Get Ready For College With My Packing List & Tips

Find Everything Your Student Needs

Going to college is exciting and nerve-wracking — there’s so much stuff to buy. I know, I’ve been there…twice! I’m here to help you get ready for college with my packing list and tips so your student has everything they need to feel at home while away at school.

And, to make it easier for you — because this is a lot to process — I’ve compiled many of the items I researched and purchased for my kids along with the products listed below in my COLLEGE ESSENTIALS SHOP.

When my older daughter was going into her freshman year of college, I created a comprehensive college packing list. I continually update it and it comes in handy every year we pack for school. I’ve shared it below for you to download.

Moving to an off-campus apt or graduating and getting your first apt? I’ve got you covered. Check out my First Apartment Checklist. There you’ll some affordable furniture basics to get you started and my checklist will make sure you don’t forget anything important.

In This Post

I am far from an expert but, as with everything, you can be sure I researched what my girls would need at college – both on campus and off. Plus, I learned a few things along the way from my own experiences and those of my friends.

• Get To Know The Dorm
• Rent vs. Buy
• Packing Tips
• Driving vs. Flying
• Protect Your Property
• QUICK LINKS to College Shopping Sources
• Jump to COLLEGE ESSENTIALS SHOP
• College Packing List
• First Apartment Packing List

Get To Know The Dorm

One of the best things you can do before shopping is get to know the dorm. Each college provides, allows and prohibits different things. You and/or your student need to find out what they can bring, what can be rented and what’s forbidden. For instance, my daughter’s dorm did not let the kids have microwaves in their rooms. Some colleges have extra long beds so you’ll need Twin XL sheets. My daughter’s school provides regular twin beds, not XL. The list goes on and on.

Knowing the approximate size and layout of the room before you arrived is immensely helpful when deciding what extras to buy. For instance, if the dorm room is super small, don’t bother buying extra seating, a nightstand, etc., there won’t be space for them unless you loft the bed. If your son or daughter will be living in a suite, you’ll probably have more space to work with.

Rent vs. Buy

Some colleges have preferred vendors for large items, such as rugs, microwaves and mini-refrigerators. Their prices are usually competitive and they make drop-off and pick-up easier. You will need to decide if it’s more convenient and/or economical to rent vs. buy.

Rugs

If your son or daughter’s college offers you the opportunity to order a dorm room rug from their vendor, do it so it’s waiting for you at school. Otherwise, buy a very inexpensive area rug and have it shipped to the dorm so you have one less thing to lug.

Either way, at the end of the school year, the rug is going to be disgusting and go in the trash, even if they promise to vacuum it (which they probably won’t). There are countless inexpensive area rugs in a variety of sizes, colors, and pile heights on Amazon and Overstock. Don’t forget a non-skid rug pad or tape. The last thing you need is a call from your kid saying they slipped on the rug and cracked their head open.

Mini Fridge

Weigh the cost of renting vs. buying a mini fridge. If you expect your son or daughter will need it for two or more years, you might want to buy it. My daughter only needed a fridge for one year so we rented. Not only was it less expensive for her and her roommate to split the cost of renting a refrigerator their freshman year, but it was one less thing for us to have to buy, pack/ship, and put in storage. Plus, the university’s vendor had it waiting in the dorm room when we arrived and picked it up at the end of the year.

Microwave

Some colleges offer a microwave-fridge combination. Others do not. My daughter was not allowed to have a microwave in her room so the university provide one in the lounge on each floor. Like everything else, check what’s allowed at your school and in what size and voltage before buying. You can find small dorm microwaves at Amazon, Best Buy, Home Depot, and Target.

Packing Tips

Based on my experience and those of my friends, I have several packing tips to offer. Of all the stuff you buy, and there will be A LOT, the only packaging you should open before you get to school are those items that need washing, such as towels, sheets, duvets, mattress pad covers, etc. Otherwise, do not open, trash the box or take the tags off of anything until you get to the dorm in case they need to be returned or exchanged. There will inevitably be items you don’t use or can’t fit and you want to be able to return them.

Pack Like Things Together

Packing similar items together as much as possible will make unpacking in the dorm room easier. For instance, keep all the bedding together, desk stuff together, electronics and wires, toiletries, etc. We put anything spillable in zip-lock bags and then pack them in boxes along with breakables wrapped in a bit of bubble or packaging paper, just to keep them secure.

If you’re driving to college, you will need to fill every nook and cranny of your car. The blue bags lack mold-ability so I find packing in a combination of the above blue bags and heavy-duty trash bags is the most effective way to get the most stuff in the car.

We use the blue bags for clothes so they stay neat and garbage bags for shoes, bedding, towels, etc. Inexpensive heavy-duty trash bags are available at Home Depot where a box of 50 42-gallon contractor bags is $30, or a box of 50 33-gallon extra strong drawstring Hefty bags is $20.

TIP — Reuse the trash bags for garbage as you unpack in the dorm because there will be a lot of trash. If the bags are in good condition when you finish unpacking, save them for trash back home or to reuse them at move out. Leave a few blue bags with your student in case they want to pack up clothes they don’t need at school anymore to bring them home over break. It’s also good for them to have bags on hand so they can start packing before you arrive at the end of the year.

Pack These Last

I’ve found packing the following items in the car last makes unloading at the dorm more efficient.

~ Cleaning Supplies & Tools

Pack cleaning supplies and tools last so they are among the first things you bring into the dorm. You will most likely want to give everything in the room a quick wipe-down before unpacking and you will need your tools, especially a utility knife and/or scissors, as you begin unpacking and assembling.

~ Collapsible Step Ladder

What I like about this step ladder:

1. Safety first!
   • There’s a locking mechanism that has to be released in order to collapse the ladder.
   • Non-skid steps and feet.
   • The top handle provides stability as something to hold on to while going up and down the ladder.
2. The ladder folds flat for easy storage in a closet, under the bed or between furniture.
3. Lastly, the ladder doubles as an extra seat when friends stop by.

~ Foam Mattress Topper

No matter how tempted you are, do not open the foam mattress topper at home. Keep it in the box because you will never ever get it repacked as compressed as it is when it arrives in the box and space in the car will be tight. I promise, your son or daughter’s bed will be comfy by the end of move-in and the topper will continue to un-compress even if you make the bad. If you’re concerned about airing out any smell, carefully cut open the ends of the plastic packaging while the topper is still in the box so it can air out. But I did not notice any odor from the LinenSpa toppers.

~ Hand Truck/Dolly

I highly recommend bringing a hand truck that converts to a dolly to ease and expedite moving, more on that below. If you do, pack it last or where it’s easily accessible so you can pull it out of the car first and start loading it with things to go up to the dorm room.

Label Everything

Lastly, label your boxes and bags! It will make it so much easier to find what you’re looking for as you unpack. For the blue “Ikea” bags, I put a strip of painter’s tape on the short end of the bag (so you can see it when the bags are stacked) and write what’s inside with a sharpie.

On the black garbage bags, I either use a silver Sharpie to write on the bag and then put a piece of clear packaging tape over the ink so it won’t rub off or get on anyone’s clothes. Or, I write the contents on a Post-it or index card and then use clear packaging tape to affix it to the side of the bag.

Driving vs. Flying

My daughter is within driving distance of college (about 4 1/2 hours), so I know how to pack the car. But, full disclosure, my knowledge of how to pack when flying is limited to what I’ve learned from friends whose kids fly to school.

Either way, some items are just too big and bulky to bring in the car, such as large under-the-bed storage drawers. Your best bet is to order as much as you can online and arrange to pick it all up at school. Or, better yet, have it delivered to the dorm if you can (check with the school first).

Flying

For those flying to school, send your student with as much lightweight rolling luggage as s/he can manage on their own or that you can manage together. Ship what you can in boxes and pre-order everything else for pick up once you/they get to campus.

Driving

For those driving to college, this Roof Bag is a lifesaver! It has served us well for five years and counting. It’s waterproof, aerodynamically designed, available in two sizes, with or without interior duffel bags, and comes with a protective anti-slip mat for the roof of your car mat and straps.

I purchased the larger Roof Bag back in 2017. We’ve been using it to move our kids in and out of college for six years and it’s still in perfect condition. Two more years to go!

The other must-have item if you’re driving to college, is this hand truck that converts to a dolly. You can see the bright yellow handle in the back of my trunk in the above photo. While other families are waiting around for a rolling bin to become available, we load up our dolly and we’re on our way. I fashioned a base for the dolly out of corrugated cardboard so the bags don’t fall through (you can see how open it is in the pic below) and secure everything with bungee cords, below are the ones I have. The dolly and bungee cords have gotten us through five years of college move-ins and move-outs (three more to go), as well as moving my older daughter into Manhattan. Plus, the hand truck comes in handy for lots of other things too.

If you’re driving to school and get the hand truck/dolly (above), this is another item I suggest you pack last (more items to pack last above). You’re going to want to pull it out of the car first so you can start loading it with things to go up to the dorm room.

Protect Your Property

Renters Insurance

Check your homeowner’s policy to see if they cover items that are lost or stolen at college. Also check with the university because they may require renters insurance for your son or daughter’s personal belongings each year, whether they live in the dorm or off campus.

Lockbox

I highly recommend this under-the-bed combination lockbox. Both my girls have their own for keeping their laptops, jewelry, cash, passport, and other valuables safe when they’re not in the room.

What I like about this lockbox:

1. It has a combination lock so there are no keys to lose.
2. The attached metal cable threads around any bed frame so no one can walk off with the box (be sure to secure the cable around the bed frame, not the leg).
3. It’s available in several styles/colors.
4. It hides under the bed instead of in plain sight, reducing temptation. If someone reeeeally wanted to break into it, they could, but they would need time and opportunity. It is just a lockbox, not a safe…but locks keep honest people honest.

Swag

Lastly, make sure you send your student off to school with plenty of swag so they can show their school spirit! Fanatics and FansEdge are great places to start.

QUICK LINKS to College Shopping Sources

Be sure to check out my COLLEGE ESSENTIALS SHOP where I’ve compiled many of the items I purchased for my kids with links to simplify your shopping.

College Freshman Packing List

Best of luck to you and your student!

All prices are accurate and items in stock (unless noted otherwise) at time of publication.