The last few weeks of summer before the fall semester are similar to those last few weeks of the holiday season. Instead of crazed parents buying the latest trendy toys, there are college students looking for useful dorm items.
Whether you’re a freshman, senior or somewhere in between, you’ve been there. You’ve shopped everywhere from Target to Bed Bath & Beyond, combing the aisles for the perfect items to make your room your own. In the midst of all this exciting and sometimes tedious shopping, we sometimes forget the items we actually need for what we want. And just because you forgot these items over the summer doesn’t mean you can’t take a trip to the store now.
1. A shelf organizer
One of the most essential dorm items a student should buy is a shelf organizer, especially if you have tons of apparel or shoes clogging up your closet. Shelf organizers can easily be hung in your closet. And depending on what you specifically buy, they can hold shirts, jeans, scarves, shoes and anything else needed to survive in Binghamton. Not only will you have everything in one place, but your closet will also have more space.
2. Napkins and utensils that exist outside of the dining halls
Despite our meal plans, few people living on campus can say they’ve never had late-night cravings after everything on campus has closed. So, buying cheap food off campus is a must.
However, once we’re cooking our food, we also seem to forget to buy utensils and napkins. Instead of stealing the dining hall napkin dispensers and utensils, make everyone’s life easier by just buying your own.
They’re easy to find, cheap and reusable. And if you don’t want to clean, go with plastic.
3. Invest in a toolbox
This seems odd, but a toolbox could definitely come in handy. You don’t necessarily need a big fancy toolbox with a lot of items you don’t know how to use. A basic toolbox with just a wrench, screwdriver and hammer will suffice when something in your room happens to break.
Linda Cruz, a freshman majoring in English, experienced the need for a toolbox at one point last semester.
“I bought a vacuum from Walmart and one of the screws fell out so I needed to get a screwdriver to fix it,” Cruz said.
4. Buy a First Aid kit
You never know when you’re going to sprain your ankle playing a sport, get an evil paper cut from one of your textbooks or catch a small cold. A First Aid kit saves time and a trip to Health Services.
5. Get yourself a Pillow Pet
Last but not least, every student feeling rather lonely after a hectic night of studying and a lack of partying should purchase a Pillow Pet to fill the void. Yes, you read right. A Pillow Pet. They’re cute, soft and there’s a variety of “pets” to choose from.
Glennyce Irving, a freshman majoring in Spanish, strongly recommends this dorm item for everyone.
“It’s the perfect way to cuddle with someone when you’re lonely,” Irving said.
If you don’t already have these items, you may want to run out and get them. You never know when you’ll need them this semester.