When you're putting together your dorm room checklist of essentials, remember that dorm rooms are notoriously small. It can be tempting to overpack and bring all of the things from home that you think you need, plus a lot of things that have sentimental value. Practically, you'll never fit it all.
Your college will provide you with several helpful college dorm lists of rules, forbidden items and suggestions for packing. Begin your checklist with those.
Chances are you'll have a roommate, so it's helpful to speak with him or her beforehand so you can plan who will bring items that you can share, and who will add special decorative touches. For example, these homey items could be planned on in advance since having two would take up too much space and be redundant:
These items are essentials for a semester away from home:
It can be tempting to buy a lot of these items once you get to campus, particularly school supplies. But unless you're fortunate enough to have a discount office supply store nearby, you'll likely find that everything is more expensive on campus than it is at home.
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