When you're moving into the residence halls for the first time, it can be difficult to judge how much stuff you can bring for your shared space. But fear not! Here at The K Book, we've thought of some items that we found particularly useful (and some that aren't) from our days in the residence hall.
Good things to have
1. Command Hooks/Poster Putty
When you don’t have a lot of storage space, hanging things on the walls will become your new favorite thing. Hanging posters, jackets and photos (or even sticking power strips to the wall/baseboard so the cords are out of your way) are all great ways to keep yourself organized. You never know how much you’ll hang until you live in a residence hall room.
2. Plastic/fabric bins
These serve a dual purpose because they can be both decorative and very effective at organizing (or hiding) all our stuff. These are great to organize desk things in or to put on a shelf in your closet. You can even stack them to have a few more makeshift shelves.
3. A real laundry basket
In the small, dorm-sized closets, a laundry bag may seem more space efficient. But when your laundry schedule is pretty infrequent (and let’s be real, it will be), your dirty clothes will start to spill out of the bag that doesn’t stand up. So while a laundry basket may take up just a bit more room, it’s easier to handle on laundry day.
Good things to have
1. Command Hooks/Poster Putty
When you don’t have a lot of storage space, hanging things on the walls will become your new favorite thing. Hanging posters, jackets and photos (or even sticking power strips to the wall/baseboard so the cords are out of your way) are all great ways to keep yourself organized. You never know how much you’ll hang until you live in a residence hall room.
2. Plastic/fabric bins
These serve a dual purpose because they can be both decorative and very effective at organizing (or hiding) all our stuff. These are great to organize desk things in or to put on a shelf in your closet. You can even stack them to have a few more makeshift shelves.
3. A real laundry basket
In the small, dorm-sized closets, a laundry bag may seem more space efficient. But when your laundry schedule is pretty infrequent (and let’s be real, it will be), your dirty clothes will start to spill out of the bag that doesn’t stand up. So while a laundry basket may take up just a bit more room, it’s easier to handle on laundry day.
4. Lamps
Although many of the new residence halls have overhead lighting of some sort, lamps are still a great way to set the mood of your room, whether it’s for studying, watching movies or hanging out with friends. Plus, a lamp on your desk is great for when your roommate is asleep, but you’re still plugging away at your homework.
5. Duct Tape
Because it fixes everything. Just be careful about where you stick it! If you damage the walls, furniture, or anything else, you'll be "stuck" with the damage costs when you move out.
Although many of the new residence halls have overhead lighting of some sort, lamps are still a great way to set the mood of your room, whether it’s for studying, watching movies or hanging out with friends. Plus, a lamp on your desk is great for when your roommate is asleep, but you’re still plugging away at your homework.
5. Duct Tape
Because it fixes everything. Just be careful about where you stick it! If you damage the walls, furniture, or anything else, you'll be "stuck" with the damage costs when you move out.
Not so good things to have
1. Every piece of clothing you own for every season
Chances are (no matter which residence hall you’re in) you won’t have nearly enough space to bring all of your clothes with you. Pack by season if you can, and plan to go home or mail some clothes back and forth to keep some clutter out of your room.
2. Stereo system
When you live in small spaces with roommates and floormates, big stereos can be more annoying than they are awesome. If you have an alarm clock with a dock for your phone/iPod or a small Bluetooth speaker, that’ll work wonders in your room.
3. A full kitchen's utensils
Even if you have a kitchen somewhere in your hall, odds are you may not use it very much, especially with all the swipes you can use for campus food (enjoy it while it lasts)! So bringing lots of pots, pans and cooking utensils may just end up being extra clutter you don’t need. Bring a few plates, a few bowls, a few cups, a few utensils and maybe a cookie sheet for when you want to make some break-and-bake cookies for your late-night study sessions.
4. All of your high school papers for reference
If you’re taking coursework that’s similar to what you took in high school, definitely bring what you think might help you get through those tricky assignments. But make sure to clean out your high school files of what you know you’ll never use before you load it all up in a box to take to college.
1. Every piece of clothing you own for every season
Chances are (no matter which residence hall you’re in) you won’t have nearly enough space to bring all of your clothes with you. Pack by season if you can, and plan to go home or mail some clothes back and forth to keep some clutter out of your room.
2. Stereo system
When you live in small spaces with roommates and floormates, big stereos can be more annoying than they are awesome. If you have an alarm clock with a dock for your phone/iPod or a small Bluetooth speaker, that’ll work wonders in your room.
3. A full kitchen's utensils
Even if you have a kitchen somewhere in your hall, odds are you may not use it very much, especially with all the swipes you can use for campus food (enjoy it while it lasts)! So bringing lots of pots, pans and cooking utensils may just end up being extra clutter you don’t need. Bring a few plates, a few bowls, a few cups, a few utensils and maybe a cookie sheet for when you want to make some break-and-bake cookies for your late-night study sessions.
4. All of your high school papers for reference
If you’re taking coursework that’s similar to what you took in high school, definitely bring what you think might help you get through those tricky assignments. But make sure to clean out your high school files of what you know you’ll never use before you load it all up in a box to take to college.
5. All the organizational tools you see at TargetThe “back to school” and “college” aisles are oh-so-tempting, but don’t over-buy before you know what you’ll really use. It’ll take a little while to figure out how you want to organize your room and all your class materials, so take some time to decide and then head to Target and indulge in the “new school stuff” feeling.