even little pools can get moldy and smelly). You’ll need bath towels; beach towels can double as a robe, allowing you to leave the other bath towels at home. Also pack hand towels and/or washcloths.
• Closets—Not all closets will have doors. If yours does not, there is usually a way to attach a spring-loaded curtain rod with a curtain, so that you keep your closet hidden from guests. You’ll also need hangers for dress clothes, coats, and bulkier clothing that might not fit in a dresser drawer. Dress clothes are nice to have in case of a presentation, on-campus interview, or formal event. A shoe rack is also a nice item to use as an efficient way to store your shoes in a smaller space.
• Laundry—Detergent, dryer sheets, laundry bag or hamper, and drying rack.
• Clothing—Everyday gear for class and exploring your new hometown. Don’t forget to pack some fitness gear, so that you take advantage of the athletic and wellness facilities.
• Room Essentials—Air fresheners (wait to shop for one with your roommate and buy one that you both like), storage bins are also suggested (smaller ones that stack well and fit into small spaces), and a power strip are handy. A floor-length mirror is also a nice touch to your room!
• Bedtime—A mattress pad (look for one that guards against bed bugs, just in case), a foam mattress topper for extra comfort, extra long (XL) twin sheet sets so that they fit a college mattress, pillows and pillowcases, comforter, and blanket(s) are needed. Many people use their phones as their alarm, but we recommend an alarm clock (with extra batteries) so you’re not tempted to check social media when you should be sleeping or resting.
• Desk and Work Area—Laptop/tablet, desk lamp, external mouse (preferably wireless to reduce fatigue from typing papers), chargers for computer and phone, pens (multi-colored ones make note-taking more fun), pencils and pencil sharpener, markers and/or crayons, highlighters, post-its and tape flags, paper clips and binder clips (for thicker piles of paper), rubber bands, notebooks, extra erasers (the big pink ones work well), red pen for editing, tape dispenser and tape, stapler and staples, 3-hole punch and single-hole punch, 3-ring binders, glue sticks, white-out (liquid, pen, or tape), ruler, scissors, surge protector, notecards (a great way to study for tests is to make flashcards), backpack, calculator, planner/calendar.
• Toiletries—First-Aid kit, Band-Aids, Neosporin or Bacitracin, rubbing alcohol, cotton swabs or cotton balls, thread and needle for loose buttons, ice pack or ice tray for freezer, deodorant, sunscreen, eye drops, floss, mouthwash, toothbrush, toothbrush holder (the travel tube works well to keep your toothbrush clean), toothpaste, tweezers, comb and/or brush, hair dryer, facial tissues, Advil or Tylenol, thermometer and thermometer covers, cough drops or throat lozenges.
• Room decor—Posters and/or wall art, pictures of friends and family to remind you of home, small white board (remind yourself of project deadlines, or bond with your roommate by having a word of the day or a quote of the week).
• Food—Quick, microwaveable items (oatmeal, Ramen noodles, mac ‘n’ cheese, soup), hot pad/pot holder, granola bars, fruit snacks, water bottle to refill (saves the planet from more plastic bottles and saves on space), mugs and cups (best if microwave-safe), bowls (best if microwave-safe), one or two sets of silverware (fork, knife, and spoon), plastic containers for snacks or lunch on-the-go, can opener, dish soap, sponge or dishwashing brush, hand soap, hand sanitizer for your backpack, disinfecting wipes, napkins or paper towels (Select-a-Size paper towels are recommended), Ziploc bags, chip clips/twist ties for bags of snacks.
• Important documents and I.D.—Driver’s license, student I.D., debit or credit card, checks, emergency contact list, prescription info, immunization records, insurance card and info, passport. Make sure you’ve memorized your Social Security Number (don’t pack your actual Social Security Card).
• Extras—Book light, flashlight, adhesive hooks and strips (like 3M) to hang things in your room without making a hole in the wall, earplugs (you never know if your roommate will snore like a freight train, but at least these will help), lint roller, fan, refrigerator magnets, sunglasses.

That should be everything you need to bring to college. Trust me, all of the items on this list really do fit nicely into even a smaller dorm room. Now, it’s time to pack your vehicle and hit the road — or, the skies, if you’re going to a college that is a plane ride away. Either way, you’ve got a big adventure ahead of you.