what should i bring??

Deciding what “dorm essentials” to bring to campus is a huge deal. You don’t want to roll up to campus Elle Woods-style with an 18-wheeler and a team of movers, but you do want to make sure that you have enough stuff to get you through at least the first night. (This means sheets, kids. Extra-long twin.) Every school has its own list of what it “suggests” that you bring, which usually includes what is forbidden in the living spaces. These items usually include small electronics like coffee makers and toasters, since they pose a fire hazard if used improperly… like when they’re plugged into the same completely full power strip as your computer, printer, TV, DVD player, and hair dryer. (Dorms, especially older ones, suck when it comes to number and spacing of electrical outlets.)

While your school has a list of what to bring, which probably errs on the conservative side, every store that can remotely make money off of the college-bound crowd has one, too. These are usually a bit more extravagant, with “essentials” including items like fuzzy throw pillows and a sofa bed. (Lucky you if you have space in your dorm for a sofa bed! None of mine ever fit an extra chair comfortably.) Some of these not-so-essential items do make college life easier, but when buying them, always remember that dorm space is at a premium. You don’t want to clutter up every inch of the room with stuff because it may start to feel tight and claustrophobic, especially during finals when you’re camped out in there for at least a week. Also, consult your future roommie to see what s/he is bringing… because two sofa beds definitely won’t fit!

Here are some great places to get all of you stuff*:

*These are not paid endorsements. They are based solely on my personal consumer experiences!

Target/K-Mart/Wal-mart. All of these stores specialize in the back-to-school business and even their full-price items are inexpensive yet still of quality. I’m more of a Target (Tar-jhay) girl myself, and I remember walking around the store finding deals like 10 notebooks for $1.99 and really cute sheets for like $5. (And when buying schools supplies, remember to pick up things for the Spring semester, too. They won’t be on sale in January.)

Bed Bath + Beyond/Linen-n-Things. A bit more expensive, but great places to buy some less mass-market items, if originality is your thing. And around the back-to-school time, they send out these amazing “20% OFF YOUR ENTIRE PURCHASE” coupons. They are definite exceptions by brand, but for the dorm stuff that you’ll probably throw away at the end of the year anyway, these discounts are great.

Best Buy/Circuit City. For higher quality, yet not too pricey electronics, you can’t beat these places. I got a $15 DVD player from Best Buy because it was the display model, so try to finagle a deal! Also, these stores tend to have sales like 3 DVDs for $10, though with Netflix this might not be as good a deal as before… though with slow campus mail systems, Netflix might not be so great either.

Allposters.com. Putting pictures and posters on the walls is a great way to personalize your dorm. Allposters.com has a huge selection of posters and prints at pretty inexpensive prices. Another good thing is that there is usually a sale going on, which usually includes free shipping!

Campus bookstore. The Columbia bookstore saved my butt a million times with the random things that I forgot to bring (or mysteriously broke throughout the year). Many of them have house wares sections with everything from cooking utensils to irons to laundry baskets to bookshelves. These stores are a great resource but you definitely pay a higher price for the on-campus convenience.

If you are unsure about a particular purchase, a good thing to do is to wait until you are on campus to see if it is actually an essential, or if it is something you can live without. This way, you won’t waste money and precious space on items that you don’t really need.

roommie drama 101

there are few things that produce more anxiety in college-bound students than thinking about their future roommate(s). the thought of living with a complete stranger (and hating it) is enough to make some students contemplate being commuter students or living off-campus from day 1. this is entirely understandable, seeing how most of us have never had to live in such close quarters with anyone outside of our own families before… and sometimes we don’t even get along with them! people usually jump to the worst possible scenario (“what if i HATE them?”) without considering that it might be cool to live with someone who they’re never met before. (you might even get to like them!) even though problems are bound to arise between any roommates, even those who are BFF beforehand, it is probably not a good idea to enter the situation knowing that you’re going to hate it (or the other person). because you probably will, and you definitely won’t give it a chance. being open-minded is always a good thing.
despite even the best of intentions, issues will come up that will need to be addressed. below are some of the more common roommate disputes that i had to resolve back in the day when i was a resident advisor (RA).

• tidiness: one roommie is bothered by the general cleaning habits (or lack thereof) of the other. sometimes the cleaner one was a bit OCD, but other times it was completely valid… & completely disgusting!
• noise levels: one roommie is louder or engages in louder activities than the other.
• study habits: one roommie needs complete silence to study while the other needs the tv, ipod, & radio on in order to function.
• bf/gf issues: the double becomes a triple when one roommie gets into a relationship.

while all situations (listed or not) are different, there are a few general ways to fix or even prevent them.

• headphones: this is usually the simple, easy answer to roommate drama, especially when it involves noise and studying. my frosh year roommie and i had different tastes in everything, but we managed to survive together thanks in large part to the fact that everything that emits a sound has a headphone jack.
• roommate contract: sounds really corny, but it’s definitely helpful. at the beginning of the year, you and your roommie fill out a sheet with what you agree to do in order to make the dorm space comfortable for both of you. agreeing to things like ‘i won’t bring people over past 10pm on a weeknight’ and ‘i won’t hit the snooze alarm for an hour’ will help your relationship get off to a good start and help you become a more considerate roommate. your RA might have these, but there are downloadable forms that you and your new roommate can fill out together.
• mediation with RA or other res life person: when a serious issue comes up, it is best to talk to your RA (or the equivalent). RAs know the residential life rules the best and can help you and your roommie make the best decision about your future.
• roommate swap: if it gets that bad, then look into switching rooms… provided that there are some available.

it is important to note that most problems can be solved through open communication between you and your roommate. in most of the roommate mediations that i was part of, the issues were those that had been festering for a long time. if something that your roommate does annoys you, don’t just wait to see if they change it, because they probably won’t. speak on it the first or second time so that you don’t blow up at them the tenth or eleventh time. in other words, try to fix it in september so that you’re not fighting about it in march.