Maybe I’m easily amused but I think this is the coolest thing every time I come into this supermarket.
I’ve never seen such a perfect produce section
This pleases me.
I wanna take one from the bottom and watch them all fall
S A L E M W I T C H E S I N S T I T U T E
The Salem Witches Institute of Magic, is an all-girls school located in the town of Salem, Massachusetts. The school holds a very notable, yet friendly rivalry with Hogwarts, which has given the Salem Witches’ Institute the nickname of “Hogwarts West”.
I was sent this GIF version of my last project by Eli Bary (be2212@gmail.com)
I’m flattered and impressed.
For any of my followers with anxiety
I’m so relaxed
The BIGGEST mistake all incoming freshman make is overpacking. They get to their dorm room and realise “oh crap, where am I going to put all this stuff?!” My freshman year, I brought WAAAAY too much and ended up getting rid of a lot of it. I want other incoming freshman to avoid making the same mistake I did. There’s lots of lists on the Internet aimed at helping freshman pack for college, but every list I’ve seen has hundreds of items, most of which are completely unnecessary.
My goal is to create a complete list of dorm room essentials without adding anything unnecessary. In my list, I am excluding what clothes to pack because clothing choice depends on personal preference, kitchen supplies because I have never lived in a dorm that has a kitchen, so I don’t know what’s necessary, and (most) school supplies because I feel as though that’s fairly self-explanatory.
I have created four separate categories to consider when packing for college: the dorm room, the laundry room, the bathroom, and miscellaneous items. I have included a sub category for absolutely essential items, recommended items, and unnecessary items. In addition, I have provided links to a few items that you might not have ever heard of or may be hard to find. My personal store recommendations for dorm shopping are Target, Bed Bath & Beyond or IKEA.
Dorm Room
Essentials:
- Sheet & Comforter Set. Most college have Twin XL beds, so make sure you get the right size! Twin size sheets don’t fit on these beds. I’d recommend you don’t buy from the company recommended by your school; this bedding is flimsy and falls apart easily so you’ll have to buy even more bedding after your freshman year.
- Foam topper & mattress cover, also size Twin XL.
- Pillow(s)
- Easy to clean rug. This is especially important if you have tile floor in your room; in the winter, the floor will be too cold to walk on without a rug!
- Wall decorations (pictures, paintings, etc.) & adhesive hooks and strips to hang with
- Clothes hangers
Recommended:
- Some sort of storage container to store your out of season clothes
- Refrigerator/microwave. If you have a roommate, talk to your roommate before buying these items. You want to know what the other’s bringing so you don’t accidentally have two microwaves and two refrigerators because you won’t have room for that.
- Drinking cups
- Plates/silverware, at the very minimum, a plate with a spoon and fork.
- Broom and/or vacuum
- Clorox wipes
- Throw/plush blanket
- Bedside table
- Full length mirror
- Garbage can & garbage bags
- A spare phone charger
- Small, portable fan
Unnecessary
- TV. Bear with me on this one; I know TVs seem pretty essential, but as long as you have your laptop, you can stay updated on your favourite TV shows and whatnot. TVs are bulky and hard to find room for.
- Whiteboard
- Printer; that’s what the library is for! If you get a printer, other people will be asking you to use it more often than you use it, most likely.
- Any sort of seating, such as a beanbag or even a futon. You won’t have room for it!!! Plain and simple. It’s hard to make additional seating work in tiny dorm rooms. If you have company, they can sit on your bed, at your desk, or on the ground.
Laundry Room
Essentials:
- Laundry bag, make sure it’s sturdy, not flimsy, or you’ll be buying a new one by the time fall semester is over
- Laundry detergent pods, much more convenient than traditional laundry detergent
- Quarters, but make sure you have to pay for laundry services before you start taking out rolls of quarters; laundry is free at some schools!
Recommended:
- Dryer sheets, especially good in the winter when everything is staticy
- Portable stain remover
Unnecessary:
- Iron/ironing board/etc. If you’re really that worried about wrinkled clothes, just fold or hang them RIGHT after they finish drying
Bathroom
General Essentials:
- Shower shoes. Flip flops from the dollar store will do the trick
- Shower caddy
- Shampoo, conditioner, etc. Basically, everything you shower with!
General Recommended:
- Extra razors
- Extra tampons/pads, if relevant
IF YOU DO NOT HAVE COMMUNITY SHOWERS AND ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN BATHROOM (if you’re sharing a bathroom with a few other people, you can get into contact with them to decide who’s bringing what)
Essentials:
- Bath rugs. I’d say a minimum of two, one in front of the shower and one in front of the sink.
- Plunger & toilet wand, they’re usually sold together.
- Hand towels to put beside the sink
- Air freshener
- Toilet paper
- Cleaning supplies
Recommended:
- Additional storage so you can keep your shower things in the bathroom; you’ll constantly forget it if you keep it in your bedroom
Misc.
Essentials:
- Duffel bag
- Prescription medication
- Planner. You may not use this now, but you will quickly learn to. If you’ve never used one before, here is a good link to a rough guide.
- Literally all of the headphones you own and then some. I promise you will lose them and so will all your friends and they will ask you if they can borrow a pair and you will never see them again.
- Car charging outlet
- Reusable water bottle with built-in water filter (you can find these at Walmart)
- Snacks!
- Emergency cash. Seriously. Only for emergencies.
- Federal or government proof of identification – passport, driver’s license, state ID, etc.
- Health/medication insurance cards
- Umbrella/rain coat
- Car registration and insurance, if you have a car
Recommended:
- Pain medication
- Bandages
- Condoms
- Pepper spray/safety whistle
- Board games/playing cards. Ummm hello? Cards Against Humanity!
- Tool kit
- Hand sanitiser. Bath & Body Works offers a five portable hand sanitisers for $5 deal!
In total, that’s less than 100 items! Did I cover everything? Do you have anything to add to the list? Let me know! Any questions? Please don’t hesitate to ask!