As a senior in college, I’ve wasted my fair share of money on things I thought I needed for my dorm or college apartment, but I ended up never touching them once they got put away. Places like target and amazon curate collections they deem as college essentials, but are they really essential?
I looked up “dorm essentials” on amazon and here are some of the products and whether I think they are truly useful or not. Of course there are the obvious things like a shower caddy, Brita, and mattress pads that are a yes, but what about everything else?
Power strips
YES!! I have had at least 3 of these in my dorm / apartments every year. Bring a few!!! Especially in dorms, they’re very useful. You’re sharing one room with another person, and there are limited outlets.
Desk lamps / alternate lighting
Also yes, the overhead lights become painful and it’s always nice to have a dimmer option that won’t give you a headache.
LED strip lights
Not really.. I know a lot of people use these but the exposed lights can kind of look tacky and most of the time just end up peeling the paint off the wall when you take them down which leaves you with a fine after moving out. The colored lights can be fun but there are other ways to do this that look better and won’t cost you once you move out.
Plates and bowls
For dorms I’d say one bowl is good, but no plates. I brought a few my freshman year and the plates accumulated an absurd amount of dust, I don’t think I used them once. The bowls were good for things like ramen or mac and cheese, but it always was a pain having to wash them in the communal bathroom.
Bedside shelf / caddy that attaches to the side of your bed
Probably not, it just got in the way and I took mine down a week later. Having some kind of separate drawer set or table next to your bed is just fine and is more functional and can hold more anyway.
Be cautious with buying snacks too, I definitely have let some chips go stale and seen some moldy bread or produce.
The rest is all up to you. It’s trial and error and you’ll figure out what works best for you. But don’t over-buy, I know it’s exciting buying things for your first dorm, but you don’t really know the nitty gritty of what you truly need till you’re there! If you don’t end up using something you bought, see if a friend might make better use out of it.