by Nikki King

Created on: August 27, 2010

With so many bags, boxes, and suitcases, surely you have everything you could possibly need for college. Then again, maybe not. You have lots to think about, so it is easy to forget a few things. Have you considered the following?

Pack a formal outfit, like a cocktail dress or suit. It’s surprising how often you may need this, with Homecoming and Christmas dances, sorority and fraternity formals, a Valentine’s date, a friend’s wedding, or a formal on-campus event you are required to go to. A skirt or pair of dress slacks would be good to have as well for job interviews or semi-formal events.

A power strip or surge protector is a necessity if you have anything at all to plug in. You may only have one or two outlets in your dorm room, which is not nearly enough. However, read the dorm guidelines because many buildings limit the number of power strips you can use. If you are bringing a TV, pack an extra-long cable. Most likely, the outlet is not anywhere near where you will want to put the TV. While you’re at it, pack some things for outdoor entertainment, too, like a football, volleyball, or frisbee.

A desk lamp is helpful for when your roommate is sleeping and you still need to study. Also, earplugs come in handy if your roommate snores or your neighbor blares music at 3 a.m.

Bring at least basic cleaning supplies like Clorox wipes and a multi-purpose disinfecting spray. You may be used to a messy room and decide never to clean your dorm, but you will at least need to disinfect the room if you roommate develops strep throat or another contagious illness. Also, Febreeze freshens the air as well as your clothes when you forget to do laundry. Pack an extra set of sheets for the times when your sheets are dirty but you just don’t feel like doing laundry yet.

If the dorm has community bathrooms, don’t forget shower shoes and a bathroom caddy for carrying toiletries. Basic first aid supplies like band aids and aspirin are beneficial as well. Accidents and headaches seem to occur more at college than anywhere else.

If your room will have a small fridge, bring a filtered pitcher for water. Bottled water is way too expensive on a regular basis, and dorm room tap water can taste pretty bad.

Other basics to remember are adhesive gum, a stapler, and paper clips. Most likely, you will not be allowed to nail holes in the wall, so the gum will be invaluable. Also, teacher preferences vary, so one may require essays be stapled and another may require paper clips.

Finally, remember these two computer accessories: a USB flash drive and great anti-virus software. A flash drive is great for saving your work when you go from a library computer to your own computer or when you need to borrow a friend’s printer because yours is on the fritz. Anti-virus protection is invaluable because computer viruses run rampant on college campuses—which is one more reason to save your homework on a flash drive, just in case.

Newton’s Unwritten Law of Forgetfulness is that if you are trying to remember to bring everything, you will undoubtedly forget something. Know where the closest Wal-Mart or dollar store is, and you will be fine.

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