For some, starting college can be an exciting time, but it can also be overwhelming.
Prepping for college can be stressful and many students are surprised that they need unexpected items.
Some start planning as early as high school to try to anticipate what they need to bring or be prepared for.
“I started planning for college in eleventh grade,” Shippensburg alumna Julia Reichman said.
Every college-level institution is different, but most provide a list of what to bring and what not to bring.
“If you are looking to bring something specific for your dorm, and are questioning if it’s allowed, you’d have to see if your specific residence hall has any restrictions,” East Stroudsburg University student Cody Kulp said.
Some students get homesick when going off to college, so it is helpful to decorate their dorm like their room at home.
“When prepping for my dorm room, I covered the necessities first, that being bedding and comfort utilities, [like a] TV, fridge and microwave,” Kulp said. “Outside of that, there were things that I knew I wanted to take along with me from my room to make it feel more like home, like pictures or a record player.”
Some feel like organization and time management tools are helpful.
“Something I wish I did was get a calendar,” East Stroudsburg University sophomore Luke Hofmann said. “It helps a lot with organizing yourself because as the year goes on, work starts to pile up on you.”
Reichman agrees, feeling like a calendar can help organization.
“I really recommend using a desk calendar so you can visualize what you have to do,” Reichman said.
Many college students feel that organization is important.
“I feel like organization helped me so much,” West Chester University freshman Kaeleigh Bagley said. “To do that, I planned on my phone’s calendar as well as with my professors just by really communicating what needed to be done before the next class or whenever it was due.”
Some students living off-campus or attending online school agreed as well.
“I think it’s important you are prepared for college with a calendar,” Southern New Hampshire University freshman Brianna Henkel said.
As much as a calendar for planning out schedules and organization help to keep you on track, others feel it is important to get practical things for their dorm rooms.
“I collected bed risers for my bed because they helped give me more room under my bed, but other than that the rest of the stuff you kind of find out what you need as you go,” Hofmann said.
Some feel that lighting is an important part of decorating your dorm.
“No matter where me and my friends have gone to further our education, we all said we needed extra lighting in the dorms,” Bagley said.
Besides basic living things for a dorm room, many feel that there are necessities for going out.
“Make sure you have money to go out to do things or just eat. You are going to go out and do things even if you don’t think you really will,” Bagley said.
Reichman feels similarly, believing that going out is an important part of college, but that academics should not be forgotten.
“Make sure you are managing your time wisely; parties can be fun, but stay focused on why you’re there,” Reichman said.
Some feel it is also useful to be prepared for the weather changes, like Hofmann, who is attending college in the Poconos.
“Bring an umbrella,” Hofmann said. “I thought that I would be okay with just a raincoat, but the umbrella is very helpful.”