17 Commonly Forgotten College Items To Add To Your Packing List ASAP

This post is all about commonly forgotten college items.

Moving into a dorm is one of the craziest times of your life. You’re moving away from home for the first time and trying to balance all of the excitement and newness.

No matter how prepared you feel, you’ll probably to forget a few items when you’re packing for college. In this post, I’ll go over 17 of the most commonly forgotten college items so that you’re extra prepared on the big day!

This post is all about the most commonly forgotten dorm items that you won’t want to leave at home.

Commonly Forgotten College Items

1. Rain Coat

For some reason, I feel like everyone forgets to bring rain gear to college.

No one wants to sit through an hour long lecture in soaking wet clothes because they had to walk to class in the rain. Not very many college students use umbrellas because they’re kind of a pain to carry around with you in and out of campus buildings.

I highly recommend bringing a good rain coat and pair of rain boots for those stormy days.

2. Winter Boots

While we’re talking about seasonally specific items, don’t forget your winter boots! Your professor is not going to give you a snow day so expect to be walking to school in the snow during winter.

If you’re going to school in a colder climate, make sure you pack some high quality, waterproof snow boots. I absolutely love Sorel boots because they’re cute and insanely warm.

3. First Aid Kit

Yes, the front desk probably has a spare bandaid. But do you really want to be waiting for the elevator with a giant paper cut at 2am? Trust me, keeping a first aid kit in your dorm room will be so useful.

4. Extra Long Charging Cable

These are an absolute dorm room essential. You may not have an outlet right next to your bed or desk so extra long charging cords always come in handy.

These are also great for studying in the library or coffee shops when outlets aren’t right next to you.

This three pack is under $15 and works great.

5. Nail Clippers and Tweezers

For some reason, I never remember to bring nail clippers or tweezers when I travel or pack for a move. They’re just those items that you don’t use often enough to remember!

Save yourself a first week of college trip to Target and just add a set of nail clippers and tweezers to your packing list right now.

6. Shower Shoes

One of the most commonly forgotten college items is shower shoes. Trust me, you don’t want to be walking barefoot in communal bathrooms. Any cheap plastic shoe will do.

You can’t go wrong with a basic flip flop for showers. This pair has drainage holes so they’re perfect for dorm showers.
These slides are a little bit more comfortable and cute enough to wear as regular shoes too.

7. Halloween Costumes

I always end up scrambling at the last minute to come up with cute halloween costume ideas. One of the things I wish I brought to college was a halloween costume or two.

Looking for cute halloween costume ideas?

8. Noise Cancelling Headphones

Another commonly forgotten college item is noise cancelling headphones. If you’re going to be living in a dorm, studying at the library, and working out at the gym, noise cancelling headphones will literally change your life.

There are a ton of noise cancelling headphones out there at different price points so I’ve linked a few options.

The Mpow Active headphones are super affordable and have a 45 hour battery life.
These Sony noise cancelling headphones are top rated on Amazon and are pretty much the best you can get.

9. Power Strips

Speaking of outlets, most dorm rooms do not have nearly enough and they’re always in inconvenient locations. A commonly forgotten dorm room item is a power strip.

Having a power strip will allow you to plug in all of the essentials. I like this one because it has built in USB ports too. Pro tip: get a power strip with built in surge protection like this one to avoid damaging your electronics.

10. Mattress Topper

One of the most crucial, but most commonly forgotten college items is a mattress topper. Most dorm room mattresses are thin, hard, and uncomfortable. A thick foam mattress topper will make your bed so comfy and luxurious.

I recommend getting one that is 2″ or more for maximum comfort.

Some mattress toppers I recommend:

11. Planner

I am a total believer in keeping a planner at all times, but especially in college! You can plan for your future assignments and keep all of your social events organized.

I’m absolutely obsessed with the Day Designer planner. It has daily, monthly, and yearly calendar views so you can plan ahead without missing anything. There are also a ton of extras like stickers, storage pockets, and extra pages for notes.

12. Mini Steamer

Trust me, there’s absolutely nowhere to store an ironing board and iron in your dorm room. Your clothes will also probably be extra wrinkly since you’ll be storing them in a cramped dorm closet.

I really recommend bringing a mini steamer with you to college. It’s definitely one of the things I wish I brought to college my freshman year. It takes up almost no space and gets rid of wrinkles really well.

13. Brita Filter

Avoid buying wasteful plastic water bottles or making trips to the dining hall to grab water. Save yourself time and money and invest in a Brita filter for your dorm room.

Don’t forget to pack a reusable water bottle to fill up and bring to class!

14. Blackout Curtains

If you’re a light sleeper and get woken up easily by the sun, blackout curtains will be an absolute dorm room essential for you.

Hang them with these no-drill curtain rods. PERFECT for your college dorm room.

15. Board Games

I was SO glad my roommate remembered to bring a few board games. They were so fun to pull out when we had friends over or if we were bored on a rainy day.

Some of my favorite board games for college students are Settlers of Catan, Cards Against Humanity, and Codenames.

16. Lock Box

Dorm theft is way more common than you might think. The most commonly stolen items are things like laptops, credit cards, textbooks, and small electronics.

Protect yourself from dorm room theft and bring a small lock box to your dorm.

17. Clip On Fan

Dorm rooms can get super stuffy, so you’re going to want to have some air circulation. This fan clips onto your bed so you can stay cool at night.

It’s super portable and easy to adjust so you can clip it to your desk while you’re studying too!

Looking for more college dorm ideas?