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The beginning of college can be a huge adjustment—and it can get even harder when you realize that you forgot to bring something with you. Or, conversely, that you brought too much. The best way to prepare for this new chapter in your life is to start by packing your bags the right way, and we’re here to help you do just that. To ensure that this major transition is as seamless as possible, here’s a list of the things to regret not bringing to college:
A favorite poster.
One of the things you’ll find in college that isn’t present in high school is a lot more free time. While your parents and teachers may have been concerned about keeping you busy, now it’s up to you.
So why not use some of that extra time to make your dorm room a little more like home? This means personalizing it with some things from home. One way to do this is by bringing an old poster with you or even making one yourself! Having something familiar around will help ease any homesickness that comes up during those first few weeks away from home.
The best part is that these posters can be anything—they don’t have to be super fancy or expensive, they just need to mean something special to YOU! For example: if there was a particular movie poster from childhood (like Batman) that always made you happy when looking at it then bring THAT one along! Or maybe there was an album cover (like Nirvana) whose art style really resonates with how YOU see the world today…then GO FOR IT! What matters most here is getting creative with whatever mediums are available so long as those materials reflect WHO YOU ARE TODAY rather than who someone else wants them too–because after all no one else knows better than us what makes us happy.”
The perfect pillow.
If you think of your pillow as an investment in your sleep, it’s a good investment. That’s because the quality of the pillow you sleep on plays an important role in how well and how long you sleep. It also affects how tired you feel during the day, which can affect everything from your mood to how much coffee you need to drink before class.
If you don’t use the same pillow at home and at school, then it’s going to be more difficult for you to get used to sleeping without one every night (and vice versa when home). The result: neck pain! If this sounds like a problem that could affect anyone who wants to get enough rest while studying abroad or living away from their family for school reasons—it does!
It may take some time before finding “the perfect one” becomes second nature but once found there’ll be no turning back!
A car.
You may be wondering if you should bring a car to college. The answer is complicated: it depends on what kind of student you are, where your university is located, and how much time and money you plan to spend on transportation. If you live in a small town with limited public transportation options, then having a car might be an essential part of getting around. But if there’s bus service that runs frequently between the campus and nearby towns or cities (or vice versa), it might be worth considering leaving your vehicle behind as well.
If you do decide that bringing along your own car is worth considering—or even necessary—make sure before committing yourself financially by checking out vehicles that can be rented instead at reasonable rates through services like Zipcar or Getaround (both available nationwide). Of course, once these plans are set up they’ll still cost some money each month; but keep in mind that these services also offer insurance coverage for any damage done to vehicles during rental periods so long as renters abide by certain guidelines set forth by each service provider.
Kitchen appliances.
Small appliances are hard to live without, and most college students don’t have the money to buy them. But if you bring your own, you can use them for cooking your own food instead of eating out all the time. You’ll save money in the long run and feel less guilty about not doing the dishes every night!
Here are some suggestions:
Coffee maker: These things will last forever, so there’s no need to worry about buying a new one once you’re settled in. If you drink coffee every morning and want a change from Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts (which are both overpriced), a quality drip machine will get the job done. Just be sure not to buy one with plastic parts because they tend not to work very well after getting thrown around in baggage claim at an airport or something like that…blah blah blah–the point is just don’t buy cheap stuff if it’s going on vacation with us!
Blender: Blenders are another item that many people take on trips because they’re convenient when making smoothies or margaritas on vacation (or at home). However, this isn’t exactly advisable since blenders can be pretty bulky; therefore we recommend packing one along with other kitchen items such as pots/pans/plates etc…
An entire wardrobe of clothes.
You’re going to need clothes in college. You’re also going to want them to be as many different kinds of clothes as possible. The problem is that you won’t have enough space in your dorm room or apartment for all the clothes you have at home. But there are ways around this issue!
You can start working on your wardrobe before you leave home by giving away any unnecessary pieces of clothing, like old T-shirts or ripped jeans. If that doesn’t get rid of enough stuff, consider asking friends and family members if they are interested in buying some of your excess clothing for themselves (just make sure it’s okay with them first). It’ll help them out while saving you from having to deal with extra stuff when moving day rolls around!
Also—and this may seem obvious—but please don’t buy new clothes when getting ready for college. You’ll most likely end up hating how everything fits anyway since everyone changes their body shape during their freshman year and beyond! So why spend money on something that might not even fit after those first few months? It’s just not worth it…
A speaker and other electronics.
A speaker is perfect for a dorm room because it provides not only music, but also some privacy. You can listen to music on your computer or phone while studying in the library or while you’re doing homework at home. You’ll get sick of listening to those same songs over and over again, so having a speaker will help you find new music you might like.
Another thing that’s great about bringing a speaker is being able to make calls with it. Most people have their phones now but sometimes it’s nice to have an actual landline if someone needs to reach them in an emergency. If your roommate has a phone too, this might be useful for when one of you needs something from the other room (like milk).
I use my computer solely for school work (and Netflix when I’m procrastinating). It would be nice if there were more available computers on campus so we didn’t have to wait so long in line!
School supplies beyond pens and notebooks.
The basics are important, but you don’t need to bring a lot of pens and notebooks. You can get these at the bookstore or supply store in your town. It’s not worth the extra space they take up.
Laptops are essential for college students these days. Do your research before purchasing one, as there are many options and prices available depending on what you’re looking for in terms of size, screen quality, processing power (or RAM), battery life and more. If you own one already that works well enough then great! Otherwise we recommend purchasing a new laptop before heading off to school; it will last longer than any computer bought second-hand from someone else who might have been using it for a few years too long by then anyway.*
Tablets like iPads or Android tablets offer similar functionality without having their screens break down as quickly due to normal wear-and-tear over time like regular phones do because they’re built differently than phones — meaning: They won’t break as easily when dropped either!*
Your favorite kitchen utensils and dishes.
The kitchen is the heart of every college dorm room. It’s where you make your first ramen noodles, cook up some pasta and pass out drunk on the couch.
But what do you really need in the kitchen? Do you really need those fancy mixing bowls with their own lids? Or that carbon steel wok that takes up half your cabinet space? As a student, it can be hard to decide what items are worth bringing along with you to college and which ones should stay at home for another semester (or year).
A large painting or art piece.
If you’re looking to add something personal and unique to your new dorm room, bringing a large piece of art is one of the best ways to do it. While this advice can apply to any dorm decor, I know that many freshmen are especially concerned with the bareness of their new spaces; they want something in each room (the living area, at least) that feels like home. A well-placed painting or art piece can go a long way toward making your space feel more like home and less like an anonymous place where you sleep every night.
In addition to adding color and character to your room, a large piece will also make guests notice what you have on display—a great opportunity for conversation!
An entire first aid kit.
An entire first aid kit.
You’re going to get hurt. A lot. You’re going to bump into stuff, you’ll fall off your bike, and there’s every possibility that someone will spill something on you at a party that requires stitches (which is exactly how I got my first scar). But please don’t go buy a whole first aid kit just yet—you should have one in your dorm room instead of lugging it around campus or getting stuck with an empty box when some jerk spills his beer all over you at the library. When stocking your dorm room, include bandages (of varying sizes), disinfectant wipes, antibiotic ointment and cotton swabs for cleaning out wounds if necessary; hydrogen peroxide for rinsing out cuts after cleaning them; some kind of ice pack for sprains/strains/fractures (may sound dumb but trust me on this); alcohol wipes for sterilizing hands before touching anything else (because germs); pain pills like Tylenol if necessary; sewing kit just in case; scissors from home so as not to get stabbed by them while getting dressed in the morning
Little things can make a big difference in your happiness!
There are a lot of things to regret not bringing to college.
- A favorite poster from home. Or any kind of art, really. It could be a painting, or even just a photo that you always liked looking at. Whatever it is, having something familiar to look at will help you feel more comfortable in your new environment and make you feel like you’re not totally alone in this new world.
- The perfect pillow for you to sleep with every night while studying or doing homework on your bed (or the floor). It might seem silly, but when I went off to college without my own pillow I felt like my head was going to fall off if I tried sleeping with theirs! There are lots of different pillows available these days—from memory foam ones that mold around your head and neck perfectly so they don’t hurt at all after lying down for too long; all the way down through feather pillows which can be nice too depending on what type of sleeper you are: back/stomach/side sleeper? Firmness level preference? All important questions before selecting one out there in our big world…
Conclusion
When I think back to my own days as a college student, I regret not having one thing: my own dorm room. There were many things that made me want to live on campus: the convenience of being close to school, the feeling of independence that comes with moving away from home, and the opportunity to meet people who weren’t in my high school class. But looking back we do not want to have any regrets.
