8 Items Your College Freshman Needs to Survive Dorm Life

by A Guest Author

Moving into a dorm room isn’t exactly roughing it, but there are a few items that are essential for any college freshmen to survive dorm life happy, healthy and well-educated.

Mini Fridge

Having cold water, juice and soda around is a nice luxury. The ability to save half a pizza and eat it for breakfast the next day is a necessity. Your child doesn’t necessarily have to bring his own mini fridge, but between the pair of roommates there should be at least one.

Flip Flops

Some say that the amount of bacteria, disease and miscellaneous goop that lives on the floor of dorm showers is overstated, the stuff of urban legends. Believe me, it’s not. They don’t need to be fancy, but make sure that your child owns at least one pair of rubber flips flops. In fact, make sure he has two pairs, just in case.

First Aid

While items like bandages and prophylactics are easy to come by in the average college dorm, allergy medicine and Pepto-Bismol are not. Set your child up with a few of the comforts of home so that they don’t have to go searching for late night heartburn relief.

Mattress Topper

It’s no secret that dorm room beds aren’t the softest, most comfortable pieces of furniture in the world. A mattress topper can mean the difference between a great night of sleep and having to go through life with a stiff neck. Also, make sure they have a few sets of sheets ready to go. Having clean sheets can sometimes change your entire mood.

Power Strip

Dorm rooms typically feature a very limited number of outlets. Your child needs to plug in her computer, phone charger, lamp, printer, television, gaming system, hair iron, etc. A power strip will save her a lot of hassle when she’s switching plugs around just to watch TV.

Flash Drive

Whether your child is the type of person who likes to carry his laptop around with him everywhere or not, a flash drive is essential to allow him to have the documents and information he needs with him when he needs them. As a bonus, a flash drive is an excellent way to keep files that are currently a work in progress backed up should the unspeakable happen to his laptop. He probably doesn’t need a ton of storage space, but a well-made flash drive will do him a ton of good.

Headphones

Other than a laptop, the one item your college student absolutely cannot live without is a solid pair of headphones. The ability to put on music or watch a television show on his computer, in private, will make a crowded dorm room feel a lot more like home. They don’t have to be a super expensive pair, just something that will allow for your son or daughter to have a few moments of private entertainment after a long day of class.

Restaurant Gift Cards

I know what you’re thinking. You’ve already spent an arm and a leg on that overpriced dining plan, why should you give your kid a reason to eat out? After a few weeks of being stuck on campus your child will be dying for a chance to eat somewhere other than the dining hall, whether the food there is tasty or not. Giving him a few bucks to get a pizza or sub will put a huge smile on his face and help him to relax a little bit before midterms. Call it an investment in your future.

About the Author

Kenny Soto is a blogger at My Move. For more tips on how to make your son or daughter's dorm life more rewarding visit MyMove.com today.

This post was written by A Guest Author

This post was written by a guest author. If you have high quality, useful information to share with students, send us an email or click Write For Us to learn more. And in case you're wondering - yes, you can promote yourself in this fancy author byline.

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