Things you never even realized you would need until you are unpacked, and your roommate comes in with a million more useful things than you did. So here's the first college dorm life advice post! And to keep this post short-ish (because there are a million things that you'll discover you should have brought, damn it, and I don’t want to cram them all into one long-ass post)
I arrived at college a week early, because I was going on a pre-orientation trip with a few other freshman who chose to do so as well. My trip was at the base of Mt. Hood and we did fun outdoorsy stuff for three days, but that's besides the point.
Now, I had to drive up from the Bay Area in my little '95 Corolla. That thing was PACKED to the windows. We packed it as packed as we could pack it and still (kinda) see out the windows.
And as soon as my roommate's stuff started showing up on her half of the room, and she and her mother settled that stuff everywhere, I realized just how much I lacked.
First advice subsection: dishes. I don't care how awesome your college meal plan or dinning services are. There's a good chance you won't be able to find the exact food you want all the time. Plus, it can be annoying not having something to snack on while you do homework. Ergo, you will steadily accrue a more and more impressive array of snacks and favorite foods. Most will be finger foods. But some (and the likelihood of this increases tenfold if you have a minifridge) require plates, bowls, cups, spoons, knives, and forks to eat/make. Most dorm halls have at least one microwave somewhere in them; you will need plastic or ceramic plates to make food in them.
I came to college with a set of camping dishes I had purchased for my pre-orientation trip, but I soon found they were insufficient. The spoon was too big and shallow to eat cereal; the cooking pot didn't really work as a bowl for cereal. It was, well, a pot. The plates are perfect size! But they're metal so I can't use them in microwaves.
Fortunately, there is a thrift store down the street from my college. Let me say this and make it very clear: thrift stores are your best friend. I got two spoons, a bowl, and two mugs for somewhere around $5.00. These items are perfectly safe to use after washing them in hot water and soap.
Note: dish soap is not overrated. Again, it varies from college to college, but the soap dispensers on my floor tend to stop working right when you need them, and unclean dishes are not good to eat out of.
Do not make the same mistake I did! Plan ahead better — for me that was a little difficult because I had to move from a house into a living room two weeks before leaving for college, so I had added stress of packing for college and deciding what to leave behind, narrowing down my belongings, etc., and it is my belief that had that not been the case I may actually have the things I needed when I came here.
IN conclusion: get your parents to buy as much Costco food for you as possible, make sure you have a mug or two, bowls have many uses, and don’t be mean to the environment by buying disposable plates.
-Doc Badass
No comments:
Post a Comment