15 Things You Will Definitely Need at College (but Forgot to Pack)

Packing for school can be overwhelming. Between reviewing the hundred item checklist you find on the internet, trying to figure out what will fit in your car, and making sure you don't overload your boxes, it can be easy for certain (very) important items to get lost in the shuffle. Here's a list of fifteen items you'll be sure to want at school: 

1. Mattress pad. Universities are designed to challenge students and to prepare them for struggles they are likely to face in the real world. College mattresses are no exception. Make sure you bring a nice, cozy mattress pad to place on top of your prison -- I mean college mattress, and I promise your back will thank you. 
2. Mattress encasement. "Why would I need a mattress encasement? There could never be bed bugs at my prestigious school," said I at the beginning of my freshman year. Cue the third week in November, when my roommate found a bed bug in our room, leading to four separate bed bug treatments, countless loads of laundry, and three months of anguish. Thirty dollars on a mattress encasement is beyond worth not having to pay to wash your entire wardrobe five times over. 
3. Surge protector. Was your school founded before 1950? Chances are, your room is not going to have enough power outlets to charge your phone, laptop, and iPad all while running your hair dryer, mini fridge, and TV. Protect yourself from power surges the night before your final paper is due, and invest in a surge protector. 
4. Headphones. This probably seems obvious, but headphones are one of the easiest things to forget about in the moving process. Just remember them. 
5. An extra phone charger. There is nothing worse than losing or breaking your phone charger at school, then being forced to hunt around your new college town for a new, likely overpriced charging cord in the middle of December. 
6. Your passport. Always be prepared for spontaneous adventures!
7. First aid kit. It's always good to have go-to medicines on hand. Be sure to have some kind of pain reliever, allergy medication, fever reducer, cough suppressant, and Band-Aids. 
8. Coffee pot. Yeah yeah, I know, some schools don't allow for any kind of coffee pots or kitchen appliances in your dorm room. Of course, you should always follow school policy, but if it's allowed, a coffee pot is an essential dorm appliance for obvious reasons. 
9. Reusable water bottles. I carry a 64 oz water bottle with me around campus every single day. It has basically become my signature. While you don't have to be quite so intense about it (although I highly recommend it), having a reusable water bottle on campus is essential. Save the environment, stay hydrated, and put all of your club stickers on it. Win-win-win. 
10. Backrest pillow. Your college headboard will be metal, wood, or nonexistent. If you like to work, relax, or read in bed like yours truly, a backrest pillow is an absolute must. 
11. Insurance cards. This again may seem obvious, but they are easy to forget. If you have a car on campus, make sure you have your insurance information with it. It is always wise to carry your health insurance card with you as well in case of emergency. 
12. Desk lamp. The lighting in my dorm was awful. We had two small windows in our common space that we preferred to leave closed because our dorm was located on one of the busiest streets in Cambridge,  so natural light was out too. Having a desk lamp will help you work late into the night without disturbing your roommates, and help you achieve optimal selfie lighting. 
13. Sleeping bag or air mattress. Chances are, at least one of your friends will want to visit you during the school year. If you don't have a couch in your dorm, bring a sleeping bag or air mattress, so that they can spend the night more comfortably. 
14. Extension cord. Just as college dorms never have enough outlets, so too do college dorms always put the outlet just close enough to your bed that your phone can rest on it, but never close enough so that you can use it. I don't make the rules. Beat the system with an extension cord. 
15. Photos. Photos make your dorm feel like home. They take an empty, unfamiliar space, and turn it into something personal that feels like it is really yours. That said, I would strongly advise against buying any kind of wall-hanging photo display, even if it is advertised as "dorm safe." I fell victim to the dorm safe trap. Five holes in the plaster of my dorm wall later, I decided to never fall for it again (although I covered the holes with a Pulp Fiction poster, and all my friends thought I was edgy and cool). 

-Alexis Mealey
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