Editor’s Note: All opinion section content reflects the views of the individual author only and does not represent a stance taken by The Collegian or its editorial board.
Moving into a college dorm is often a student’s first time living away from home for an extended period of time. As such, they want their dorm room to feel as comfortable and homey as possible.
However, this desire to make a dorm room as comfortable as a childhood bedroom leads to a massive overconsumption of goods that will likely never be used. It also overlooks the reality of dorm life: It is a small room, often shared with another person, and already has the basic essentials.
This consumerism is well documented on social media platforms like TikTok. There are thousands of “dorm essentials” videos and dozens of accounts dedicated only to showing what students should pack for college. Most of these videos are filled with nonsense that is absolutely not essential. Some items are handy to have, some are purely aesthetic and some are just plain useless.
Items that are handy to have but not necessary include things like ottomans and storage containers. I would recommend getting things like these after moving into the dorm. Many people recommend getting ottomans that have storage space and double as a stool to get onto your bed, but it is not needed. Many people do not loft their beds. I never lofted mine, and I still had more than enough storage space under my bed.
Extra containers, like pretty, plastic pull-out drawers, are also unnecessary. Cardboard boxes work just as well and are also easier to move. You are going to order things throughout the year — that is just a fact. Repurposing the boxes from your orders works well for extra storage to fit under the bed or in your closet. They can simply be recycled at the end of the year.
“There are so many items that people swear up and down you absolutely need in your dorm room — you do not need them.”
Aesthetic items are things like headboards and throw pillows. You don’t need a headboard because it will be a pain to get into the dorm room, it will be a pain to install — especially if you have to move the bed around — and it will be a pain to move out. It is also very possible that it will not fit the provided dorm bed, and if you don’t have a storage space for the summer between semesters, kiss that headboard goodbye.
Do not, under any circumstances, get throw pillows for your dorm bed. Those pillows, while pretty, will become the absolute worst part of going to bed. They will end up on the floor. Eventually, they will get shoved into the back of the closet. They are obnoxious and get in the way; you will get sick of them.
The worst recommendations are the useless items — things like vacuums, hot pots and certain types of bags for move-in. Your dorm building will have heavy-duty vacuums available to students, so don’t buy one. It will get in the way and take up space. In a similar vein, do not buy a Swiffer. Dorm floors are often carpeted.
Hot pots, kettles, hot plates or anything else like that will be a waste of money. They are not allowed in dorm rooms because they’re a fire hazard. You could take it downstairs and use it in the communal kitchen, but at that point, you might as well just use the stove.
There is not a specific type of bag you need for move-in. You can use whatever you have at home. Suitcases, Ikea bags or duffel bags work just fine. There is not a specific bag that works better or worse than another.
There are so many items that people swear up and down you absolutely need in your dorm room — you do not need them. The best advice I can give is to get the absolute necessities first: bedding, clothes and towels. Anything else can be ordered after move-in.
Reach Audrey Weishaar at letters@collegian.com or on social media @CSUCollegian.
