Dorm Room MVPs
Hi guys!
This was the time of year when I started binge-reading all of the articles about what every student “needs” to bring to college. After a year of living on campus, I have to wonder when the last time the people writing those articles attended college or more specifically lived in a dorm room. For example, you don’t need a bunch of adorable throw pillows; I learned that there is nowhere to put them. However, what I’m going to be listing for you are the objects that made my life either easier or happier.
- Snacks- Vandy feeds us exceedingly well but sometimes I don’t want to leave the room to get food. Fun fact: there are studies to show eating chocolate while studying is beneficial.
- A back prop pillow- If you refuse to adhere to common sense and study at the desk provided this is a lifesaver (I maybe studied at my desk a handful of times the whole year).
- A throw blanket- I bought a cute one from Vera Bradley and besides the snacks, it was my best purchase. It was partially responsible for my growing love of naps.
- A good laundry basket- It is important to remember you will have to carry it; not all housing has laundry in the basement. I bought a compactable one so it would be easier to pack.
- A fan- Sometimes the air conditioning can be a little funky in some of the buildings so I found this helpful on those rare occasions. Also, the white noise works great at drowning out your roommates breathing.
- Flip flops- Shower shoes are absolutely necessary. You’ll have plenty of other opportunities to wear them too.
- A shower caddy- You will want something to leave all of your toiletries in and the bathrooms do have hooks where you could hang a bag.
- Paper plates/paper towels- I admit that these were highly convenient after I caught my roommate trying to put tinfoil in the microwave (to be fair she was a little sleep deprived).
- Earbuds- They travel well and are convenient (they also support my thriving Netflix habit). I always have a backup pair as they are important.
- Charging cables- We need our electronics and none of this is possible if they are dead. I likewise kept an extra charger for my phone just in case.
Of course, there are lots of other needs (and hopefully fun decorations), but I found these items to be some of the most important. Keep in mind that you will tend to accumulate stuff as the year goes on and will still need to be able to pack it all back up (I’ve found less is more to an extent).
If you have any questions (relevant to packing or anything else) feel free to send me an email at katie.hauck@vanderbilt.edu.