by Nikki Kong
I like to think that there are two types of girls in this world: those who are packed and ready to go weeks before move-in, and those who keep telling themselves they only need three boxes and two days to get everything done. I won’t bore you with the details of which type of girl I am (*cough* the second one) but let’s just say I was missing more than a few things when I moved into the dorms freshmen year. So you can avoid (at least some of) the same mistakes as me, here’s a list of six things you’ll definitely need this year.
Lysol WipesI’m going to be real with you: dorms get dirty. Drinks will be spilled, germs will be spread, and ice cream will inevitably be dripped during your first "The Notebook" binge of the year. All of that is totally fine (I mean, who wouldn’t drip some ice cream during that lake scene?) but it’s always nice to have something a little stronger than a damp paper towel from the bathroom to clean up your messes.
PlannerPlanners are sooo middle school, right? Um, wrong. If you weren’t already planning on using some kind of planner –- digital or otherwise -– consider investing in one. As much as we’d all like to think we’re the kind of girl who can remember everything without writing it down, we probably can’t. You’re on the quarter system now: with midterms every few weeks, it’s hard to keep all your dates straight. Get a planner with a daily and monthly calendar so you can see what you need to accomplish each day, as well as what you need to accomplish each month. Seriously –- don’t let that economics midterm sneak up on you and force you to cancel beach day with that cute guy from your floor for a day of cramming in the library!
Small Fan/Extra BlanketsMore often than not, you and your future roomie are going to have different ideas of what a “comfortable temperature” constitutes. Having a small fan and extra blankets can come in handy with it’s 90 degrees and your (literally) cold-blooded roommate is freezing and refuses to turn on the air conditioner. Even if you and your roommate can agree, some dorms don’t have air conditioning. SLO doesn’t have too many unbearably hot or cold days, but you’ll be grateful if you’re prepared for them when they do happen.