Ultimate College Back to School List, Dorm Essentials, and Adjusting to Dorm Life

Whether your weeks, or even a year, away from sending your kiddo off to college, I have something for everyone!

I can’t even begin to tell you how far along the retail industry has come in the availability of products geared specifically towards dorm rooms since I graduated from college!

I am SUPER jealous of all the cool storage and decor that’s now readily available.

My mom and I on move in day, The Ohio State University 1996

I lived in the dorm all 4 years that I attended college, with three of those years being a Resident Advisor, so dorm life is something that I still hold near and dear to my heart.

As you’re packing, either yourself or your baby, and heading off to college, here are a few things to remember.

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Check out where you’re living ahead of time and the rules

EVERY college is different as far as what comes standard in the room and even what is allowed in the rooms.

Most schools have an extensive list of things that are allowed as well as room dimensions and even better, 360 degree views of the room.

Regardless of where you’re going, it’s better to check out your new digs so there are no surprises.

As a former Resident Advisor, it’s best to just abide by the rules and save yourself and your kiddo the frustration of being written up or even incurring fines.

Renter’s Insurance

Check with your homeowners insurance to find out if stuff in the dorm room is covered and if not, purchasing renter’s insurance is recommended.

Renter’s insurance is typically relatively cheep and truly safeguards your kiddo and their belongings from someone on their floor or even a floor above who may do something that causes damage.

Of course if you’re living off campus in an apartment, definitely get the renter’s insurance.

I lived next door in an apartment to someone who didn’t have renter’s insurance and literally the week after they moved in they had a break in and nothing was covered.

Reach out to your roommates

Usually you’ll find out who they are ahead of time, reach out to them, friend them on Facebook and other social media channels.

Even if you’ve known this person since grade school, it’s super important to coordinate who is bringing what so everyone doesn’t show up with a TV and a DVD player and your room can barely hold one TV and DVD player.

A guide on handling stress, to laundry, to studying.

Now is also a good time to start talking about living together expectations.

If you’ve never lived with anyone before or if you’re like me and have no siblings, there’s some things you’ll want to address. You’ll want to address things like:

Cleaning
Visitors (especially over night ones)
Schedules
Studying
Noise
Personal property and sharing:
-food
-alcohol
-clothes

Typically once you get to college you’ll write out all of your expectations and sign off on them, but at least you can get a head start on the conversation.

Get to packing!

This is a gentle reminder that whatever you take to college, has to come back home.

Double check with the roommates to see who else is bringing what and if it can be considered community property.

Don’t assume that what’s there is yours and vice versa, see the roommate discussion above.

Check out local Facebook Marketplace sales for gently used dorm decor. You would be surprised what is out there and for a great deal.

Also again I can’t stress enough, find out the rules on what’s allowed and not allowed in your dorm rooms.

As for clothing, now may be a good time to consider a capsule wardrobe.

If you’re heading to a different part of the country that you’ve never lived in before, check out what the average temperature is and the types of weather that they have each season.

Just ask my husband originally from California who didn’t believe that it really got cold or snowed in Ohio and showed up with what I can only describe as a windbreaker. (It’s actually a really funny story) Bless it.

It’s move in day, now what?

This day is going to be full of all the emotions.

Months of planning, shopping, and getting ready to launch your kiddo into the next chapter, as well as all their emotions is going to be a lot.

Pack snacks, water, and loads of patience. (Reminding myself of this one too.)

I was a “little” spicy on move in day, this is an accurate depiction of the day.

I wrote my parents a long letter and made a mixed tape for them to listen to on the way home.

This day and age with text messaging, Face Time, and unlimited minutes it’s truly a different world our kiddos live in so hopefully it won’t feel so distant no matter how many miles separate you from them.

To help you with move in, don’t forget these items:

Be mindful how you pack your vehicle for move in. Things like decor and clothing should go in first so they come out last. Rugs and cleaning supplies should be the last to go in your vehicle so they’re the first to come out when you arrive on campus.

And if you forgot something, thank goodness for Amazon and other on demand shopping.

This is an exciting time in their lives as they get to explore a whole new world and it will come with all the adjustments.

They’ve got this and you’ve got this.

Without further ado: