With senior year drawing to a close and our freshman year approaching much too fast, I thought I’d take a bit of time to talk about college. More specifically, what you actually need to bring. To gather this information, I spoke with a sophomore at Cornell and a freshman at Occidental College. I also researched some essentials online.

Before we get into what you should do, let’s talk about what you can’t do. First up is damaging the walls, floor, or ceiling in any way. That includes using nails, screws, or harsh tape to adhere any decorations to your walls. You cannot alter, paint, or remove any of the provided furniture. You are also, generally speaking, not allowed to house any fire hazards like candles or incense. These rules may vary from college to college so I recommend you look into your school’s rules and regulations! Now, onto the essentials. 

Let’s start with recreation. First up, and kind of obvious, is a speaker. Depending on where you go to school, you might be spending a lot of your time in the great outdoors: studying on lawns, relaxing on the main green, playing spike ball on the quad. Music makes everything better. Also, a picnic blanket. Slightly extra, I know. But who wants to sit on wet grass? Bring board games!! They’re an easy way to bond with people and make friends. It doesn’t just have to be a board game, but anything that people will gather for. This could even mean making food in your dorm’s kitchen! See The Echo’s coverage of college recipes on page ___ to read some awesome treats you can master before our four-year-long adventure! Bring equipment for your favorite hobbies! Whether it’s rock-climbing, swimming, or baking, it’s always nice to have the materials you’ll need lying around. 

Additionally, bring a few outfits you don’t mind getting dirty. That way you’re not wearing your nicest clothes to roll around in the dirt. Also this will help you not have to do your laundry every evening. On the topic of laundry, even though these colleges are charging us ridiculous amounts of money, they don’t always let you do your laundry for free (check their website to find out in advance). So … bring quarters! Most laundry machines still take them and it will make your life much simpler if you don’t need to go cash in five dollars every time you have to do your laundry. 

Please, please, PLEASE bring a bathrobe. You don’t want to be the one person roaming your dorm’s halls with a towel tied around you. I promise that no one wants to see that. 

We will all need a volume-friendly note-taking system. Whether it’s an iPad, binder and notebook set-up, or really anything of your choice, don’t just speed through thousands of papers trying to keep up with your professors’ tangential lectures. Also, routine is important in college. Bring a planner! Something to keep yourself accountable. Do small things to make your life more regulated. For example, eat dinner at the same time every evening, go to the gym at the same time, go on a nightly walk, try to regulate whatever makes up your day. 

Dorm rooms can be depressing, built of cinderblock walls and fluorescent lighting; something green will bring the place to life—slightly. Bring a plant (if you can take care of it). Bring photos of family and other sentimental things to remind you of home when you’re feeling down. 

Now, for bedding. Dorm mattresses are springy, stiff and generally quite awful. I recommend you invest in a mattress topper of some sort, or even just an extra blanket to lay underneath your sheets. Your roommate may operate on an entirely different schedule than you—hopefully not, but we have to accept the possibility. In the case that you share a living space with someone who keeps the big light on until midnight, a sleeping mask might be a good idea. On the same page as the sleeping mask, earplugs are a must have. 

I hope this short list helped illuminate what might be needed in college. Honestly, you’ll probably still forget something “essential,” but that’s just part of the chaos. Just please, please, PLEASE bring the bathrobe.