Mindy Carlson

My entire mom-ing career, I thought I was at peak school supply acquisition efficiency. One trip to Target, one trip to Staples and Boom! Done. Notebooks (the cool kind), binders, pens, calculators that cost more than my first car–I purchased all of it with ease.

But that’s nothing compare to college school supply shopping.

Shower caddies and bathrobes are the tip of the iceberg. There’s sooooo much more. You’re essentially setting up Baby’s First Apartment.

To help point me in the right direction I asked my Facebook friends for help.

Here are a few of the things they recommended–nay, required–I buy for my new college student.

Mattress Topper

A mattress topper was mentioned by darn near 90% of the people who commented on my post, so this is why I’ve listed it first. This. Is. Not. Optional. Whether you pick an egg crate topper or one of these cooling gel memory foam toppers that also makes cappuccino (it doesn’t really make cappuccino), your college kid is going to get the sleep they need.

Fan

A fan was the second most required item for a dorm room with an 80% comment rate. Our college kid liked this one because it has a telescoping pole and a remote so if he needs to turn it up or down in the middle of the night he doesn’t have to climb down his loft.

Small Fake Plant

This one cracked me up. But the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea of putting in a perma-green plant that your kid can neglect from here until the end of eternity and it will still add a cheerful touch to their dorm room. And this set of 4 is cheap!

Printer

The mom that suggested this was pretty sure her kid had a small business in printing other kids’ paper for them. But I do like that they don’t have to trek to a computer lab at 2am to print out anything crucial. This one is from HP and comes with 3 months of ink.

Extension Cords

Check your college’s regulations (our college has a limit to how many extension cords you can have), but I remember needing at least two surge protector extension cords for computers and other electronics. Nowadays USB ports are equally as, or more, important so this one is a great choice.

Portable Movie Projector

The dad who suggested this cited the small size and storability as to why this is a preferred purchase. Flat-screen TVs are great, but dorm rooms don’t have a ton of wall space and the new sizes are often too big. With this projector you can pop it out, play your video games or stream from your phone/computer, and then store it back in your cupboard.

My son has also cited a huge “coolness factor,” and who can say no to that?

Bedside Organizer

If you’re in a dorm you are 80% likely to have a lofted bed. I hated my lofted bed because I had to put my stuff on the corner of my bed and then I’d kick it off on the middle of the night (which my roommate really hated). I can’t imagine if I had a phone. So I’m adding this bedside organizer to the list. It holds their phone, a water bottle, tablets, novel, glasses, among other things.

(And it cracks me up the picture has a bouquet of flowers in it. Like you’re going to want to keep a bundle of fresh smelling flowers next to your nose at night in a boys’ dorm room. Hmm… on second thought…)

Shower Caddy

Somethings never change. I had a shower caddy when I went to college back in the paleolithic era and I begrudgingly loved it. This one has a lot more organizational pockets than what mine had. Am I *slightly* jealous? I’ll never admit to it.

FRAKTA Ikea Storage Bags

Better than suitcases, these puppies can scrunch down and zip shut to keep all your goodies from falling out as you haul them the 64 miles to their dorm room. You can get them in Canada or at Amazon.

Laundry Bag

This was also highly recommended, especially this kind of laundry bag that’s also a backpack and it has a pocket for laundry soap. This is the most hopeful purchase we’ll make for our young college guy for three reasons. 1) That he will actually put his dirty clothes in it; 2) That he will remember to wash his clothes; and 3) That he might haul them home in this so we can lay eyes on him from time to time.

Small Toolkit

The friend who recommended this knows what she’s talking about. Again, check your college’s regulations because ours is a little unclear about tools in the dorm. But who knows when you’re going to need to fix something at 3am.

There other suggestions, too. OTC meds for colds, headaches, etc, Lysol wipes, air purifier if the dorms are old, alarm clock with two alarm settings, and shower shoes. All are must-haves for your new college kid.

For bigger items, like the fridge, microwave, coffee machine, and toaster oven, check your college’s requirements. AU requires you to rent/buy your fridge from their trusted third party if you want a fridge with a freezer and/or a microwave. They also restrict electronic items that they consider fire hazards.

I recommend putting your wanted items on an Amazon Wish List. They’re treacherously easy to make, and it keeps your list organized. It also gives you a handy link to send to family who want to buy the college person a gift.

I hope you find this list helpful, and if you have other Must Have items, comment below.