College essentials
What to bring and what to leave behind for freshman year
As summer comes to an end, students are preparing to head off to college for the first time. They’ll arrive at campuses across the country with car trunks, suitcases and yes, even U-Hauls, crammed with loads of stuff their family, their friends, the Internet and colleges themselves claim is necessary to survive freshman year. We’ve polled some of the interns in The Denver Post newsroom this summer for their advice on what to bring and what to leave behind.
1. What did you pack for college that you never used?
I packed pots and pans that I never used. That could have just been me, but I never used them. — Matt Cohen
A jacket. I go to school in Arizona, so I never had to wear one. — Amy Edelen
Lots and lots of blankets. Maybe it was just because it was Syracuse, but the conventional wisdom about drafty dorm rooms didn’t prove to be true at all. We were walking around the dorms in shorts and T-shirts in January.
— Jessica Iannetta
My freshman roommate and I bought a couch from a thrift store when we moved into our room. Neither of us spent much time in the room, so it just took up space — a lot of space. And it had an odd odor that never went away despite the copious amounts of Febreze we sprayed on it. — Matt Leonard
I brought way too many decorations. The more decor you have, the more cluttered your dorm room feels! In general, I wish I brought fewer clothes as well. You do not need as much as you think you do! — Annika Mueller
My mom tried to pack me with everything including this electric blanket that she swore I would use. I don’t think I ever took it out of the box. I couldn’t tell you where it is now.
— Cameron Wolfe
2. What do you wish you brought more of?
Money. My advice to all who have summer jobs to save up for college: save your money instead of spending it because you will need it later if you want to avoid eating ramen.
— Amy Edelen
Board games and games in general. My roommate was smart enough to bring Apples to Apples, and another person on my floor had Cards Against Humanity. They were great icebreakers and a good way to get to
know people freshmen year. —
Jessica Iannetta
I am an expert at losing pens and pencils, so I can never have too many of them. Also, Clorox wipes — my main method of cleaning when I lived in a dorm room. — Matt Leonard I wish I had brought more towels! And quarters. You have no idea how many quarters you need for laundry and how hard it is to get them when you need them! I also wish I had brought more “nice clothes” and clothes for going out like silky tops and jewelry. People dress up a little to go out and I didn’t have enough! —
Annika Mueller
I wish I brought more money! By second semester, I blew through a good bit of my funds, and eating in the cafeteria on the weekends was miserable. — Cameron Wolfe
3. What did you pack that you used all the time?
Snacks ... just kidding. I had a very nice shoe storage device that hung in my closet and freed up some space in my room. — Matt Cohen
My laptop. — Amy Edelen Extension cords. The outlets in dorm rooms are never where you need them to be. — Jessica Iannetta
Rain jacket. And clothes in general.
— Matt Leonard Clothes for different kinds of weather. Sunglasses. Rain boots. Rain jacket. Weather happens in Colorado. Walking to class while it is raining hard is not fun, i.e. no UGGs in a blizzard. Bring snow boots, too! — Annika Mueller
My mom insisted I go buy a bulk of laundry detergent, soap and deodorant before I left, and that saved me so many trips to the store. I changed at least twice a day in the Houston summers. — Cameron Wolfe
I wish I had an unlimited supply of snacks. Just snacks
of all kinds, so it would’ve been nice if I had packed a car-full of granola bars.
— Matt Cohen