After you graduate high school and head to college you will be faced with many decisions about college life. Although not every college student moves into a dorm, many do so knowing what to bring with you can be very helpful.

Dorms also known as residence halls are designed with communal student life in mind. Everything from the pairing of students in a dorm room, to common areas are designed to offer students opportunities to both relax and work in various formats. Living in a dorm and studying are seldom private events and with so many different places to interact with almost any permutation of college life can be had.

Most dormitories feature some common elements including beds, desks and closet areas. It is very commonplace that the students either use a communal single sex bathroom or have shared bathrooms in rooms or shared amongst 2 to 3 rooms. Because moving to college requires so many startup things and you will have limited room it is vital to know what you need to bring.

There are several things you will need to bring as well as several ‘optional’ items depending on if your dorm already has them (like microwaves). Here is a list of dorm furniture items we recommend you bring with you for move in day:

Mini Fridge
Storage Crates
Adjustable Lamps
Lap Desk Boards
Rugs

Optional Items:

Microwave
Coffee Machine

Now let’s dive into item by item to expand upon why each item is important or some special notes about each.

Dorm Mini Fridge – this is an item that you could coordinate with your roommate and share a large one or you can opt to have to small mini ones. Be sure to get a quiet model and one that does not require drainage. Most o the mini fridges you see sold in stores like Target or Walmart have a metal surface which allows for magnets to be placed on them (this comes in handy for holding important phone numbers or delivery pizza or Chinese places near college).
Dorm Storage Crates – these stackable and usually neon colored plastic cubes are super handy and also double as a storage device for bringing stuff to campus. You can’t go wrong by bringing 4-6 of them and they can be used in the main room or in the closets.
Dorm Adjustable Lamps – Try and select an upright model with a gooseneck lamp attachment built in. We also recommend bringing an adjustable clamp model for clamping on to your dorm bed.
Lap Desk Boards – These kidney bean shaped desks can be used in bed or on the floor and offer a flat steady surface. So whether you are reading, writing or using a laptop computer they come in super handy (great for notebooks because the bottom of note books can get warm and near a clear area to allow their built in fans to vent to avoid heating up too much). Be sure to look for a model with a pencil groove and a removable bean bag components (they usually have a Velcro removable bed bag like stuffing to add cushion on your lap).
Dorm Rugs – Even though most dorm rooms are carpeted or tiled we like to suggest bringing a big bright fluffy rug for some accent color. Look for rectangular or circular models that can fill the space between the beds. Make sure to clear a dorm rug color /design choice with your potential roommates first to avoid room design clashes.
Optional – Microwave – Although most dorms feature microwave banks in common areas we like to have one handy. Many times other college students in the dorm halls will leave the microwave messy and they get really gross. We also recommend bringing a power surge breaker for your laptop because sometimes a microwave or hairdryer can cap all the power out and trip a circuit.
Optional – Coffee Maker – We really like the single serve style models from brands like Koering and a half dozen others. Not only is there no mess to deal with it makes solo servings versus having to toss and waste excess brewed coffees.

Additional we recommend students bring some additional bedding items to make the ‘prison like’ beds more comforting and soft. We generally like to suggest a Twin XL Feather Bed and a water resistant mattress pad in Twin XL above the Twin XL feather bed.

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