Don’t bring your whole wardrobe.
I made this mistake last year and I lived pretty close to campus, so there really was no need for me to bring all of my clothes. It was overwhelming deciding what to wear in the morning and took up too much space. What’s the point of having summer clothes in the fall? I suggest bringing a pair or two of shorts (just to have in case it gets warm) and a couple of your winter staples, that way you have a little bit of everything and you can swap your clothes out when you travel back home for the holidays.
A printer.
Chances are, your library or campus is going to have printers that students can use. While it may cost money to print (my college gives us $20 worth of printing funds each semester), it will be worth it in the end. You won’t have to worry about buying paper or ink or the amount of space the printer will take up. It may seem worth it because you can print stuff at 3 am when the library is closed, but it’s better to leave it at home!
School supplies.
I love school shopping, especially for all of my supplies. But I do suggest waiting on buying things you need for a couple of reasons… 1.) It’s not like middle school/high school where it was kind of obvious that you needed certain things. You aren’t going to need colored pencils and a ruler, your professor will let you know what you need on syllabus week. It’s always better to buy what you actually need than to buy stuff that you won’t use. 2.) Your supplies will take up valuable space in your vehicle! Moving onto campus is such a hassle, especially when you have to make multiple trips. The less you have to bring with you, the better. (This includes textbooks – wait until you know that you’re actually going to use it, textbooks are way too expensive to waste money on.)
Too much room decor.
I know that it’s fun to decorate a room, but you can go overboard without even realizing. There’s no need to bring a corkboard or dry erase board to hang on your wall (unless you really need one). You don’t need 4 decor pillows, so stick with just one! Bring functional things, like a cute pencil cup or a lamp that has storage built in. You won’t believe how helpful functional decor is, especially if it’s saving you space. (I used an ottoman that had storage inside to put all of my snacks. It was out of sight & out of mind – plus, it wasn’t out in the open for people to help themselves to 😉 )
Dishes & dishes, and more dishes.
It would be amazing to never have to wash dishes, but in reality you have to. I would suggest sticking to two cups (1 mug + 1 juice cup), two bowls, and maybe two plates (or purchase paper ones). I would also suggest that your dishes are plastic, mainly because obviously ceramic/glass will break and plasticware is more functional, especially for a college dorm. Make sure that you’re bringing stuff that is microwave safe. I left out silverware because honestly, who doesn’t steal silverware from their dining hall? Just me? Oops…
A TV.
I’m not a huge TV watcher anyways, but if you are, you might not be able to live without a TV. I suggest not bringing one though because it’s just one more thing to come home and it’s going to take up space in your dorm. And believe it or not, you probably won’t even have time to watch TV. It’s best to just leave it at home and watch Netflix on your laptop or phone. (My school was nice enough to provide us with an HBOGo account, so we could watch movies/series on there. Your school might offer something similar! Check it out.)
That’s pretty much all I can think of that you shouldn’t bring with you to college! I hope this helped and if you wish you didn’t bring something to college, let us all know in the comments below so we don’t bring it with us.
Thanks for reading!
Xoxo, Rae
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