What should I bring to my dorm?

I have been receiving call after call in our office regarding the “check list” students should use before they head to UTampa. I remember coming in my freshman year and being completely clueless! I have lived on campus for three years, going on four and have definitely learned a lot! Here are a few of my suggestions from my person experience:
Your dorm room is going to be your everything, it will be your bedroom, your bathroom, your office, your kitchen, your living room, your study lounge, the place you hang out with friends…etc… you get my point. Your freshman year you will most likely be living in a suite style dorm (one room with 2 or 3 people connected to another room by a bathroom). You are going to want to make your room feel as homey as possible and you are going to want to make it as personal as possible, especially when you are missing home.

First and foremost, spend a little bit of time on purchasing items for your bed. You are going to spend a lot of time sleeping, studying, and lounging on your bed. You will want:
· A mattress cover
· At least one topper for your bed
o Feather beds are the best but any foam type works (the more padding the better)
· At least one set (its better to have two or more for laundry day) of TWIN-XLONG sheets. All of our beds are TWIN-XLONG no matter what dorm you are in.
· A comforter that won’t show dirt that will hopefully last you for a few years. I like getting a bigger size than twin so it will hang over the sides and cover up what is stored under your bed.
o Also make sure it is warm…I guarantee your roommate is going to want to keep the room colder than you want it
o A lot of girls use duvets because they can change the look year to year if they want.
· Any thing to make your bed higher
o They usually sell these items at most Wal-Marts, Targets, Bed Bath and Beyonds etc… the block type things to put under the legs of your bed to add height.
o I promise you you’ll want to put as much as you can under your bed
o If you get your bed really high (mine is VERY high) you’ll want to buy a step stool to help you get on your bed.

The next area you should really put effort into is storage. Storage in dorm rooms can be tricky but if you are creative and plan ahead you should be ok:
· Tupperware stackable storage bins for under your bed
o Use for things you rarely use but have to bring
o I would buy more than you think you’ll need, if you don't use them just return them. 
o Buy all different sizes for tight spaces
· Plastic drawers, 3 or more drawers are the best
o Use for anything from socks to kitchen items to office supplies
o These also fit under your bed if you loft your bed up to the highest rung
· Shoe racks for the closet. The hanging shoe racks don’t seem to work as well as the free standing ones.
· Hanging shelves (they are usually made out of some sort of material)
o I use one of my skinnier hanging shelves (I think its meant for shoes) to store my bathing suits, head bands, scarves, and hats
· A hanging rod to add extra room for hanging your clothes. I found mine at Bed Bath and Beyond…the official name is a "double hanging closet rod"
· A hanger for your towels that goes over your door. I have two, one for inside the bathroom and one for outside the closet door
· 3-M easy removable hooks for the walls. Make sure you get the one that says it won’t tear off paint. They work great, and if you follow the instructions they won’t ruin your wall.

Desk Area:
· A printer (printing is free in the computer labs on campus but it is always a safe bet to have one in your room for last minute jobs)
o Printer paper
· A laptop (Mac or PC)
o A desktop is not going to be as efficient
· A three ring hole punch
· A stapler
· Tape
· Super glue (I don’t know why I but I always need super glue)
· Enough loose leaf notebook paper because it is the one thing you’ll always need a lot of
· An extra desk lamp (the one attached to the desks are usually not bright enough)
· A bulletin board
o Tacks
· Lots of pens and pencils
· Something to organize all of your junk in your drawers
· I have always used a desktop organizer than can hold a binder and papers for each class, 4 to 5 slots keep all of my classes organized

Bathroom Area:
· A bathmat for in front of your shower and in front of your sink
· Spend the extra money to buy a good shower organizer. The ones that go floor to ceiling that are made with a tension rod are great if they are good quality.
o I promise you when you are showering and the whole thing falls on top of you because you bought the cheap one you’ll be sorry.
· A toothbrush holder with multiple toothbrush slots
· Cleaning supplies (even though there is a cleaning service that comes once a week, you will always find yourself wanting to clean your room when they aren’t coming for another week. Plus the cleaning service only cleans your bathroom area):
o Clorox wipes, they solve everything
o A broom and dust pan
- I use a small Dirt Devil to vacuum up my broom piles and anything else in the room (THIS IS A MUST HAVE)
o A mop if you are ambitious
o A mild floor cleaner (the floors are waxed and some cleaners will strip the wax)
o A good sponge and all purpose cleaner for the sink and toilet area

All other important items:
· A dark colored (so it won’t show the dirt) area rug for the floors.
· A floor lamp
o The best ones have 2 or 3 heads on them which add a lot of light
o Don’t get the ones with the colored shades…you’ll be sick of them by the end of your first year
· At least one extra blanket or comforter for when you have friends stay over
o They will be annoyed when they have to sleep on the floor without a blanket (I’ve been there)
· At least one TV
o TV cable long enough to reach around the room (who knows where the outlet will be)
o A cable splitter if you have more than one TV in the room
· A DVD player
· An alarm clock loud enough to wake you up
· A mini fridge
· A microwave (you might get by without one but I loved having mine in the room)
· A few plates, cups, utensils…etc
· A curtain for the window
o Use a tension rod to hang it
· A phone to plug into the local phone line
o Its not a huge deal to have one but it is nice to have an extension to your room
· A stool
· A small fan
· A laundry basket
o Buy one made of plastic that has wheels.
o The mesh ones aren’t that great
o THEY MUST HAVE WHEELS if you don’t want to drag your laundry all the way to the laundry room
· Laundry detergent and dryer sheets
· Extension cords GALORE!
o My personal favorite is the squid, it has like 6 different outlets but they are all bendable so you can use them in all different directions.
o A surge protector for your laptop, printer and any other electronics. (We are the capitol of lightening, you don’t want anything to get ruined during a big storm)
· Painters tape or 3-M easy to remove double sided tape to hang things
o Its won’t pull the paint off of your wall
· A Thumb Drive, junk drive, external hard drive…whatever you’d like to call it…get one
o We have free printing so you can save your work onto the thumb drive and then bring it to the computer lab, plug it into the computer, and print out your saved work
o A larger extrernal hard drive is a smart investment as well because if your laptop crashes you could easily lose all of your school work, music, pictures etc… BE SAFE AND BACK IT UP!


That is all I have for you for now! If I think of anything else I will post it. Again remember this is for those of you living in a SUITE STYLE dorm. If you are living in a different dorm style and have questions feel free to ask me! And just remember, you’ll need anything you use at home, just get it in a smaller version and plan for how you’ll store it.

HAPPY DORM SHOPPING!