Investments For The College Student
Here’s the thing.
We pack - for a trip, for a vacation, for COLLEGE - and we think we do our best, but there’s always that one thing that’s missing. One thing we should’ve brought or bought over something else.
This isn’t going to be the complete college packing list of your dreams; but rather everything that I didn’t think about bringing with me to my dorm at the start of the year. All of these I ended up buying thorughout the school year because of one bad experience or another. Let me tell you, I can’t IMAGINE life without any of these objects now. Every day, these things are coming in clutch.
So, let’s dive right in. Here’s a list of items for the average college student, and that I wish I’d known were essential at the start of the year. Click on the button for a link to browse and buy.
2-in-1 Ice and Heat Pack
It seems simple, but it’ll become essential once you twist that ankle walking all around campus. I suggest a pack that can handle both temperatures - I actually have two of these packs in my mini fridge, and it only takes thirty second to warm them up.
Snuggly Sweatshirt
If you run cold-blooded like me, and/or have a roommate who turns the AC way up at night, then this is a must! I wore it every night in the winter, and even on the days we had a blizzard and they refused to cancel class for some reason.
Quality Pens
An experienced note-taker knows it’s not just about the quality of our handwriting that allows us to have Mona-Lisa-esque notes; it’s also the types of pens we use. Personally, I need a pen that will bleed well enough considering I use light pressure and I tilt my hand at an odd angle. I’m left-handed as well, so it definitely needs to not smudge. Here’s my favorite brand you can find on Amazon.
Quality Notebook with Dividers
I like to separate my notes by classes, subjects, topics, etc., but I don’t need to be lugging around seven 8x11 notebooks in my backpack all day. Here’s a smaller size I use that includes dot grids instead of basic lines. This also allows me to draw images or graphs in my notes, which look cleaner because the basic blue lines aren’t underneath them.
Multiple Chargers
Okay, this seems pretty basic. What I’m specifically talking about is the features. Get a block that has two ports for your laptop and phone. Get a cord that’s at least six feet long, ESPECIALLY if your dorm comes with a loft and you know you want to use your phone in bed!
Earbuds + Headphones
Personally, I need both for different circumstances. One is more accustomed for classes while the other is better accustomed for studying in the library. People don’t bother me when I’m wearing my headphones and they make me feel less anxious when I’m walking, but the earbuds cancel out more noise and I can wear them in the shower and at night without them hurting. Here’s the link to a quality pair of headphones on Amazon. Here’s a link to the earbuds; and for their quality, the price is a INSANELY great deal!
Umbrella
You’ll need to accept bringing an umbrella everywhere you go. I mean, jump in the puddles if you want to, but you know you’ll want to cover your backpack (which is carrying your laptop, your wallet, and other not-waterproof items) when it’s pouring outside. It might be good to have a poncho as well - trust me, nobody’s going to make fun of you when you’re getting to classes on time and they’re coming in late and half-soaked.
Travel Kit
In a very general sense, it’s good to have back-ups of toiletries. You never know how late you’re going to stay at the library, or if you’re going to stay at a friend’s dorm because your roommate’s having their partner over, or if you’re going to walk out of a three-hour lab in the basement not smelling that great. Just a little baggy in your backpack’s side pocket is fine.
Tide Pens
Laundry sucks at college; sometimes there’s a line, sometimes the floor is sopping wet, and the dryers in my building never fully dry my clothes. Ever. If you need to get rid of one stain on a shirt for tomorrow, then you shouldn’t be paying $1.50 for that. Get a couple Tide pens and a good freshener, and that should be enough to tide you over until your mom can help you out next weekend.
Folding Laundry Board
I can’t do laundry for anything. It was my least favorite chore growing up, and it always will be. This board makes it so much easier to put away my clothes, because I don’t have any reason to stuff shirts in the bottom drawer when this board can fold all of them in less than twenty minutes.
Pairing Accessories
Part of looking good and feeling good is to know how to build a sense of personal fashion. This is important to create while in college, for many reasons: a) your sense of style was likely changing anyway from what you were wearing in high school, b) building a style will make it easier to know how to dress for the career you’re pursuing, and c) creating a style that builds on few but simple fashion choices makes it easy to budget when shopping.
Take myself, for instance: in the winter, I wear over-sized sweaters almost every day. This makes it easy to buy and care for just one quality pair of leggings, because my personal touch is focused on the top, not the bottom. I own two pair of boots - one is geared more towards style while the other is for comfort. I have five different winter hats because I wanted different colors, so I got them cheap from a thrift store. On the opposite hand, I have one quality pair of gloves, because I chose comfort over style in that category.
Do you see what I mean? It also makes it easier to organize your smaller-than-you-think dorm closet.