This post is all about Laia’s all-time favourite college essentials.
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Moving into college dorms or uni halls can be really stressful, particularly the weeks leading to it and not knowing what you’ll need and what you won’t use. I was moving from another country and I went all out, which I regret deeply. I spent a lot of money on what I thought were college essentials and I ended up using half of the stuff and needing to spend money on other things I never thought about.
To save you from all that stress and spending, I’ve put together this list with all my all-time favourite college dorm room essentials, and I promise it’s a good one.
LAIA’S ALL-TIME FAVORITE COLLEGE ESSENTIALS:
1. 2.5″ Mattress Topper
A mattress topper is incredibly important in college. I remember arriving in my college dorm room, staring at the mattress and thinking: “how the heck am I going to sleep here?”. College beds are really uncomfortable and a mattress topper is a cheap and easy way to fix that.
This mattress topper is one of the things you ask most about and I totally understand why. It is a real life-changer and one of the most important college essentials.
Other mattress toppers I recommend:
– Get this 4″ mattress topper to make your college bed turn into a hotel bed. This is the exact one I have at home and I have never slept so well in my life.
– If you are not a fan of the memory foam mattress topper, try this Cooling Mattress Pad. This one promises to give superior comfort without extra heat and sweat and it has amazing reviews.
2. 2M Phone Charger
Welcome to not having outlets right next to your bed! If you don’t already own an extra-large phone charger, you must buy one before moving into college. One of the most important college essentials I can think of.
These are also great if you like working in coffee shops or at the library because you will never have to worry about not sitting right next to an outlet.
The iPhone charger below is the exact same one I bought when I moved into college dorms and I still have 1 out of 3 so it’s an amazing deal!
3. Extra Large Tote Bag
This one is not so much college dorm room essentials but general college essentials and one of my favourite ones at that. I have always been a big bag type of person, but starting college made it clear that my average-size bags wouldn’t suffice.
Luckily, one of my favourite brands got my back and launched the biggest and most convenient tote bag ever. Béis are famous for their incredibly high-quality and convenient bags, and their work tote is just insane.
Other extra-large tote bags I recommend:
– This Rush Waterproof Tote comes in a lot of colours and, it’s very cute. It looks really big, and it’d surely fit all your bits and pieces.
– The Schlepp Tote Bag by Matt&Nat is well-known for its versatility and quality, definitely a tote bag to bar in mind.
4. Large Water Bottle
This wouldn’t be the best college essentials list without my personal life-changer. I swear I drink 20x more since I bought a larger water bottle.
This particular one keeps my water cold for hours, and I bought a smaller one for coffee, which I consider one of the most important college essentials.
Other water bottles I recommend:
– This 720°DGREE flask is the one I used to have and I loved it. It’s not quite as big but it comes in a huge variety of sizes and colours.
– The Mango Water Bottle With Straw is the one I use at home and I am obsessed. It is so easy to drink from it that it almost creates a “moment of peace”, which makes David laugh every time I say it.
5. White Noise Machine
One thing that you need to know before moving into uni halls is that there will be noise 24/7. We all have different schedules and things to do so it’s pretty much impossible to sleep, and believe me I struggled big time with this.
A friend of mine recommended me to buy a white noise machine and it was absolutely life-changing. This turned into one of my favourite college dorm room essentials and dorm room essentials at home as well.
{Related Post: 10 AMAZING COLLEGE PLANNERS THAT WILL MAKE YOUR LIFE A LOT EASIER}
6. Crock Pot
Another one of my favourite college dorm room essentials – at this point I think I’ve said this about all of them. But now seriously, mastering the crock pot will make it look like you can actually cook.
One of the best college essentials if you have never fried an egg before and need to come up with a plan to prevent starvation in college. It is extremely easy to use and clean and you can also put it in the oven.
7. Cheap Vacuum Cleaner
If you are in the UK, your uni will provide you with some college essentials, including Henry, but he will always be busy. Sharing one vacuum cleaner with all your flatmates is a nightmare so I decided to buy a cheap one and it literally saved me.
I have moments when I really need to clean or it won’t get done until the next full moon and it was really annoying to find out that the vacuum was being used. I really recommend you a cheap vacuum cleaner or even a handheld one into your college essentials list.
8. Noise Cancelling Headphones
Noise-cancelling headphones should be at the top of your college dorm room essentials if noise really annoys you. I can’t concentrate or sleep if there is noise and these headphones saved my life when I used to study at the library.
This is one of the college essentials that you’ll use for everything so make sure they are comfortable and suit your needs.
Other headphones I recommend:
– If you like all things funky and colourful, these SuperEQ headphones will be absolutely perfect for you.
– Good old Beats headphones never disappoint and are really long-lasting.
9. Kindle
You’ll read A LOT in college and that means spending a lot of money in books. I didn’t buy a kindle until my second year at uni and it became one of my most-used college essentials for the rest of my degree.
A kindle saves you a lot of money and room in your tote bag and you’ll be helping the planet a little bit as well. Don’t get me wrong, I love books and I still buy them but at least all my college books are paper-free.
10. Erin Condren Academic Planner
This is one of my favourite college dorm room essentials of all time. I’ve used this one since 1st year and it’s been a real life-changer. It has absolutely everything laid out for you, and it’s incredibly simple to come up with a good system with this planner. Definitely one of the most important college essentials.
It has to-do lists, productivity pages, Class schedule pages and much more, so it will be really easy to stay on top of absolutely everything. You can customize all Erin Condren planners and they have hundreds of designs for all the areas in your life. I recommend 100%.
This post is all about college dorm room essentials.
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This is spot on. I have a large water bottle and it just good to keep it around but I work from home haha. Thank you for sharing these!