If your dorm allows it, buy a mini-fridge, don’t rent it, if you can get it back & forth home. My sister bought one, used it for three years, then I used it for three years undergrad and the first year of law school, and my brother then used it for two years, and it currently sits in the garage cooling adult beverages. Renting one will cost you like $50 a year, when a new one will run you about $100 to $125 depending on size. Waste of money to rent these…

If you won’t be home before Thanksgiving, remember to bring some warmer clothes. Some dorms are on a university wide heat/cooling system where the heat doesn’t kick in until Nov. 1. It can get mighty chilly before then…

By my senior year, I gave up on spiral notebooks and went with smaller three ring binders, one for each class, where I could keep a homework section, notes section, etc. And at the end of the semester, I’d pull out the used pages, refill the notebook with filler paper, and use it for the next class. I don’t know how many different one-third to one-half used spiral binders I wasted prior to that (admit it, you’re never going to reuse them)…

If your dorm is not carpeted, and you have the space to lug it, get a carpet remnant for the room. Go to a carpet store and get a 6×9 or so remnant for the floor, it makes a cold tile floor a whole lot more homey…

Bathroom stuff. If you have the world famous common bath, you need a bucket or basket or something to carry your stuff to the bathroom (you run out of hands after the shampoo, soap, body wash, shave cream, razor, ….). And if you are meek, a bathrobe – some people don’t like running around in a towel. And finally, shower flip flops can save a lot of grief.

Milk crate style storage units, although pretty ugly, are very effective for organizing stuff., whether clothes in the closet, books and supplies on top of the shelf, or in some furniture systems under the bed. And they greatly help in lugging stuff in and out of the dorm while moving in and out.

Electronics are pretty much up to you. In my day, the killer stereo with the 12″ speakers, receiver, cassette deck and CD player was the dream (and a lot of people still had a turntable). Nowadays, whatever you want. And a TV is a nice touch, 19″ is pretty luxurious for a dorm room. Coordinate with your roommate what to bring – You don’t need two stereos, two TV’s, two mini-fridges, etc. Probably the only thing you need two of is your own computers (which were fairly rare in my days 20 years ago; I had friends who made due with the Commodore 64).

Room decor. Little could I help you here; it could be anywhere from blank walls to posters to flags or whatever. I’ve seen everything from bunny posters to cartoon posters to heavy metal concert flags to pornography. Poster putty is great for installing the stuff; it won’t damage the posters or the walls.

Someone suggested that perhaps you could hold off buying stuff and go shopping once you get to school. My parents wanted nothing to do with hanging around a bunch of rambunctious college kids who just moved in, much less going shopping at a strange store hoping for move-in day sales. The headache ain’t worth the potential couple of bucks saved, and I really think that they probably raise their prices for the poor people who don’t realize that the beds are twin extra long. My brother lived in a high rise dorm – nobody wants to make more than one trip or two up and down the elevators on move-in day, particularly the parents.

1. Dustbuster® or Swiffer®

2. Laundry basket

3. Laundry detergent

4. Basket for shower stuff

5. Soap and soap dish

6. “Flip Flops” for shower (a must)****

7. Lysol® or similar product

8. Calendar

9. Masking tape

10. Stamps

11. Waste basket

12. Reading lamp

13. Light bulbs

14. Room decorations

15. Iron and ironing board

16. Flashlight

17. Umbrella

18. Extra Long twin sheets and pillows

19. Activity equipment (e.g., Frisbee)

20. Refrigerator

21. Fan

22. Rug

23. Low maintenance plants

24. Alarm clock

25. A map of your school grounds, it can be confusing your first few days of where everything might be.

26. Computer and printer

27. water, food like ceral and snacks

some items are useful and some can be left out, but they’re a round about of what is needed or used. if you have to travel a long distance, either buy the stuff when you get to school or pack it up and send it to the school ahead of the time. try contacting the school to find out the procedure of sending stuff to school before you arrive, or if you have relatives that are near or closer to the school than you are, you can make arrangements to send to the package to their house and then pick it up on the way to school. you don’t need to buy every thing at once, buy stuff when you need it.

You’ll want to check with your university on the size of the beds in the dorms. Most dorm beds require XL twin sheets, and those are hard to find after the school year starts. You’ll also want to bring blankets, pillows, etc.

Some dorms allow microwaves and toasters, others do not. If there is not a kitchen on your dorm floor, I would definitely recommend bringing a microwave. It’ll help you cut down a little on relying on fast food. Microwaved food might not be a lot better but it will save you some money. A mini fridge is also pretty necessary.

You’ll want to bring your computer and a television. Don’t forget your CDs or iPod as well as HEADPHONES. You don’t want to have to skip listening to music because a roommate is studying, so headphones are really handy.

Stores offer a lot of things that may seem nice and necessary but really aren’t. They are just money eaters and take up space. Dorm rooms are usually quite small, so a 5 bulb lamp or fancy shelves might look nice, but really just take up precious space. Think about what you use DAILY at home, and that’s what you need.

Don’t forget everyday necessities: shampoo, toothpaste, etc. Also, you’ll want dishes that you wash (plastic and unbreakable!) or paper dishes, as well as plasticware.

Also, if you are living with a roommate, check on what he/she is bringing so you don’t have doubles.

I would suggest a microwave, toaster, mini fridge (if you are allowed too, and your room is not equipped with these things). Think about what you need at home day to day…

Linens, detergent, pillows, TV, computer… the list could go on and on.