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There are so many areas to organize when you are away. You not only have to deal with your schoolwork but also handle your living facilities. Lucky for you, I have compiled this post with a FREE Dorm Room Checklist (Affiliate Link) and many tips for a successful college year.
------22% of US students live in older on-campus dormitories.-----
Jump to:
- Get a checklist from your university or make your own.
- Items you will need for the Room:
- Things you will need for Linens/Laundry
- Items you will need for studying:
- Electronics you will need:
- Misc. things you will need:
- The Clothing you will need
- Toiletries you will need for your dorm
- Dorm Kitchen Things you will need
- Other things you will need
- Other Things you can share the cost with your roommate
- Useful dorm room checklist tips to save money
Get a checklist from your university or make your own.
I made the below checklist (Affiliate Link), and you can add your items to it as well. It is a three-page checklist (Affiliate Link). The last page is blank, so you can write in anything missing. I made this checklist (Affiliate Link) a few years ago when my kids went to college. I researched and made it with various online lists to customize it for my kids. Feel free to print it out and use it.
The first page includes the section Room needs, Linens/Laundry, Desk Supplies, Electronics, and Misc. items like home decor.
Items you will need for the Room:
These items are great for your dorm room area.
| Alarm clock (Affiliate Link) | |
| Bulletin Board | |
| Desk lamp | |
| Dry erase board | |
| Drying rack | |
| Hammer | |
| Lamp for bed | |
| Picture hangers | |
| Screwdriver (Affiliate Link) | |
| Storage unit | |
| Trash can (Affiliate Link) | |
| Under bed storage | |
| Wrench |
Things you will need for Linens/Laundry
The items on this list are laundry and other linens you will need.
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| Bed sheets – 2 | |
| Blanket | |
| Clothes Hangers | |
| Comforter | |
| Laundry Bag | |
| Laundry detergent | |
| Lint brush | |
| Mattress pad | |
| Mini sewing kit | |
| Pillow cases - 2 | |
| Pillows - 2 | |
| Terry Cloth Robe | |
| Towels – 3 sets |
Items you will need for studying:
This section is for the items on your desk. If you use a tablet for your notes, you can add that as well.
| 3x5 index cards (optional) | |
| Folders w/ Pocket | |
| Markers | |
| Notebooks | |
| Paper clips | |
| Pen/Pencils | |
| Pencil case/sharpener | |
| Printer (Affiliate Link) Paper | |
| Push Pin/magnets | |
| Scissor / Tape | |
| Stamp/Envelopes | |
| Stapler/staples | |
| Sticky notes (Affiliate Link) | |
| USB Drive |
Electronics you will need:
These items are a necessity these days. Don't forget your cables. Buy a few extra USB cables. We must have replaced at least 3 of them in one semester when your kids were freshmen.
| Cellphone and camera | |
| Extension cords | |
| Headset | |
| MP3 Player | |
| Portable speaker | |
| Surge protector | |
| Cellphone and camera |
Misc. things you will need:
These items are things that you may or may not want to bring. If you do bring posters, be sure to protect them during your travel and carry the right type of tape for your dorm. Ask the RA or Campus Life and they can tell you the one they recommend.
| Cotton Swabs | |
| Lounge Chair (Affiliate Link) | |
| Moisturizers | |
| Picture Frames | |
| Posters | |
| Razor and shaving cream | |
| Swimsuit |
The following page has clothing. Have at least two weeks of outfits so you don't have to wash clothes weekly.
The Clothing you will need
Bringing a variety of clothing is important, especially if you are going to school out of state or several hours away.
| Boots | |
| Dress | |
| Gloves | |
| Jackets | |
| Pants/jeans | |
| PJs | |
| Shoes (Affiliate Link) | |
| Slippers | |
| Sneakers | |
| Socks (Affiliate Link) | |
| Sweaters | |
| Sweats | |
| Underwear |
Toiletries you will need for your dorm
The toiletry column has a variety of things you will need that are most likely stored around your home. Gather these items using this checklist (Affiliate Link) page to remind you.
| Bath / face soap | |
| Comb / brush | |
| Cough drops | |
| Dental Floss | |
| Hair dryer/irons | |
| Hairstyle supplies | |
| Medicine | |
| Nail clippers | |
| Shampoo/cond. | |
| Shower caddy (Affiliate Link) | |
| Shower Flip Flops | |
| Toothbrush&paste | |
| Tweezers | |
| Vitamins |
Dorm Kitchen Things you will need
If you have a kitchen or a kitchenette, you may need the next column of items. If you are looking for cleaning items, check out our new checklist (Affiliate Link) of dorm room cleaning products here.
| Bowl, plate & cup | |
| Can/Bottle Opener | |
| Cleaning products | |
| Coffee mug | |
| Dish soap | |
| Food storage bins | |
| Light bulbs | |
| Paper towels | |
| Silverware | |
| Tissues | |
| Trash bags (Affiliate Link) | |
| Water bottle | |
| Wet wipes |
Other things you will need
These items may be things you used in high school, but they should be added to the list.
| Backpack | |
| Sports equipment | |
| Umbrella |
Other Things you can share the cost with your roommate
The cost of these items can be shared with your roommates. Connect with them now to see what everyone can bring and then go shopping. Check out our first apartment helpful tips post for more ideas! And check out our Studio Apartment Organization Tips post for even more inspiration.
| Area Rug (Affiliate Link) - washable works best | |
| Coffee Maker | |
| DVD player | |
| Microwave | |
| Small Refrigerator | |
| TV |
The next packing sheet is blank for you to add all the other items you may need. You can even add a topic header to it.
Then, check out these posts. Organizing College Dorm Room - Part 1 and Organizing College Dorm Room - Part 2. These posts include links to buy stuff through Amazon (affiliate). Easy peasy!
Nervous about dorm life? Feel free to visit these posts that my two college students helped me create:
TIPS FOR GIRLS GOING TO COLLEGE IN THE CITY
HELPFUL TIPS FOR FRESHMAN BOYS GOING TO COLLEGE
Useful dorm room checklist tips to save money
You can really go overboard shopping for your new place. So, to keep it simple, I am sharing some tips to ensure you don't overspend!
Set a budget
Be sure to set a budget. Gather your family around and decide if the budget is feasible. If not, ask family, friends, and relatives to see if they can contribute or have items you may need that they don't want any longer.
Talk to your roommate at least a month in advance.
Some new college freshmen don't want to do this, but it makes it so much easier and less costly if you do. Reach out to your roommate at least a few weeks before to see if there are items they are bringing, like a TV, refrigerator, or microwave, that you can share.
Assign a place in your home to collect all these items.
Usually, we buy these dorm room items over time, so having a place for them, like the garage (Affiliate Link), basement, or attic, will keep them out of the way. Using our garage (Affiliate Link) worked nicely to store the bought items. Each kid had a corner to store their bought items. The items didn't even make it into our smaller house.
Decide on your study and relaxing spaces in your dorm room/university.
My son found it critical to study at the library instead of in the tiny dorm room. Getting a planner is also important. I love the small academic planner (Affiliate Link) by Order Out of Chaos(R) (affiliate link) to help manage time. Visit THE REASONS I LOVE ORDER OUT OF CHAOS® ACADEMIC PLANNER post on why I love these planners so much. Adding these time slots for studying and relaxing into the planner or digital calendar will help you start the year right. You can always modify it later.
Update or upgrade your computer.
If you plan on keeping your laptop for college, ensure that the anti-virus and spyware are updated. Check with your college to see if they offer free software for students.
Cleaning your computer (Affiliate Link) of unnecessary photos, apps, etc... will make the computer (Affiliate Link) run more smoothly. If you visit the computer (Affiliate Link) center on your university campus website, they will probably have a list of recommended software to install.
If you need to purchase a new laptop, look for one that is common for your major. For more details, visit your college's website's recommended things to bring section. They usually have a general list to help you.
Taking the car to campus? do these things first.
If you are taking your vehicle to campus, get it serviced. An oil change, tire rotation, and brake check are essential. Ask them to check the tires and fluids. Make an appointment a few weeks before you leave so they have time to repair the car if there is an issue. Then, your car will be ready to go with you.
Also, buy your parking pass sooner rather than later. A parking pass is required when you are on campus. The larger the campus, the more likely there will be commuters that need parking passes, too, so they may sell out. Visit the campus security office, which is usually where you can buy the parking tag.
Make sure your insurance is informed. You are required to tell them where your car is being "garaged." Be aware that your car insurance premiums may increase if you go to a city or a higher-crime area.
Plan Plan Plan
Lastly, create a timeline to help you know what you need to do before you leave home. Start with the move-in date and assign tasks to the days leading up to it.
These FREE Dorm Room Checklist (Affiliate Link) sheets and all these tips will help you from being overwhelmed during this new experience. Please let me know if you have any questions. I am here to help - lots of luck to you all.
Please note these are affiliate links through Amazon, and at no additional cost to you, I will earn affiliate fees if you decide to make a purchase.
Below are other College success posts to help you with your new year!
Katherine Macey says
Super useful stuff here! I love the tip about bringing at least two weeks' worth of clothing. Weekly laundry is SUCH a hassle, and usually doesn't even fill up the washer! Twice a month is plenty in a dorm.
These are wonderful resources for parents and college kids, great post!
Sabrina Quairoli says
Thanks, Katherine! I am so glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for stopping by and commenting. =)
Janet Scheisl says
Great lists Sabrina. These definitely will be helpful as my nieces and nephews head off to college. Wish I had them for my kids growing up!
Jana Arevalo says
Oh wow! I'm going to have to save this for a few years from now. What a comprehensive and complete list! Love it.
Sabrina Quairoli says
Thanks, Jana! =)
Julie Bestry says
This is a superb checklist, and reminds me of my college days, especially that first summer preparing to leave. My mother's smartest tactic was buying two huge nylon duffel bags. They were perfect for storing all of my sheets, towels, and any cold-weather clothes needed before the Fall Break switch, dust-free under the bed, basically taking up no space.
I'm surprised to see microwaves and coffee makers on the list; I guess I'm old, because in the olden days we couldn't have cooking-related electronics in the dorms. There were microwaves in the unit and main kitchens, but even hot pots (which were basically electric kettles, but not as cool) were verboten.
Don't forget that blue sticky-blobby stuff for putting posters up on cinder block walls!
Sabrina Quairoli says
At my kids' universities, I learned they don't want people using sticky stuff anymore. Now it is Command Strips or Duck Tape. Crazy, right?
Laura says
Such a great and comprehensive list! We just dropped our oldest off over the weekend and used many of these tips. 🙂
Linda Samuels says
What terrific lists you made! You bring me back to preparing our daughters for college. I had lists and so did they. There was a point when we had boxes and duffles packed and labeled in our living room waiting for move-in day.
One of the other things I had both of them do before they went to college, was go through their memorabilia and other possessions at home to do an edit. This was so helpful. It was a great way to help them (and me) review life so far, clear out the things that were no longer useful or meaningful, and prepare them emotionally for moving onto the next phase of their lives.
Sabrina Quairoli says
I love the idea of going through memorabilia. Thanks for sharing.
Seana Turner says
Planning goes a long way on this one! I'm just glad that kids are moving back to college with a more 'normal' scene this year, right?
I remember when my girls went, there was months of planning. They considered every little detail and were planning forever. In contrast, my friends who had sons said their boys hadn't given it much thought. It was more of a "oh, I head to school tomorrow, I guess I should throw some stuff in trash bags."
I will say, I was surprised how much my kids still printed things. Their eyes get tired of looking at screens, and a lot of their reading wasn't in books, but rather was online. They often preferred to print and read the paper.
Diane N Quintana says
Really good checklists, Sabrina. I also like your advice for bringing a car to school. It's so important to know the rules about parking before you drive onto campus and start looking for a space to park.
Janet Barclay says
Great checklists and tips - I especially like the one about checking with your roommate so you don't both bring the same item. Not only do you not need two fridges, you probably don't have room for them either!