The Room
-Lofted Bed.
I know that some people don't like the idea of literally climbing into bed after a long, stressful day. But by lofting your bed, you'll give yourself so much more floor space. I loved having a lofted bed. I fit both my dresser and my desk underneath it; I could hang my coat on the frame. I even hung a couple of S-hooks on the underside of the frame to give me a place to keep my backpack and a jacket or two.
-Carpet/Rug
If your dorm room is already carpeted, great! If it isn't, I highly recommend finding a big rug or a piece of carpet to bring with you. My parents and I found some that was on sale at Menards? Lowes? or someplace like that. My roommate and I spent hours laying on the carpet and procrastinating/debating theology/telling each other puns.
(Note: I also suggest bringing a little vacuum cleaner with you to clean the carpet. I have a hand-me-down that was tiny, fit in the corner of my closet, and still managed to pick up most of the dirt.)
-Shelving
My dorm room didn't really have much space for storage. Fortunately, my dad noticed this during orientation and came up with a solution. I brought my own metal shelving, like this: http://m.samsclub.com/ip/alera-wire-shelving-unit-36-x-24-4-shelves-silver/prod2210333
It did take up some room, but it also gave us a place to store food, hang our towers, and keep things like laundry detergent and shampoo
-Dog pillow
I got mixed reactions about this. When my dad found a really cheap dog pillow during a Black Friday sale, I grabbed it. I thought that it'd be nice to have when I sit on the floor to write papers. Sure, it was thin and technically intended from dogs, but I'm not that picky.
My roommate was (thankfully) thrilled with it. I was too. Half of my friends were skeptical, the other half thought it to be a good idea. After a while, we had to fold it in half to notice any cushion, but it was used daily and had been cheap to start off with
-Body pillow/Mattress pad
Two more cushiony items that I found extremely helpful. I lost quite a bit of rest due to stress, but I would've lost even more if it hadn't been for the priority I made on making my bed comfortable.
-Power strip
-Trashcan
Not huge, but not tiny either. And don't forget trash bags that fit your trashcan.
-Sewing kit
Granted, I only needed this one time, but it was a very critical one time.
-Cleaning supplies/Lysol
While your dorm might provide some things, I found it helpful to have some in the room as well. And Lysol in case someone in your room/suite/yourself gets sick and you have to spray down everything because no one has time to get sick.
The School Part
-Pencil Case
Is this something that public school kids already have? This homeschooled one did not, but then I also had to order a backpack the week before classes started.
-Dry-erase markers
The library at my college has white boards in the study rooms, but they ask that you bring your own markers. I didn't think that I would ever use them, but I found it surprisingly helpful to write out everything on the board while studying.
(You can also use neon ones to write on mirrors, which my roommate and I did all the time)
-Textbooks
Shop around before buying/renting. I used Amazon.com a lot, and I know other people who used Chegg, and still others who just picked up theirs from the bookstore. The more effort you put into finding the best deal, however, the more money you'll save.
The Kitchen
-Microwave
For popcorn, tea, heating up leftovers...
(Note: your dorm might have restrictions on how powerful of a microwave you need, so check those)
-Coffee maker/coffee filters
-Fridge
Some friends gave me a mini fridge that their kids had used in college. It was tiny, but it held our leftovers and water bottles
-Water pitcher
I didn't think of this until summer break, but a water pitcher would've been nice to have last year. We found one on sale a few weeks after spring semester that would fit in my fridge, and it has a filter so I can drink water from the tap and it won't taste like it came from the tap.
-Mug/Travel mug
I drink lots of tea and coffee. So I had a couple of mugs for my room. A good, leakproof travel mug is also good to have
-Popcorn
My go-to snack
-Bowl/Plate
I had a big bowl for my popcorn, a plate for leftovers or whenever I picked up a meal to eat in my room. I also had containers with lids that doubled as smaller bowls.
-Plasticware
Because who knows when you'll need a fork but not want to wash it?
-Dish soap/cloth
The plasticware might be disposable, but the pitcher, mugs, and other things need to be washed.
Miscellaneous Tips
-Don't take all of your clothes. Don't even take all of the clothes you think you'll need for a semester. Especially if you live close to home and have a car, only bring a little
-Rain boots, or any shoes that will keep you dry in the rain, are essential.
-I hate buying shampoo and conditioner, so I usually buy giant pump bottles of each. This is especially handy for girls stuck at college without a car.
