• Hamper
• When shopping for a clothes hamper, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. The first thing to remember, dirty clothes weigh A LOT. Hampers made from cheap material will rip! I recommend looking for hampers made from a strong netting material. The second thing to consider is how often you plan on doing laundry. If you’re going to do laundry every week, a smaller hamper with straps to carry it with will suit you well. If you’re the type to put off laundry until the last possible second, try to get a larger one. You may also want to consider buying one with wheels unless you want to be dragging it to the washing machines. As for the shape, consider where you will be keeping it. Do you want to put it under your bed, in the corner, or in the closet? For under your bed, you will need a short, wider one. For the corner, you will want a taller, skinnier one with a lid so your friends don’t have to see your laundry. Anything for your closet will depend upon its size.
• Bedding
• Comfort first. If it feels scratchy and uncomfortable in the store, that’s probably how it’s going to feel in the dorm. Now, as for colors and patterns, I do have some advice here. Your dorm is going to be kind of small, so everything that can be used as a seat will be used as a seat. I started with a light colored bedspread thinking it would brighten up the room, and it did, until it became stained with spilt food, random ink marks, and general dirt. These didn’t wash out. My advice is to get a darker colored bedspread/comforter that won’t show these stains. You may be worried that this will make your bed a dark spot in the small room, but you can brighten it up with lighter colored pillows, sheets, and blanket.

• Laptop Computer and Charger
• Two things to consider here: mobility and usability. A lot of college students seem to be drawn to the tiny “mini” laptops. Yes, these have good mobility, but their downfall comes in usability. You’re going to use your laptop for a lot more than taking notes in class. You will use it to take notes, research, writer papers, and so on. I spent almost as much time working on my laptop outside of class as I spent in class at all. Look for something small enough to fit in a backpack, light enough to carry around, but big enough that you will be able to use it for hours at a time without having to squint. The laptop I use is approximately 14” by 10” and weighs just over 6 lbs. It has worked perfectly for me. Also, when shopping for a computer, make sure the one you purchase comes with the software suggested by your school (you can usually find this on your school’s website) or you will have to purchase the software separately.
• Printer, Ink and Paper
• When you purchase a printer, make sure you know how much the ink cartridges are going to cost! These can be unbelievably expensive. You don’t want to go into shock the first time you try to replace the ink in your printer (which you’ll probably have to do several times during the year).

• Detachable Hooks/Wall tape
• A lot of colleges will recommend these to prevent you from peeling paint off the wall. WARNING: Some removable poster adhesives and putty are not oh-so-removable. You may be able to get most of it off without peeling the paint, but it will sometimes leave a discoloration behind, a sticky discoloration. Then, as the humidity changes, some adhesives and hooks lose their stickiness and start falling off the wall. We recommend products from Command™ to prevent these things from happening. Check out their website here for coupons!
• Storage Containers/ Under-the-Bed storage units
• When shopping for storage containers, always keep in mind where you plan to store them. If you want to keep them under the bed, know what height they can be and still fit. Also, keep in mind that, in a dorm room, everything tends to have more than one function. A storage container (such as this one) can easily become a night stand. Look for multiple functions to save money and room!

The web is your best friend. That’s right, I said it. But, like any other acquaintances, the internet can be unreliable. When using it to help you with research, you should always make sure you are viewing creditable sites. You’ve probably heard that thousands of times already though. What we have to tell you today is very important—so don’t forget it.

Your College’s Library Website!

Okay, I know your college’s library website isn’t very exciting, but trust me, it’s important that you get to know it and learn how to navigate through all the databases and catalogues. In college, you’re probably going to have to write a few papers and this will usually mean doing some research. Your college will have access to a lot of books and online databases (like JSTOR and EBSCO). Get friendly with your library’s website. If you have trouble figuring it out, try getting an upperclassman friend to help you out or even email one of your librarians. That’s what they’re there for!

Word Reference (http://www.wordreference.com/)

Normally, this website is used by foreign language students but I used it for most of my classes too. All you do is enter a word and select the dictionary that you want to use. I had Spanish so I used the English to Spanish/Spanish to English option. There’s also an option to just look up the regular English definition. You hit enter and it will bring up a page that will let you ‘listen’ to the word (to hear how it’s pronounced!) and will give you all the definitions you would need to know. 

Spark Notes (http://www.sparknotes.com/)

Reading a book that you don’t quite get? Need a little push in the right direction? Click over to Spark Notes for an outline of the novel and articles discussing its major themes. Don’t rely solely on this site though! Be sure to read the book itself.

 eHow (http://www.ehow.com/)

It’s summer—or almost summer—for us! About this time last year, Jay and I started shopping around for everything we would need for college. I did a general Google search for “Dorm Room Supplies” and ended up dazed and confused. So this one’s for our followers who are getting ready to move on out! It’s our very own personal Dorm Room Supply list, made just for you.

Everything on this list ended up in our dorm room at one point in time—and yes, we actually used and needed all of it! To download the list in a Microsoft Word Document, simply click here. For those of you who can’t download it, don’t worry! I’m including it in this post.

This is Em & Jay’s take on a dorm room supply list. Remember—this is just what we think you might need! There could be a few things omitted or a few things you don’t agree with. You don’t need to follow this list perfectly in order to be prepared. Chances are, after you move in, you’ll realize that some of the things you packed are unnecessary and just take up too much space, while some of the things you left at home should have been packed. Items that are marked with a diamond (♦) may be purchased with your roommate. In other words, you don’t really need two of them so try to coordinate with your roomie about who will get it. Items marked with a heart (♥) may be purchased on arrival. I.E. you don’t have to pack them. You can run to Wal-Mart or the Dollar Tree and pick them up after you’re settled into your new room.

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