As high school graduation creeps around the corner, so is the infamous stress of packing for college. Packing for college itself feels like a whole trip but for most students, the true trip is to a campus far away from home. Relying on your parents to cook your meals and to fold your laundry will no longer be an option. Although it is tempting to just bring your whole closet and call it a day, you may draw a blank when it comes to keeping organized. This list will reveal the top items needed in order to survive in a college dorm on your own. 

A campus seems luxurious…that is until you walk into the dorm bathrooms. If you hate sharing a bathroom with your siblings, imagine how difficult it would be to share a bathroom with strangers. Products spilled all over the sinks, water all over the floor, and worst of all, bacteria and dirt all throughout the showers. In order to keep yourself clean, or maybe others, the best decision would be to bring some shower shoes. Whether they are flip flops from the dollar store or your favorite pair of crocs, anything that keeps your feet and the bathroom floor apart from each other is perfect.

Along with keeping your body clean, making sure your room is clean too is just as important. It is inevitable that one’s dorm will eventually begin to clutter and stains appear in the carpet and the awful stench of sweat will become a problem that needs to be avoided. A miniature vacuum will be one of the most helpful items on this list. It is able to clean out your carpet, bed, and blankets. Along with the mini vacuum, is a plug in air freshener. Candles in college are dangerous, and the smoke detectors at college are much more powerful. Sprays or plug in air fresheners are a much better approach to keeping your room clean. The vacuum and air freshener combined will create a completely different environment for all college students.

After vacuuming the somewhat-small dorm, you realize there is nowhere to keep your drinks and snacks. Although there is always the option of using the meal plan, bringing some of your favorite snacks from home is not always a bad idea. A mini fridge is the perfect solution for this issue. It can fit perfectly in small spaces and store many items. They come in many different colors, if concerned about matching a dorm’s theme, and take up little energy. Not only will they store some yummy snacks, but they will also store plenty of water. Drinking water is one of the best methods to reduce stress, which college students are going to need!

The final, and my personal favorite, item that is on this checklist are storage bags. Fashion is always important, and although parents say to leave most of your clothes at home, it just does not feel right. If you want to keep organized and fashionable, storage bags are a must buy. They are very affordable and can be bought anywhere. The bags keep from clothes piling up on floors, and create enough space for extra clothes in the closet. The storage bags don’t only have to be used for clothes, and can also be used as a place to keep toiletries in and even laundry. Rolling storage bags are the perfect use for laundry at college, considering you don’t know how far away the laundry machines could be. Clothes, toiletries, laundry, snacks, books, blankets and sheets are just a few of the many items the bags could be used for.

Moving to college can be a difficult process, and dealing with the fact that you’re leaving your home and family is already enough to focus on. Stressing over what to pack and buy should not be a major concern. Hopefully, this list will help with the process of moving.