Dorm essentials must keep comfort in mind
Students expected to spend $55B to get ready for college.
When freshman Heather Lammers arrived at her new home Thursday at Bowling Green State University, she brought her favorite blankets and pillows. She brought essential oils and her new bedding in colors of black, gray and white, with a tribal flower pattern.
If her mom, Christa Lammers, had anything to say about it, photos of and mementos from Heather’s five siblings were also tucked in her packed items.
“You want her to get there and enjoy the experience. You don’t want her to be homesick or miserable, or feel like she is living in a box,” said Christa Lammers, who is sending her first child off to college this week. “She is away from home for the first time, and this will be her home now. As much normalcy as she can have, she will have.”
Heather is one of more than 3,300 incoming freshmen at BGSU who, according to university policy, are required to live on campus their first two years unless they are commuting from home. The University of Toledo has the same requirement.
That means dorm life for most. And that also means making sure you have everything you need not only to make it livable, but also to give it that home-away-fromhome feel.
“I’ve talked to students about bringing a favorite stuffed animal, a picture book, picture frames ... don’t be afraid to bring those personal items because that’s what’s going to make the place feel like home,” said Stephanie Brinkman, spokesman for the BGSU Office of Residence Life. “Some students do it really well, and some are just learning to decorate, and they figure it »
Nationally, total spending for school supplies, dorm furnishings, and clothing for K-12 schools and college students combined for the upcoming school year is estimated to reach $82.8 billion, according to the National Retail Federation.
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College and graduate school students are expected to spend an average of about $942 each. They will spend about $229 each on electronics, followed by about $153 for clothing and accessories, and about $109 for dorm or apartment furnishings, according to the Federation. out as they go along.”
College students this year planned to spend an average of $942.17 each, which works out to more than $55.3 billion nationwide, according to the National Retail Federation. They will spend the most on electronics, with clothing and dorm and apartment furnishings following closely behind on the list.
This is your home for at least the next year; don’t forget the things that will keep you afloat in day-to-day life, experts say.
“Building the bed is the first place we like to start. The bed is most important because that is where they will be doing their studying and spending much of their time. And they need their sleep,” observed Simone Marshall, a district customer service trainer for Bed Bath & Beyond stores in Toledo and Columbus.
Marshall said that when future students come into the store with questions, employees talk to them about bedding, toppers, and mattress pads that they might be used to at home.
BGSU has offered bedding that fits its beds through its Residence Hall Linens Program in an online market for more than 20 years. Fifteen percent of sales from the program goes back to residency programs for the students, Brinkman said.
At IKEA stores, retailers offer dozens of complete dorm-room layouts in their showrooms to help freshmen visualize how they might want their living spaces to look, said Derrek Shively, loyalty manager for IKEA Columbus.
“Everyone is unique and has their own personality. We provide the lifestyle options to bring out those personalities,” he said. “It’s all the items together so they can see how it looks, feels, functions.”