Walking into my freshman year of college I had no idea what to bring.
I didn’t know what would be useful or what would turn into clutter in my dorm room, I had no idea what I was doing, I’d never been to college before.
Obviously, I searched “College Essentials” on TikTok and Pinterest and tried my best to find the absolute best products, storage, organizers, decorations and more to feel prepared for my first year of college.
As years have passed I wanted to share my college essentials that I still use from my freshman year and new essentials I picked up along the way.
Storage:
A storage cube is probably my favorite thing I’ve purchased for college.
It’s great for storage and can be used as anything.
As a freshman my cube was used as a stool to get on my bed, my snack cupboard and a seat when friends came over.
If I wanted it out of the way I could easily slide it right under my bed, but for the most part, it always stuck out a little.
Sophomore year, I used my cube for the same essentials.
Now living in an apartment in my junior year, I use my cube to store some of my things and as a stand for my Monstera plant, Ralph.
I have also always used a rolling cart to store all beauty, hair, face, and hygiene products.
This has been an easy and effective way to organize my products while still being able to grab them at anytime.
My rolling cart has been with me since day one!
Another storage essential I use is a stackable cube storage organizer.
I have been using these in my closets to store sweatshirts, jeans and shoes.
This has been an amazing way to add more storage to my closet while staying organized.
I love how you can customize the width and height to fit all different spaces.
Cleaning Supplies:
Always remember to bring cleaning products to keep your room nice and clean.
Freshman year my roommate and I bought a lightweight vacuum cleaner.
The vacuum cleaner is still with us today.
This purchase saved us, especially as girls because our room looked like a dog groomer’s half the time.
Well, we are college students so we were eating in our beds and at our desks most of the time and eating makes crumbs.
Glass cleaner is a need because your mirrors will get dirty and that’s gross. Clean your mirrors.
Also, some surface cleaners for messes and spills because they will happen.
Lastly, my cleaning essentials are paper towels or a rag. Without one of those, how are you going to clean? You could probably figure it out, but it might be hard.
Organizers:
Today I still use my drawer organizers and dividers for my dresser and they are awesome.
Most drawers in college are big and wide and just throwing socks, underwear, etc into a drawer is messy, it’s so easy to organize it.
I also use my drawer divider to separate all my different pants.
Both of these have been nice and easy ways to be able to see more of my clothes and know exactly where each clothing item is.
I also use organizers inside of my desk to store makeup and stationary things.
This is so nice because it allows for more space on top of my desk and less clutter.
I am also still able to see everything which is always a plus when organizing.
Decorations:
Decorations can be difficult because you are likely to switch some things up every year, at least I did.
My first recommendation is a rug or carpet of some sort. Most dorm floors are cold and look dirty even when they are clean.
A rug can really change the feel of your space, the room will feel cozy and more put together.
By the end of my freshman year, it was so gross, I’ve gotten a new rug every year.
The change helps spice up a new space!
I enjoy plants, but I didn’t want to take care of any so I bought a few fake smaller plants and flowers that I still use as decoration today.
Another idea to switch it up if you also like to decorate with flowers and plants is thrifting vases and buying fake flowers.
This way you can change what flowers or plants you have on display.
Lights have been such a fun decoration.
I use bulb patio lights for my room for a dimmer, more relaxing light.
Since freshman year I have had some sort of light because a big ceiling light is too much sometimes.
I also love decorating with posters.
Posters help take up wall space with creations you pick.
Today, I have posters of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Cyndi Lauper, Star Wars, and botanical flowers.
All my favorite things are scattered all around my room, what could you hate about that?
You can always add or replace posters so you can change up your decor as well.
All of these items have been a huge benefit while living at college.
As you adjust you figure out what works best for you and the lifestyle you live.
