College is an exciting, yet nerve-racking time. Most college freshman have a very faint idea as to what they need to bring to college such as XL twin sheets, flip-flops for the shower, lots of snacks, and of course, money! But, there are probably a few things you haven’t thought about that will leave you with a “that would have been nice to know!” feeling. But, don’t worry you’ve come to the right place. Here is a list of everything you will forget, but wish you had.

1. Flashlight. Do you know what happens when the electricity goes out in a dorm building? Nothing! Because it’s too dark! A flashlight will really come in handy for maneuvering around a dark dorm building, as well as for walking to any night classes or school functions, like football games, that take place at night.
2. Fan. While most dorms are equipped with window air, dorms can get really stuffy, even when it’s cold outside. A fan will help to circulate the air and keep things feeling fresh.
3. First aid kit. You really begin to underestimate how important your mom’s first aid kit is, until you don’t have it. So, before you head to school, have her put together a mini-version of her first aid kit equipped with Tylenol, ibuprofen, cold/allergy medicine, cough syrup, band-aids (in different sizes), antiseptic spray, antibiotic cream, alcohol wipes, tweezers, etc. Your mom will know what else might be useful!
4. All-purpose cleaner. Living in a dorm is a messy situation! You never know when you might need to wipe down your desk or clean up that sink before you decide to use it! An all-purpose cleaner will come in handy for all those quick clean-ups.
5. Dry-erase/bulletin board. I’m sure you’ve seen them at the store. They have these bulletin boards that are half bulletin board and half dry erase board. These are extremely handy for leaving notes for your suite mates, jotting down important appointments or test dates, and tacking up your class schedule, so you don’t lose it!
6. Adhesive hooks/poster mounting tape. No college appreciates it when you leave a ton of holes in their walls, so go for adhesive, yet easy to remove versions of these. Adhesive hooks will provide extra space for hanging things, and poster-mounting tape will come in handy when you want to decorate your room.
7. Suction hooks. This kind of goes along with the adhesive hooks and mounting tape, but they are more useful in the shower. Community showers in dorms don’t really have a lot of places to set or hang your stuff besides the floor. So, these will come in handy for keeping all your things off the floor and dry.
8. Bathrobe. This will be nice to have when you are going to and from the community showers. For one, it will keep you from having to carry all your clothes with you and two, it will keep your from traipsing to and from the shower in more than just a towel.
9. A chest or footlocker that locks. This will really come in handy for storing valuables like money, jewelry, and all those valuable quarters you will use for laundry. As much as you may trust your roommate, its better to just eliminate the temptation by locking your valuables up.
10. Surge protector/power cord. Dorm rooms have extremely limited outlet space, and a surge protector/power cord will provide extra plug-in space and keep you from fighting with your roommate over the outlets.