7 Odd-Ball Items You Shouldn't Forget to Bring to College

So it's time to start packing your stuff up in order to move into the dorms at college, and I am sure you are asking yourself "Should I bring this?" or "Do I need that?" Beyond the necessities, such as a computer, bathroom toiletries, and bed sheets, there are plenty of things out there that you might never think twice about bringing, that actually might benefit you while you are away at school. Things such as hand sanitizer aren't listed on those college checklist sheets that are provided by schools or found on the Internet, so they can easily be overlooked while you are in the midst of getting your stuff together. From personal experience, I am going to discuss seven of these items, and tell you why they really should be on those checklists.

Hand Sanitizer

College dorms are a breeding ground for germs, mainly due to such a vast amount of people living in such closed quarters. Just think about it, all of those people sharing the same doors and the same bathroom each and every day of the week. You don't know how sanitary these people are, since everybody who lives in the dorms comes from a different location, so it is best to assume that those door knobs are going to be crawling with germs. You might say, who cares, why does that affect me? Trust me; if a few people get sick on your floor, the whole floor is going to get sick just due to sharing the facilities. Using hand sanitizer often throughout the day is a very good way to prevent things like that from happening, since being sick and having to keep up with your schoolwork is not an enjoyable experience.

Sandals

You may want to bring sandals to wear when it gets hot out, but be sure you bring a second pair because they are extremely important for one thing . . . showering. Community bathrooms aren't the cleanest bathrooms you will ever come across, although the showers aren't usually that bad. This isn't an excuse to shower barefoot though, since you never know what the bottoms of those showers are crawling with. An extra pair of sandals designated just for showers is your best bet for protecting your feet, although using them might feel slightly odd at first.

Masking Tape

Onto the ever-so important masking tape which has an endless amount of uses in the college dorm room. Need to hang a poster? How about fix your folder that ripped from stuffing so many papers in it? Masking tape is your answer, and for only a few bucks a roll, you will definitely get your money's worth out of it. I found myself using it to fix anything in my room that happened to break, including the blinds that covered the windows, but that's another story.

Umbrella

Now an umbrella might be one of those items listed on your "What to Bring to College" checklist, but you may think that you can make do without it. I was one of those people, and boy was I wrong. There is nothing like having to walk to class in an absolute downpour, soaking you straight through to the skin. That isn't even the worst part. When you finally get to class, you are going to have to sit there for over an hour, completely soaking wet, while trying to focus on what the professor is teaching. Sometimes it isn't easy to concentrate even when there are no distractions, but watching the clock for the moment to come when you will be able run back to your room and change, will surely cause your mind to wander. Be smart and bring an umbrella, since wearing drenched clothes while trying to learn just doesn't work.

Calendar

College is not like high school in the sense that you are going to have a lot to remember to do, without having somebody constantly telling you to do it. You are on your own now, and a calendar is the best way to keep track of when things are due, when you have class, and when different events are happening, so that you will never miss a due date or a specific activity. I found that a large, hang on the wall type calendar worked the best, since each box had plenty of space to write multiple things in, and it covered both the winter and spring semesters. Don't forget to use your masking tape to hang it on your dorm room wall. See, I told you it comes in handy.

Chair Cushion

Just about every dorm room is going to have a desk, and chances are, you are going to spend quite a bit of time sitting at that desk doing homework and writing reports. Everybody knows that it is hard to get work done if you aren't comfortable, and those chairs that accompany the desks are the definition uncomfortable. They are usually made of wood, have no padding, and make sitting on them for long periods of time very unpleasant. Do yourself a favor and invest in a chair cushion to place on the chair while you are doing your schoolwork. It will prevent you from constantly having to adjust yourself top get comfortable, when in reality, it is never going to happen.

Flash Drive

Now in order to use a flash drive, you must have a computer or laptop, but most soon-to-be college students already have that covered. A flash drive is a very compact, storage device that plugs into the USB port of your computer and allows you to save anything on your computer to it. They come in various sizes (1, 2, 8 GB), and they are the perfect device for creating back-up copies of your important schoolwork and reports that you don't want to lose. You don't want to have to redo a five page paper the night before it is due to your computer crashing, so once you finish it, save it to your flash drive and you will always have it. A flash drive also allows you to print a document from a different computer if say, your printer breaks down. They are relatively inexpensive, hold tons of documents, and you should definitely have one in your dorm room in case of a schoolwork-related emergency.

Although these items are strictly optional, packing them along with your other items will do nothing but benefit you while you are away at college. I am sure you have packed tons of stuff already, including things you might not even need, so adding a few more items won't hurt. I wish I brought them right from the start, but since I didn't, I had to make do with what I had until I could go home and get these items. I am giving you the heads up so you can have them with you from the start of college, right through to the end.