Off-to-College Checklist

Greetings and Blessings!!!!

Hope you ladies are enjoying your summer break!!! But as we all know some good things must come to an end and that means summer is almost over and it will be time to get back to school. Some of you will be entering into middle school, high school, and college. For those of you who are entering into college you are about to embark on an incredible journey that will set the foundation of entering into adulthood. During this time you will experience an abundance of things that will help you and guide you into figuring and finding who you are.

Whether you are leaving off to go to college or staying near home and attending a local university, it is important that you take items that you will need and will be able to fit into your dorm room. But first, you have to make sure you have a checklist.  This checklist helps you in becoming organized but it will help you in getting and having all your basic essential items that you need. The first will be making sure you have all of your paperwork together. This paperwork includes making sure you have your FAFSA filled out and completed, having and making copies of your SAT/ACT test scores, and transcripts. When I was in undergrad I learned to make copies of EVERYTHING and keep the original for myself. I have heard many of times about the financial aid office at my school losing or misplacing a student’s paperwork. You will only need this paperwork when dealing with the financial aid office, you don’t have to carry it around everywhere with you. So in order to avoid anything from happening make sure you have all your important documents placed in a folder. You will be assigned a financial aid counselor and it they will help you with everything pertaining to financial assistance for school. So it is good to build a rapport with them because they will be there to help you if you have any concerns or questions.

The next thing to tackle would be getting things for you to live in your dorm room. Now, I did live in a dorm room up until I transferred to another school and those rooms are not spacious and you really have limited space to put everything once you unpack and get settled in. All dorm rooms have a twin size bed, dresser drawer, closet, mini-refrigerator, and a desk. So it is important that you take with you what you need from home but you can also buy what you need when you get there as well.

PERSONAL SUPPLIES

• Clothes – The number and kind of clothes you plan to pack will probably depend on the weather conditions of your college, your budget, how often you plan to do laundry and the size of your closet. That said; do not forget essentials such as hangers, belts, underwear, socks, scarves, pajamas and a weather proof jacket. A pair of ballet flats or sandals, boots, and sneakers.
• Bedding– 2 to 3 sets of extra-long twin sheets, pillowcases, a memory foam mattress pad and a quilt.
• Toiletries– Other than your regular make-up, skin and hair care items, essentials such as a small mirror, nail clippers, nail file, tweezers and wet wipes will come in handy.  Be sure to pack bath time essentials such as toilet paper, bath and hand towels, a shower caddy, soap dish, bathrobe and flip-flops.
• Kits– A tool kit (very necessary), a sewing kit and a first-aid kit which includes vitamins, allergy meds, and pain killers.

DORM ROOM SUPPLIES

• Dorm decoration– some colorful rugs, personal mementos, framed  pictures and wall posters can brighten up your dorm room and make you feel more at home.
• Dorm Cleaning products and supplies-broom, dustpan, cleaning rags and a wastepaper basket.
• Kitchen essentials– utensils, a set of basic cookware, mini-fridge (if your dorm doesn’t already have one), dish soap, kitchen towels, storage containers, can and bottle openers, Saran wrap and aluminum foil, chip clips, water, and some disposable utensils.
• Laundry items– such as a laundry hamper or bag, detergent, a clothesline or drying rack and rolls of quarters for laundry.
• Electronic items– such as a blow dryer, TV, laptop, iron, radio alarm clock, phone, headphones, chargers, batteries, hand-held vacuum, an extension Cord (if allowed by the college) and a power strip.

SCHOOL SUPPLIES

• Writing essentials– such as pens, pencils, erasers, sharpeners, notebooks, loose-leaf college-ruled filler paper, folders, binders and computer paper to print out assignments.
• Organizational supplies– such as post-its, thumbtacks, glue sticks, scissors, scotch tape, stapler, paper clips, a desk organizer and a backpack.
• Study tools– such as index cards, highlighters and permanent markers, USB drives, study lamp or clip-on reading light, clipboard, dictionary  and calculator.

OTHER ESSENTIALS THAT WILL COME IN HANDY

• A couple of combo locks– for safeguarding valuable stuff in your dorm room or you can purchase a lock-box.
• Passport or state ID– for colleges and university travel abroad programs.
• Miscellaneous items– Stamps, envelopes, some favorite books, under-bed storage, umbrellas and duct tape.

These items are pretty much the basics of what you’ll need for living in your dorm room. As you progress each semester, you’ll develop your own pattern in what you need and what you don’t need. Also, having a roommate and interacting and getting to know the other young ladies in your dorm will be an exciting time. Being able to develop a bond and friendships with them is one of the things that’s needed during your first semester of college. Living in a dorm and being right on campus is a great experience.

I enjoyed writing this post, it took me back to when I was just starting off as a freshman in college and how I had to learn and find my own way but I was also glad to have help along the way! So I hope you ladies that are getting ready to start college find this post helpful and I look forward to writing more post about the college experience!!!

Be Blessed

Christina