Taylor

Somewhere out there in the inter webs is an incoming Hawkeye who is reading the list of what to bring and thinking they’re pretty professional while they do it. That’s right. I caught you. And you’re on the right track- you will need everything on that list.  But there are things that come up over the year, and you’ll be kicking yourself for not thinking of it sooner.  So I thought of it for you! This is especially helpful for the non-residents who won’t be able to get things from home easily.  You need to be twice as prepared as everyone else.

1. Storage

You need to buy whatever plastic drawer units or tubs you plan to use next year right now. Do not, under any circumstances, pack before you buy these.  You are going to pack into them instead! That way, when you arrive on campus, your things are already set up.  You’ll save yourself a lot of time and stress by labeling and organizing at home.  If you are coming from out of state, don’t pack bath supplies.  Use it as an excuse to figure out what stores are around you and what they carry. Bring the essentials and then go shampoo shopping when you’re here and you’ve seen the bathroom situation.

2. Towels with velcro

Don’t laugh- I saw more body parts than I meant to my freshman year.  Have you ever tried to walk down a hall carrying a bucket of soaps, a loofah, and simultaneously hold up your towel without the one on your head unraveling? You’re going to want that little velcro square.  Or the ones that button. Whatever. As long as its hands free.

3. Mirrors!

There are no full-length mirrors anywhere. Unless you bring one. You can get one at Target for ten dollars. It also adds a level of class to any room.

4. Warm Hawkeye gear

Most people remember to snag a sweatshirt in the beginning, but when it’s cold at the game, or it starts to rain, you’ll wish you had been smart about your shopping choices.  In retrospect, I should have taken advantage of my parents excitement about college. You know what I’m talking about. You come to campus before the semester starts and your parents are happy to spend some dollars helping you start your Hawkeye gear collection. Instead of grabbing a bunch of T’s (you’ll get free ones in the beginning anyway), I’d use their moment of generosity to get that sixty dollar cardigan.  And a rain coat. And a scarf. And those cool hats with mittens attached.

5. A dress suit

Eventually you will realize you want a part time job or to attend a career fair. Don’t go in your hobo clothes.  I would make sure to pack at least one interview worthy outfit. You could be asked to dress professionally for a class presentation, or you may win an award and need a ceremony outfit. Maybe your club has a fancy dinner night. You never think to pack fancy, but you really should.

6. Snack, snacks, and snack packs

The meal plans here are awesome. Especially that gold plan (don’t mind me putting a shameless plug in there). But you will get hungry outside of the marketplace hours, and unless you’re made of money, you’ll need to be prepared. I would stock up at the beginning. Especially the little mini packs you can put in your bag. Your schedule could end up being stacked and those snacks are a life saver.  They’re also fantastic during late night study sessions.

7. Reusable water bottle

Iowa is really into going green, and you don’t pass water fountains as often as you might think.  But we have these awesome sensor activated fountains that will fill your bottles right up. They’re pretty awesome and you won’t get dehydrated walking around in the summer months.

8. Wall decs

Start your amazon search for awesome wall decals now. And get creative. Wall decal photo frames, quotes, paintings, glow in the dark butterflies, anything and everything to make your dorm room feel like home.

9. A fish

They don’t push this enough.  If you come from a home with a pet, and have always had a pet, you are going to be crying into your pillow at night about how much you miss Mr. Flufferson. Get a fish. And get him a pineapple house and a carrying case.  It’s not as much of a hassle as you’d think. Live out of state? I guarantee you that one of your Iowa buddies will babysit it for you. I spent spring break with two fish that weren’t mine (and I even cleaned their bowls!).

10. Impromptu seating arrangements

A big part of college life is the dorms.  Nobody is going to hang out in your room if there’s nowhere to sit.  You can save a lot of cash by forgoing the futon and getting folding chairs, extra pillows, floor cushions, or go to a home store and buy seat cushions (minus the seats).  They will go a long way and they’ll last a while. The cheap decorative pillows you use for seating will later be the cheap decorative pillows on your apartment couch.

11. Board games

They will have some at the front desk if your parents are refusing to part with their special anniversary edition of Monopoly. Mine were quite stubborn, although I did win Cranium.  If you have a rainy day game that never fails to amuse you, pack it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wasted grocery money on building my college game collection.  Catchphrase, anyone?  Especially with the bar curfews for the under 21s. I have had some great times playing Life in my club clothes. And believe it or not, you will too.  No money to go anywhere? GAME NIGHT!

12. Memberships

This is very important, and it doesn’t usually occur to students until it’s too late.  If your mom has membership store cards, make a list, drag her into all the stores, and force her to add you to her account.  You have no idea how much money I save with my mom’s collection.  CVS, Kohl’s, TJ Maxx, Costco. The greatest feeling in the world is swiping that card and watching your total decrease dramatically.  Which reminds me, join any reward program that doesn’t run on credit. Like Starbuck’s and Panera’s.  Take advantage of the members only discounts, free refills, and other things throughout the year.

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 1st, 2014 at 5:38 pm and is filed under Campus Life, General, . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.