Dorm Room Essentials: What you actually need for college life

Well, well, well, I'm back people! College got super busy really quick and I went through a time of just not wanting to post anything. College has been a journey so far, full of many many ups and downs. I was lonely for a long time and didn't want to even think about posting anything or be inspirational. But I finally feel like I'm at a place where I can post with a happy heart and mind and I'm feeling so much better about life recently! So I'll try to get back on a semi-regular posting schedule (not promising lol), So with that out of the way lets talk about the things you really need in your dorm. Your dorm room is your little home away from home and there's some things you definitely want to have and some things you don't. Most of the time the room is going to be pretty small so maximizing the space is the key goal. I know that when I was planning my dorm room just a few short months ago I looked at tons of blog posts to see what to bring because I didn't know squat! So I've put to together a list of dorm items that you will actually use everyday.


1. Shower Caddy- A lot of times and for me personally there weren't any cabinets in the bathroom, so we had no where to keep our things. A shower caddy keeps your stuff organized and if you have community showers it's easy to carry your things to and from the shower.

2. Ice Cube Tray- My roommate and I bought these a few days after move-in because we realized that when we wanted cold water we never had it. And where we live it is so hot that we need water all the time so make your own its super nice!

3. Makeup Organizer- If you're like me then you have a lot of makeup and that's okay! When I was planning my dorm move I was considering down-sizing my makeup collection because I knew space would be limited. But you don't have to! I bought an acrylic makeup organizer to house all of my makeup and it made my life ten times easier.

4. Shower Shoes- This one is kind of a given but you never know truly how disgusting the shower is going to be and I personally wouldn't risk it. You can often find shower shoes on amazon, at Bed Bath and Beyond, and even at Walmart. The nice thing is their just shower shoes so they don't have to be fancy, even a pair of flip flops would work. Just please wear them... you'll thank me later

5. Command Hooks- We all know that you can't put holes in the walls in your dorm but I know you're on amazon looking at that cute dorm decor (trust me so did I, it's the best part). Command hooks are the way to go when hanging things on the wall and they're super easy to use. Buy more than you need in-case something falls or isn't sticky

6. Power Strips- Power strip and or surge protector if you will is key! Our dorm had a total of like three plugs and we all know this day in age we have more than three things to plug in . Using a surge protector gets you more plugs for all those chargers and hot tools.

7. Storage Bins/Rolling Cart- Storage Bins are a super helpful way to organize your things effectively and out of the way with the minimal space you have. You can fit a lot of stuff in a storage bin, often more than you think you can. We've all seen those aesthetic little rolling carts on pinterest that people use in their dorm. My roommate and I got one and it's proven useful. We use it to hold our cleaning supplies and food stuff and I highly recommend!

8. Ring Light Mirror- The lighting in our dorm is horrendous and we all know we need you need that good makeup lighting. So I recommend purchasing a portable mirror that has a ring light. They're a game changer when it comes to doing your makeup in terrible lighting. I use mine everyday so you'll get really good use out of it.

9. Printer- My roommate and I didn't have a printer at first and it got old really quick to have to walk across campus to the library to print things. Luckily her Dad gave the one they had and it made life 10x easier. Some schools will even make you pay to print so having one in your room is super nice.It doesn't need to be anything fancy just print that essay you did last minute if you know what I mean ;)

10. Lamps- Again with the lighting ugh. We have one overhead light but we prefer the dim lighting of lamps lol, the vibe is much better. Target has super cute and super cheap lamps to choose from. It's nice to have a lamp for in the mornings or late night study sessions too.

11. Mattress Topper/Pad- Our beds look nicer than they are. Get a mattress pad and thank me later. The beds don't look that bad but about three weeks into dorm life my back was feeling it. Also a mattress topper/cover is always a good idea because more than one person has slept there before so it's better to be safe than sorry

12. Planner- At first your assignments are pretty easy to keep track of, then all of the sudden you have 3 quizzes, a 5 page paper, and lab due on the same night. I love using my planner because it keeps me organized but I can also visually see everything I need to do without forgetting or getting lost. I also love the feeling of checking things off my to-do list so a planner helps me feel more productive lol.

13. Rain Boots/coat/umbrella-This was key for where I was going to college because we never knew when it was going to rain. I keep a small collapsible umbrella in my backpack so I have it with me if it ever just starts to randomly rain. Rain jackets are great too if you don't want to carry an umbrella and they keep you warm and dry. Rain boots are always cute and keep your nice cute shoes from getting wet, so lets just say be prepared in all areas as far as rain goes. You can typically find all of these on amazon, target, etc.

14. Cleaning Supplies-I recommend cleaning your dorm before you put stuff in it. Of course they have people who come and do that but I liked knowing that it was clean by to my standards lol. Clean as you go so you don't get overwhelmed with that aspect. Don't feel like you have to deep clean every single surface either. Disinfecting my desk and our bathroom were the biggest ones on my list. Clorox wipes, a duster, and Lysol are super great items to keep on hand. A vacuum is important as well, all kinds of things fall on the floor and if you're a girl we all know our hair gets everywhere, so have a small vacuum you can use easily.

15. Laptop- My laptop was the very first thing I bought for college and I bought it the day after I graduated. Laptops are super expensive but I recommend getting a nice one. A laptop is one area you don't want to go cheap because take it from me I use my laptop all day everyday for everything. I personally have the Dell inspiron 15" 7000 and it's amazing I love it. Get your laptop sooner rather than later so you're prepared.

16. Brita Water Filter-We use our Brita religiously in our dorm. I personally don't want to drink the weird water that comes out of our sink. I'm sure it would be fine but it makes me feel better knowing that the water is filtered. Britas aren't too expensive and you can generally get them anywhere.

17. Water Bottle- You'll be doing a lot of walking (trust me it's more than you think) so you want to have a water bottle handy. Hydrate before you diedrate people. It's always nice to have something to drink with you too.

18. Walking Shoes- Holy cow I don't think I've ever done so much walking on a daily basis in my life. I cannot stress enough to bring good walking tennis shoes you can wear. Some days you may have to walk all the way across campus, that turns into a 10-15 min walk. Where I go to school there are tons of hills so it's important to walk up those hills and be supported by good shoes.

19. Fan- This may depend on where you go to school and how good/bad the AC is in your dorm. Fortunately our dorm has great AC and often we freeze ourselves out. We have a small standing fan for when it's extra hot outside from our crazy walks and we need some extra AC. Fans are also a good idea if you need some noise while you go to sleep

20. Oil Diffuser- My roommate was kind enough to bring the oil diffuser she got for graduation with her and we love it. We have a few oils that we rotate through (peppermint, stressaway, etc.) They make our room small so good and they're super relaxing, they make the vibe so much better lol. Dorm life is full of lots of smells (good and bad)so keep your dorm smelling good and relaxing.