1. 4" Mattress Topper
Having a mattress pad is essential in college. Actually, it's my number #1 product purchased off my website and I couldn't agree with my readers more.
I guarantee mattress provided to you in your dorm will be the least comfortable thing you'll sleep on unless you get a really good mattress pad.
This mattress pad is what I used my first two years of college and then passed down to my sister when she went to college. It is amazing and truthfully, made my bed even more comfy than my mattress at home.
Other mattress pads I recommend:
If you're against a foam mattress pad, try this Extra Thick Cooling Mattress Pad Cover. I'm moving into my own apartment next month and got this in a queen because the reviews are insanely good for it.
Get this 2.5" Memory Foam Mattress Pad that's under $50. I personally would spend the extra $20 to get the one I have above that's 4 inches though :).
2. 10' Phone Charger
LIFE-CHANGING. If you don't already own long phone chargers, treat yourself and buy these! It's under $10 and so nice to have even if you're not living in a dorm room.
However, these are extra nice in a dorm room. Dorms have very little outlets so an extra long charger is essential to being able to lay in your bed on your phone when it's dead...which I know you like to do ;).
These are also great for using at the library or coffee shop when chargers aren't right next to you. I've used my 10' charger all four years of college!
3. Towel Wrap
Showering in the dorms is a whole process especially if you are doing it in a communal bathroom. You have to carry all your things to and from the bathroom. So if you want to minimize the chance if your towel falling to your ankles in front of your neighbors, you need this towel wrap (especially if you're in a co-ed dorm haha).
Here's the towel wraps I recommend:
Here's a monogrammed towel wrap similar to the one I had in college.
Here is a towel wrap that is under $15.
5. Small Clip-On Fan For Your Bed
You will be praising this little fan when you're trying to sleep at night in your non-air conditioned dorm room. This is the only thing that kept me from not losing my sh*t in a room that was probably 85 degrees.
I love this fan because you can clip it to your railing of your bed. And it's less than $20...win-win.
Unfortunately, it's not rare for a dorm to not have air-conditioning so if you know that yours doesn't, get this clip-on fan.
If you have a larger dorm room, check out these larger fans:
I also had this Rotating Fan with Six Different Settings in my dorm room.
Get this AmazonBasics Standing Fan for less than $40.
6. Extension Cord + Power Strip
This is a no-brainer but something that a lot of people forget about it. We have SO many things in the dorm that need to be plugged in and with most dorm rooms only having two plugs, there is almost never enough spaces.
I really like this Power Strip because it has places to put USB cords.
7. HydroFlask
Hydro Flask's are actually life-changing. I swear I drink 10x as much water using this water bottle vs anything else.
It also keeps your water cold for hours. I bring this everywhere with me! It's definitely a dorm room essential but also a college essential that will last you forever.
Also, like every college girl on the planet owns one of these haha.
Here's some of my favorite Hydro Flask accessories:
This Wide Mouth Straw Lid helps you drink so much more water. And it's on sale for just $12!
This allows big Hydro Flasks to fit in your car's cup holder. I KNOW...you need if you have a car.
8. Mesh Shower Caddy
I am very passionate about this...get a mesh shower caddy, NOT a plastic one!
I made this mistake my freshman year and got a plastic shower caddy. Here's what happened with that...every time I would shower, water would get stuck in the plastic grooves. I would go back to my dorm room, put the shower caddy on the ground, and five minutes later there would be a huge puddle on the ground.
So moral of the story, get a mesh shower caddy because water drains out of it way better. This one is my favorite mesh shower caddy (used my sophomore year). Once you move out of dorms you'll probably throw it away but it is an essential for when you do live in a residence hall.
9. Sound Machine
The first few months I lived in my dorm room I was having such a hard time sleeping and studying because I am one of "those" who need it silent to get everything done...ya know, ADD kicking in.
When I was babysitting that semester, the baby had a sound machine that the mom would have me turn on every time he went to bed to block off all the noises happening around his room.
That got me thinking...DUH! This could block off noise when sleeping and studying in my dorm room. I ordered the exact Sound Machine the baby had (pictured above) and I kid you not, have used it every single night since. My sister also got one for her dorm room and can't sleep at night anymore without it on.
Short story summed up...if you have issues studying/sleeping around noise, a sound machine will change your life.
10. Small & Cheap Dirt Devil Vacuum
I am a clean freak and probably keep my room cleaner than 70% of college students BUT this vacuum is amazing in any dorm room. It's cheap and small but let me tell ya, it's mighty.
Dorms usually offer vacuums but in both of the dorm halls I was in, the vacuums that were provided were from the 1960's, 100+ pounds, and spit out more dust than actually sucked up dirt.
So, spending $20 on a small vacuum like this kept my sanity and gave me a really clean room.
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The post Sophia’s All-Time Favorite College Essentials appeared first on By Sophia Lee.
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