20 Commonly Forgotten College Items To Add To Your Packing List
Make sure you don’t forget the essentials! Here are the most commonly forgotten college items that you need to add to your packing list.
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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, we’ll go over the most commonly forgotten college items so that you’re extra prepared on the big day!
The Most Commonly Forgotten College Items
1. Rain Gear
For some reason, it seems 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.
Most college students opt for a rain jacket over an umbrella. Umbrellas are a pain to carry around with you in and out of campus buildings.
We highly recommend investing in a good rain coat and a pair of rain boots for those stormy days.
2. Winter Gear
While we’re talking about seasonally specific items, don’t forget your winter gear!
If you’re going to school in a colder climate, make sure you pack some high quality, waterproof snow boots. We absolutely love Sorel boots because they’re cute and insanely warm.
You’ll also want to bring cold weather accessories like hats, scarves, and gloves.
Make sure to get gloves that are touchscreen compatible so you can use your phone while you walk to class!
3. Batteries
You’ll likely need spare batteries for lots of things in your dorm room.
Make sure to pack a small supply of standard battery sizes – mainly AA and AAA.
4. First Aid Kit
Yes, the front desk of your dorm probably has a spare bandaid. But do you really want to be waiting for the elevator with a giant paper cut at 2am?
Trust us, keeping a basic first aid kit in your dorm room will be so useful.
5. 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.
6. Scissors
Scissors are an easy item to overlook when packing for your dorm room. But they’re a must-have for dorm rooms!
You’ll need them from day one when you’re unpacking all of your dorm items. So make sure you pack a pair or two.
And while we’re talking about office items, don’t forget other essentials like tape, pens, highlighters, Sharpies, etc.
7. 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.
8. Shower Shoes
One of the most commonly forgotten college items is shower shoes. Trust us, you don’t want to be walking barefoot in communal bathrooms.
Make sure you get a pair with drainage holes so you don’t track a bunch of water around your dorm room.
9. Costumes
Trust us, you don’t want to have to scramble at the last minute to come up with Halloween costume ideas. Especially because Halloween is so early in the semester.
Bring a Halloween costume or two with you when you’re packing for college to save yourself the stress.
Looking for cute halloween costume ideas?
- 60+ College Halloween Costumes For Girls
- 35 Last Minute Halloween Costumes For Guys (Quick & Easy)
- 15 College Halloween Costumes for Cold Weather
10. 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 we’ve linked a few options.
11. Power Strips
One commonly forgotten (but super important) dorm room item is a power strip. Most dorm rooms do not have nearly enough outlets, and they’re always in inconvenient locations.
Having a power strip will allow you to plug in all of the essentials.
Pro tip: get a power strip with built in surge protection to avoid damaging your electronics.
12. Mattress Topper
One of the most crucial (but most forgotten) college items is a mattress topper.
Most dorm room mattresses are thin, hard, and uncomfortable. A thick mattress topper will make your bed so comfy and luxurious.
We SWEAR by this one from Amazon. It’s way thicker than standard ones, which makes it way more comfortable and luxurious.
It’s also machine washable, which is great for college dorm rooms!
[RELATED: How to Make Your Dorm Bed More Comfortable (Without Spending A Ton)]
13. White Noise Machine
If you have trouble falling asleep at night, a white noise machine is a GAME CHANGER.
It will drown out the noise from surrounding rooms and help you fall asleep quicker.
We’re big fans of the Hatch alarm clock, but they actually make a travel-sized white noise machine if you don’t need the full system. It’s a lot more affordable and it comes in lots of cute colors!
14. Foldable Step Stool
Unless you’re very tall, there are probably going to be spots in your dorm room that you can’t reach.
Bring a foldable step stool so you can easily access areas like the top shelf of your closet.
15. Wrinkle Release Spray
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.
This wrinkle release spray is straight MAGIC. You just spray it on your clothes, pull them taut, and the wrinkles will disappear.
16. Water Filter
Avoid buying wasteful plastic water bottles or making trips to the dining hall to grab water.
Investing in a Brita Filter for your dorm room will save you time and money.
Don’t forget to also pack a reusable water bottle to fill up and bring to class!
17. 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.
[RELATED: How To Hang Curtains In A Dorm Room: 6 EASY Methods]
18. Small Vacuum
For some reason, a lot of people think their dorm room won’t get dirty enough to vacuum throughout the year. But trust us, you need a small vacuum!
Get one that’s super slim like this one so you can just stick it in the back of your closet.
And try to get one that converts into a handheld vacuum for harder to reach spots!
19. Lock Box or Safe
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 or safe to your dorm.
Looking for more options? We have a full guide to the best safes for college dorm rooms.
20. 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!
[RELATED: How To Cool Down A Dorm Room With No Air Conditioning]
Looking for more college dorm ideas?
