College Checklist: Items Every Student Needs for School on Campus

While some college students live at home and commute to class, others stay in apartments or dorm rooms directly on campus. For those who go to school away from the creature comforts of their own bedroom, it’s important to gather up all the essentials required to live well while also staying focused on studies. Here’s a checklist of the main things you’ll need before class starts.

Bedroom Essentials

First and foremost, household items are crucial to make sure you’re comfortable and well-rested, otherwise you won’t be able to focus, and class will be much harder than it’s meant to be. For starters, you’ll definitely need several good sets of sheets, but depending on your living situation, you may also need a mattress topper and more.

• CGK Unlimited has a line of sheets specifically made for college dorms and apartments. Choose from tons of colors (seriously, there are so many) and sizes, from a twin mattress all the way up to California King and everything in between.
• Bedsure Sheets offer a broad collection of colors, from warm earthy tones, to cool aquatic shades, and more, all designed to fit your style and preference to create a calm sleeping environment.
• The Niagara Sleep Solution cooling mattress topper, available in several colors and sizes, offers cushy comfort that won’t cause any unwanted overheating while sleeping.
• The Bedsure Mattress Pad’s quilted design offers plenty of support for comfortable sleeping, while its size and color options give you enough flexibility to find the perfect model for your bed.
• You’ll need a laundry bag, like this innovative backpack-style option from Dalykate, to hold all your dirty clothes for laundry day.
• Keep your gadgets charged up with a versatile HANYCONY power strip or a space-saving TESSAN Tower power strip that can handle all of your devices at the same time.
• Lastly, keep your room cool and comfortable with a floor fan. Start by checking out our fan guide for top recommendations, and if you want something a little more dorm-specific, these small fans from Honeywell, DREO, and IRIS all come highly recommended.

Shower Essentials

Next, bathroom items are a must to keep yourself feeling refreshed and squeaky clean all day long. Whether you have a shower directly in your apartment, or you share a communal bathing space in a dorm hall, you’ll need plenty of skincare items and a way to keep them all organized for daily trips to the shower.

• Both the EUDELE Mesh Shower Caddy and Asisnt Mesh Caddy feature a portable mesh design built to handle wet bottles, brushes, and other items without getting waterlogged. Buy a single caddy, or get two at a discounted rate, all in several bright and fun colors.
• These jumbo bath sheets from Utopia Towels are big, luxurious, and offer plenty of coverage for when you get in and out of the shower. Choose from colors like classic black, bright electric blue, vibrant lavender, and many more.
• Don’t forget to pick up a shower soap bundle, like this variety pack of moisturizing Dove body wash, or this bundle of Old Spice body wash for men, plus any other skincare items you might need.

Classroom Essentials

Now that your bedroom and bathroom needs are all squared away, you’ll want to pick up some last-minute items for the classroom. Check out our budget laptop and tablet guide for tech recommendations. After that, finish your haul with these basics.

• Paper Mate InkJoy Gel Pens offer a smooth writing experience, making them great for jotting down notes, doodling in your spare time, or journaling about your college adventures.
• Pick up some paper, like a classic spiral notebook for notes and assignments, bright-colored sticky notes to remember anything you might forget, and colored index cards for quizzing yourself before the next big exam.
• Stay hydrated between classes with a reusable water bottle, like this Owala FreeSip Stainless Steel option. There are more than a dozen colors to choose from in 16oz-40oz options, all available to quench your thirst.

What’s on Your Dorm Checklist?

Whew! That was a lot of stuff, and even then, it only scratches the surface. What other items are you picking up for college – either for your student or yourself? Write in to DealSeek and tell us what’s on your college checklist. If you get it on sale, we may even share your story in our next Weekly Deals Forecast newsletter.