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This post is all about college essentials for freshman.
Hey guys, we all know prepping for college can be hard. It can be a struggle. Having to get everything for yourself for the first time. It can seem really overwhelming and when you’re all stressed out trying to pack, it’s easy to forget stuff as well.
Trust me, I know all about this. When I went to college, I literally forgot some of these things and it made my life SO much harder. I was suffering for no reason lol.
But don’t worry, that does not have to be you. You can def get everything right the first time and not miss out on anything you need. That’s why I made this post to go through 27 college essentials for freshman you can’t forget to make it easy for you to get everything you need the first time! (and be prepared from the jump)
This post shows you college essentials for freshman.
COLLEGE ESSENTIALS FOR FRESHMAN
1. Sturdy Backpack
Okay, who doesn’t need a backpack? Seriously this is a really basic item but if you don’t have a good one, trust me you will notice real fast. I thought I could survive with just my broken down one from high school but guys trust me thats wrong.
When you’re walking all over campus, back and forth from classes with all your heavy binders or textbooks or laptops, you will be wanting a good backpack so bad. Imagine walking miles in the sun or rain trying to carry that weight.
And of course, you need a backpack that will actually last. Not one that falls apart after the first few weeks of using it. (Ugh, its so annoying.)
2. Umbrella
Speaking of terrible weather conditions, YALL you need to get a good umbrella. Depending on where your college is, it could be snowing, sleeting, hailing! And it’s so bad when class doesn’t get cancelled and you have to walk through that anyway.
Having an umbrella is so important cause it will protect your backpack, your outfit, and stop you from looking like a wet dog when you show up in class.
3. Desk Fan
Trust me if you spend a night in your hot cramped dorm room, you’ll be wishing you had a fan real fast. I don’t know what it is but dorm rooms do not have good AC (if you even have one at all). I hate being hot! I cannot focus at all. And it’s even worse when you’re trying to go to sleep.
Desk fans are so great cause they’re not super big and bulky. And because of that, they’re also really cheap. It’s great to just have them on your desk when you’re doing homework for a nice breeze like you’re at the beach or at night when u need that airplane noise.
4. Husband pillow
Most people do not realize this but husband pillows are the goat when it comes to getting the most out of your dorm bed. Think about it. When you’re up there chilling on your bed, you do not want to lean back against the cold hard wall. (Ew!) But you also don’t wanna lay down either.
Husband pillows are great cause they’re so soft but also stand upright so they give your back good support. I always lay back on my husband pillow reading books or doing homework and its SO satisfying. You need to get one!
5. Shower shoes
It should be obvious but for some reason this is something a lot of freshman in college often forget. Guys, I cannot stress to you enough. Your dorm room is not like your house. It will likely be dirty and gross and don’t even get me started on the bathrooms.
Unless you wanna be walking barefoot through all that mess, you def wanna cop you some shower shoes real quick. Honestly I keep these on 24/7 when I’m in my dorm except when im in my bed or chair. They feel comfy and they’re really convenient in case I need to go somewhere quick. (Like a random fire drill at 4AM…)
6. Mini printer
This is less obvious too cause most people probably think you can just go and print something out in the library. But you’re wrong. If you’re in college (at least at my school), you will understand that you cannot rely on the library at all. It seems like everyday there’s a class in there hogging up all the computers.
And then when you actually need to print something out last minute for a class, you will never actually be able to get a printer. It’s so annoying. But thats I def recommend that every freshman get a cute mini printer just to put on your desk.
Mini printers are not like normal huge expensive printers. They’re small, don’t cost that much, and it’s SO convenient whenever you have a paper due. You never have to worry about those last minute due dates to turn your essay in on time.
7. Trash bags
Unless you want your dorm room to stink like rats, then you better load up on some trash bags lol. Believe it or not, they will not usually provide you these. Yes, you’ll get a trash can but thats pretty much it. Its up to you to get trash bags so you can throw stuff away and keep your place clean.
Don’t let the RA come in your dorm for inspections and find a gross trashcan with no bag.. we can do better.
8. Laundry bag w/ straps
Now when it comes to college essentials, I really feel like this should be near the top. Ugh, why do the dorm laundry rooms always have to be so far away?? But seriously, its the worst when your laundry basket is full and you have to walk MILES through the building carrying all the weight to the laundry room.
Instead of having to do physical bootcamp every time you wanna wash your clothes, make sure you get a laundry bag with STRAPS. That way you can just throw it on your back and its a LOT easier to carry. Once I got one of these, it changed my life.
9. Noise cancelling headphones
If you have noisy roommates or your dorm has crazy thin walls, this will quickly become your best friend. Noise canceling headphones are amazing cause they block out all the noise and suddenly you’re in your own little world.
It’s also great for studying too cause you put on some nice relaxing music and suddenly looking through your boring textbook isn’t that bad. Trust me once you start using noise canceling headphones and experience that amazing peace, you can never go back.
10. Mattress topper
These days usually dorms already come with a basic mattress. And if they don’t, it’s your standard twin XL bed. But these are not really that comfortable on their own. Usually the bed is basic, cheap, and hard. If you don’t wanna spend four years breaking your back in, I highly suggest you get a mattress topper.
Mattress toppers are seriously a gift from god. They can easily transform a cold rough bed into a soft fluffy cloud. Once I get introduced, I just start throwing them on any new bed I get. Now I get the best sleep in my dorm.
11. Blackout curtains
This is another sleep necessity when it comes to college essentials. Most people get normal curtains but if you want curtains that actually do something for you, blackout curtains are the way to go. I don’t know about you but I’m one of those people that likes complete darkness when I go to sleep. I need it to be pitch black.
Blackout curtains do the job and make it so you never have to worry about light shining in from your window waking you up from your slumber. For those of you taking late classes where you get to sleep in during the day and it’s already light out, these will be your best friend.
12. Portable vacuum
Going back to what I said about dirty dorm room floors, you need to make sure you get a portable vacuum! Trust me, you will be surprised at all those gross stuff that gets on your floor. Especially if you have carpet in your dorm. Hair. Food. It’s so nasty.
Having a mini portable vacuum that you can easily whip out to clean that up will make all the difference. You can keep it up at the top of your closet and only bring it out when you need it. SO much more convenient than taking your chances with the community vacuum thats never available (if your dorm even has one at all).
13. Mini iron & ironing board (for internships, etc)
This may not seem like something you need.. until you think about the on-campus jobs and internships you’ll wanna apply for. And then the presentations, sorority events, and whatever other formal stuff you have to attend. An iron is def still needed in college.
I especially love the mini ones that you can put up at the top of your closet. You don’t have to have it showing and messing up your decor. But it’s there when you need it. You do not want to be that one person walking into an event with a wrinkled outfit.
14. Ziploc bags
Such a basic item but these come in handy all the time. Often times when you’re not expecting it. So don’t forget about these! Whether you’re storing leftover snacks, some beauty supplies, or whatever else, you def will want some ziplock bags handy.
I could go on about the scenarios but you get the point. You will need em. So get em lol!
15. First aid kit
For sure you will need a first aid kit as well. What happens when you bump your toe or get a paper cut or god forbid, get a serious wound? It’s not like at home when you can just go to your mom and ask for one. You will have to have that stuff yourself.
First aid kits are great cause they usually contain all the stuff you’re likely to need in case you hurt yourself. Bandages, gauze, and even cold medicine. I made sure to get this first thing and let me tell you, it was necessary.
16. Surge protector
I put this on the college essentials list but honestly you probably already got this anyway cause usually dorms will make you these days. Surge protectors are useful when you wanna plug stuff in your dorm. Instead of plugging them into your wall, you plug them into the surge protector instead and it will make sure nothing gets too much power and catches fire.
It’s a def a safety thing but I also just like how they look. You can get them in white, black, all different patterns. But yes, this is something you need to get asap.
17. Mini safe
Guys, so many people steal stuff in college. You are not as safe as you think. Unless you wanna be that person that had their valuable item stolen, you need to get a safe and make sure your stuff is protected.
Yes, lock your doors duh. But even with locked doors, you wanna have your most valuable stuff in a little mini safe with a lock combination. Then you can go out, live it up, and not have to worry about your stuff being stolen cause someone broke in your dorm.
18. Clorox wipes (to clean your dorm)
When you first move into your dorm, everything’s gonna be dirty. I mean yeah I’m sure they wiped it a little. But are you really gonna trust that? Especially now with covid and everything. Yeah no. First thing I do is wipe down all the surfaces.
My mom does this whenever we stay at hotels too. It’s like you can’t really feel comfortable some place til you make sure its clean. Clorox wipes are the bomb for that.
19. Toothbrush travel case
Since dorm rooms don’t normally come with your own personal bathroom, where are you gonna store your toothbrush? Just gonna let it sit free in your shower caddy? Your toiletry bag? Ew no. It goes in your mouth. You want it to be protected from germs.
Thats why I always recommend people get a toothbrush travel case. You can easily throw your toothbrush in there when you’re not using it and stick that in your toiletry bag. Perfect for when you travel too cause you’re already prepared.
20. Sleeping mask
For those of you who didn’t get the blackout curtains I mentioned earlier (or even those who did), sleeping masks are bomb when it comes to helping you get a good nights sleep. We can’t always control who our roommate is. And if you get one like me that is up all night with the light on, it’ll be super hard for you to get some good rest.
A sleeping mask solves this. Suddenly your whole world will be pitch black (even if your rude roommate has the light on). I was so late to this trend but these are really helpful!
21. Laundry detergent
Like I said earlier, your dorm pretty much doesn’t come with anything to start with. You pretty much get a bed, a desk, a trash can, and thats it. Which means you need to get all the cleaning supplies and everything else yourself.
Unless you wanna smelling like the gross roommate everyone complains about all over campus, make sure you get some laundry detergent. It will keep you smelling fresh and obviously you need it to wash clothes. I like to buy the big kind so it lasts longer!
22. Shoe rack closet hanger
The closets in dorms are usually super small and can barely fit anything besides a few stuff at the top and some hangers. Since all your clothes are gonna be where the hangers are and the trash can takes up a good space at the bottom, where are you gonna put all your shoes??
Thats where a shoe rack closet hanger comes in. Guys, these are so amazing. You just hang them up on the back of your closet and boom, you instantly have so much extra space to put your shoes. And it’s out of sight! It also makes them look really nice on display too. Your friends will be so impressed when you just open your closet door and see all your shoes looking amazing like that.
23. Spare batteries
Honestly this is something I didn’t even think of myself until I needed it. Believe it or not, some devices these days still need good old fashioned batteries. It’s always the worst feeling when you buy a new device or beauty product and suddenly realize you don’t have any batteries.
Then you have to make a whole extra trip after getting the item JUST to get batteries to make it work. Ugh. Save yourself that trouble and just have a few double A batteries handy just in case.
24. College planner
College is not like high school where you automatically get an agenda to remember all your upcoming assignments and events and whatever else you can’t forget. Unless you wanna be forgetting homework assignments and projects left and right, I highly suggest you get a college planner.
These are so cute and useful and will just make your college life so much easier. Sure you can use your phone too but people say you remember stuff way better when you write it down. And won’t you just love writing stuff down in this cute thing?!
25. Reusable water bottle
I’m a big fan of not having to buy routine stuff that I don’t need. I love being able to buy something good that I can reuse over and over again. Also I don’t like having random water bottles all over my room that I have to throw away lol.
Reusable water bottles are great cause you can just fill them up with water from the fountain and boom, you have free water. Imagine paying for water when you can have it free. You can easily throw this in your backpack and be ready to go for class whenever.
These days hydroflasks in particular are super popular and all the cool people have them but I put a regular reusable water bottle option here as well. Both look great!
26. Ramen cooker
Can’t stress to you how many nights I got hungry after studying for a while and with all the dining halls closed, my only good option was ramen. Cooking ramen in a pot is so annoying and lame. These days it’s so much better and faster to cook it with a ramen cooker.
With a ramen cooker, you just throw your ramen in there, toss it in the microwave for 3 minutes and boom, you have a nice midnight meal. Def a college essential all freshman should have!
27. Face mask
Okay last but not least, I don’t know if you notice but we’re kinda in a global pandemic. Even still. Yes, we’re all tired of it and wish we could be over it but since we’re not, you def need to make sure you have a good face mask.
Most colleges require it anyway if you’re gonna be doing in-person classes so just make sure you’re prepared and stocked up on these. And don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be some gross ugly one either. You can find lots of cute designs now.
Personally though I’m all about the N-95s. You can get them in black, white, or gray and they get the job done. Forget COVID, if I put one of those one, I don’t feel like I’ll get sick from anything!
Frequently Asked Questions
What college essentials do you need as a freshman?
As a freshman, I really feel like the college essentials you need are all the stuff you’re gonna use on a daily basis. And obviously that can vary depending on whether or not you have a roommate. Or what college you go to. Or how respectful your building neighbors are…
It really just depends. But def, you wanna make sure you get college essentials for all the main areas. College essentials for your bathroom, desk, dorm, closet, etc. You wanna start off prepared.
What should you not forget to bring to college?
Omg, just read this post lol. There are so many things you do not want to forget to bring to college. Just to give an example, especially if you have an annoying roommate. You will want those noise cancelling headphones I mentioned and the sleeping mask, etc.
But really this depends on the person too. If you’re in a sorority, obviously there’s different things you’re gonna wanna make sure you don’t forget as well. This is really just a general list that can apply to everyone going to college.
What do college freshman need the most?
This sounds like such a deep question. “What do college freshman need the most?” Haha no but really, you just need to make sure to get the stuff you will need to survive. Basic essentials that you don’t think about it.
I can’t narrow it down and only pick one. Look at posts like this, see what kinds of things other people regret not bringing or couldn’t live without in college. This is real advice from people who have been to college. For starters, make sure you have everything I listed here. But also feel free to check out my other posts on packing for college etc.
What are the essentials you need as a first year student?
As a first year student, you’re gonna need stuff that you can throw away at the end of the school year but also things you’re gonna really use.
What do I mean by that? Stuff like a desk fan. They are super cheap. So cheap that you could easily throw it away at the end of the year to save on storage space but then easily buy a different one when you come back after the summer.
If you’re like me, you will probably use your desk fan every day all the time. And since it’s a cheap, you can afford to swap it for a new one every time you come back so its super convenient. You need convenient essentials like that.
What should I bring to college I don’t know?
I would say bring everything I listed here but then also ask your friends, look at what your roommates brought, ask your parents. I’m sure there’s a lots of people you know who have been to college too who you can ask and find out direct advice from them too.
Packing for college can be scary but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. And remember, you can always buy it later if it turns out you need it, right? Some things may be harder to get a hold of if you wait too long but you will still be okay. Make sure you have the essentials though!
What do I need in my dorm that is not obvious?
Lots of things are not obvious that you will need for college, and I listed a bunch of them right here. Most of you probably wouldn’t have thought of a lot of the stuff here but that’s okay.
I didn’t either when I first started packing for college which was the point of this post. I was used to not even thinking about these things cause it was always handled for me by my parents.
When you’re in college though, it’s really the first time when you have to start doing all this stuff by yourself. Hopefully you found this helpful to see all the stuff and realize “oh wait, I need to get that too!” lol.