25 Things For Freshman

After admiring your acceptance letter, choosing your housing and mentally preparing yourself for new faces, places and a new campus, you are officially ready. Let the college years begin. Even thoughyou’ve checked your lists twice (okay, three times) and feel so ready for the big move, it’s still easy to overlook a few things you’ll want to have with you at college. Here is HC’s list offorgettable (yet essential!) items that will make your dorm comfier, encourage you to stay organized, take your social life to the next level and more!

For Your Dorm Room

1. Bathroom shelving
Browsethrough the house wares section of bargain stores for multi-purpose bathroom shelves that can double as wall shelves, like these at the Container Store. They’re less bulky than regular wall shelves – sothey’ll hang easier, too. “These are awesome for dorm rooms because they help you maximize your dorm space,” Harper Yi, a Her Campus correspondent at The College of William & Mary, says. “Verticalspace is key when you are living in a small area.”

2. Double sided-tape and command strips
If your dorm, like most, is strict about hanging things on walls with nails (which most are), pack these.Double-sided tape is great for small items, like single pictures or thin posters. Command strips go on easily, hold tons of items (purses, large picture frames, towels and more) and won’t leave markswhen you remove them. No damage, no dorm fines!

3. Rugs
Older dorms can be really difficult to clean, and dust may seem to appear overnight. When you don’t want to wear shoes in your room, but hatewalking on the dirty tile floors, rugs are a great investment. If you don’t know the dimensions of your dorm, check online or contact a housing representative to see if he or she can look up thatinformation up for you.

Before buying a rug, make sure to consider a few factors. How often will you clean the rug? Even though that mint one looks beautiful, a dark color might be better for hiding...