Too little or too much? (a guide to what and how much you should bring to campus)

(U of I Blog #3)

So you live near or in Iowa, eh? Just bring your whole house with you, okay?

vs.

So you live far away, huh? You know what, just bring a backpack, you’ll figure out a way to get more underwear here.

It’s a battle, it really is. Honestly, most people don’t consider it battle, they just do as they please, letting the war ravage all around them. There is no clear winner, though, there is just one question: Who are you?

Can you live in filth? In a room you might clean maybe once in every three half-birthdays? Or are you like really clean, as in someone can nickname you “Dirt Assassin” because you’ve taken out whole villages of dust piles?

How much clothes do you need? I’m sure those authentic alligator boots will not be worn during the spring, so why are they tucked in the corner of your car with 76 pairs of dresses? Wait, hold up, you’re also telling me you’re only going to bring two t-shirts?! Is this some experiment or something on how long you can wear a t-shirt before it disintegrates?

What IS THAT? Why are you bringing a whole drum set and 7 Playstations? Jeez, give those other 6 away for people who actually need them. Don’t tell me, you’re not bringing anything else to decorate your room? I mean, no offense to the white wall, but it needs some sort of style.

My point is… no matter who you are, there is a balance. And there is also convenience.  I like lists, so *abracadabra*:

BALANCE:

  • Clothes: You do not need to fill up your entire closet, even if you wish to have a one-month cycle of clothes. 10 of everything is enough.
  • Shoes: Let’s not bring 30 pairs of shoes on-campus, okay? A good number is 7.
  • Accessories (hats, belts, gloves, scrunchies, the sort): I mean, feel free to bring one hundred headbands and one thousand scrunchies, but is the magenta turquoise scrunchie really necessary? Keep everything to 5.
  • Hygiene: We do not need to see nine toothbrushes unless you’re doing a Toothbrush Tuesday night, like every ten Tuesdays. Keep everything to 2-4, well and for, um, yeah, like, uh, we’ll let the girls handle that other thing.
  • Electronics: I’m sorry to break it to you, Alpha, but your dorm is not a premiere gaming center; make yourself be at home, but five monitors is a little too much, don’t you think?
  • Everything else (notebooks, water bottles, napkins, utensils, books, etc.): I think you get the point, right? We’re not here to transport our home on 310 Pikachu Street to a much smaller living space of a college dorm, we’re here to bring the right things to the right place at the right time. (Damn, that sounded like a Ted Talk).

CONVENIENCE:

  • Cleaning supplies: A broom, a vacuum, counter spray, toilet bowl cleaner, a toilet brush, paper towels, trash bags, dish soap, dish rack, sponges, and napkins are helpful in keeping your dorm as clean as the Ritz Carlton.
  • Silverware: Do you think you’ll eat in your dorm often? Or with people? A triage of plates and common utensils might be worth it. Also, if you live in Mayflower, cooking pans and the sort are awesome as well!
  • Kitchen and Co: Depending on where you live, a microwave and a refrigerator are life-savers, and don’t forget about a toaster or panini-maker (that’s a little extra lol).
  • Electronics: If you could get your hands on a printer… king of the block, I’m telling you; Iowa charges you for printing and also it’d very convenient to have one right in your room!
  • The little things:
    • Power cord
    • HDMI cable
    • Water bottles
    • Ice tray
    • Water filterer
    • Sports gear (if you’re interested in playing intramurals!)
    • A mirror (oh, not the mirror selfies)
    • A drying rack (in case you ever have wet stuff!)
    • An iron + board (eh, who cares about wrinkles anyway!)

There’s probably a billion more things that you could add, but once again, let’s be compact, shall we? Meh, dorms were never going to be like 310 Pikachu Street anyway…