What NOT to Pack for College
Being a junior in college, I have quite a bit of experience moving in and out of dorm rooms. I would say from freshman year to now I have significantly decreased the amount of things I bring with me to Glenside each school year. We always talk about what to pack, but there isn’t much about what NOT to pack. Here is a helpful list I put together of things NOT to bring.
- Furniture: The school will provide you with the basic furniture that you will need. Bringing one or two things to spruce up your room a bit is fine, but too much will make your area feel crowded. If anything, you should bring a few items to try and open up the space. For example, a mirror.
- Printer: A printer may seem essential, but our school printers are accessible throughout the campus. From dorm buildings to the library, they are everywhere. So, don’t waste your money and space bringing one.
- Too much clothing: Overpacking clothing is probably one of the biggest mistakes people make when first coming to college. You pack for every season and every possible scenario. I promise you, you do not need to pack your whole closet. Something that I’ve found works really well is packing “basics.” This essentially means clothing that you could easily mix and match to make different outfits. You will more than likely wear the same couple of outfits on repeat regardless of whether you have a full closet or not.
- Iron/Ironing board: You will never use it. Plain and simple. I never brought one, but I did bring a mini steamer that has never left the box. A little life hack I learned if you need to get wrinkles out is hanging clothing in the bathroom with you while you shower. The steam will flatten out the wrinkles.
- Valuable/ irreplaceable items: This is pretty self-explanatory. Living in a dorm with people always coming in and out of your room, it’s not the best idea to have sentimental things just laying around. Unless you really need it, I would suggest leaving any valuables at home.
- Miscellaneous school supplies: College is very different from high school in that you don’t really know what you need until you get there. Hold off on buying notebooks, binders, etc.. until you get to your classes. Professors will let you know what supplies you will need. This was a mistake I made freshman year.
- Duplicates of items: I mean this in two ways: 1. Plan who’s bringing what with your roommate to avoid duplicates. You’ll save space and money! 2. Don’t bring a ton of extras. For example, toiletries. I know it’s tempting to be overly prepared. But I promise you, there are many different stores around where you can buy anything you need.. Even our Templeton Bookstore right on campus has many of your everyday necessities!
- Old high school apparel: A lot of people (okay, me included) bring their old high school apparel to college out of nostalgia. You won’t wear it so don’t even bother packing it. You’ll have more fun buying multiple versions of college apparel.
I hope this was helpful to anyone reading who might be moving away from home for the first time. One last tip: DO bring the things that make you comfortable or happy. They’ll get you through those days when you might need a lift. Good luck!
