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4 Things You Should Bring to College, and 3 You Should Not
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Going to college, when you’re first away from your home and without your support system, can be terrifying and exciting all at once. Because of this, most people don’t know exactly what to bring and what not to bring to school. What to bring to college and what not to bring should be obvious. You’re not going to need to bring Pontiac Firebird parts. After all, it’s not likely you’ll be going to be putting a car back together or look to sell parts at a cash for gold store.
Other things fall into a gray area on whether you’ll need them, though. For instance, is a printer worth bringing, or is whatever the university provides good enough? That’s a difficult decision and likely comes down to your personal usage, habits, and the size of your dorm. For now, though, here are tips on what to bring to college and what not to bring.
Bring Medical Supplies
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One thing that most people tend to forget about when deciding what to bring to college and what not to bring is the medical supplies that they’ll need once they get there. The truth is that the first time you get sick, and you don’t have a support system in place to help you out, you’re going to be in panic mode. You’re definitely going to get sick too, as colleges and universities are known for how quickly viruses can spread around campus. However, with the proper medical supplies, you can get sick less on-campus and recover even quicker than before.
Hand sanitizer for schools is a great way to help prevent yourself from getting sick. Using it to kill germs after being in public or touching surfaces will make it less likely that you get sick. It’s also good to have hand soap for your dorm to make sure you’re able to wash your hands properly, for the same reason.
Of course, a lot of the time, you’re going to have to treat your illness after the fact. That’s why it’s important to keep proper medicine in your dorm room. Cold medicine will help you to get through long days and nights of class and studying. Other medicines that you may want to consider are painkillers for headaches and stomach pain are important to bring. Other medical equipment can help you to take care of minor injuries, like cuts and scrapes as you suffer them.
So, make sure you have all the medical supplies you may need to both prevent getting sick, as well as everything you may need to treat those illnesses and injuries that do occur. And don’t be afraid of going to the campus clinic if need be when deciding what to bring to college and what not to bring.
Do Not Bring Weapons
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This may come as a shock to some people, but most colleges aren’t going to off indoor shooting ranges. Even you really want to bring one to school and gun sales are booming, this is a bad idea for several reasons. For one, weapons are almost certainly against the rules of your school. This means that if you’re got with a weapon on-campus, you can face disciplinary issues. Among these punishments you may face, probation and being forced out of the dorm rooms is just the beginning.
The reality is that having a weapon on-campus is incredibly dangerous. People come in and out of dorm rooms, there are a lot of immature people, and the reality is that a lot of people experiment with drugs and alcohol at some point while in school. This means that having a weapon in the dorms, could lead to people messing around with it, and having an accident. In worse cases, it could lead to someone intentionally using it and hurting someone. So keep that in mind when deciding what to bring to college and what not to bring.
The reality is that you don’t need to have a weapon on-campus, you’re likely not allowed to have a weapon on campus, and there is a high chance that someone will end up hurt and you get the entire campus put on an emergency lockdown. This will only lead to unnecessary issues for you down the road. So, just leave any weapons you feel like you want to bring to school at home.
Bring Your Health Insurance Information
Over the course of the school year, you’re likely going to need to see the doctor at some point. For instance, dental care may be necessary if you start to feel tooth pain. Oftentimes, you won’t be able to go home for an appointment, as it’s too far from home, but the appointment can’t wait. So, you have to go somewhere local. However, medical attention can get very expensive very quickly. Most college students can’t afford to pay that, which is exactly why you need to make sure that your insurance information is up to date and you actually have your insurance card with you when you decide what to bring to college and what not to bring. This way you can be prepared and go to the doctor when necessary.
Everyone who goes to school is going to get sick at one point or another. If not that, then they’ll get hurt. In other words, you’re not exempt from needing an insurance card or going to the doctor. Before you go, you also need to make sure that your insurance is up to date. No one expects you to have your own insurance, of course, but insurance through your parent or guardian is most likely. However, it’s useless if everything isn’t up to date.
Do Not Bring Vaping Supplies
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When you’re in school, you may be tempted to vape. It’s one of those trendy things that you’re going to want to do, with everyone else doing them. Here’s the thing, though. Vaping is a habit that once you get into, it’s almost impossible to break away from because just like cigarettes, they are addictive. In this case, however, they just come in flavors, making them easier to enjoy. So, don’t bring vaping supplies and even consider starting down the path towards using them when deciding what to bring to college and what not to bring.
Of course, there are other uses for vape products than just looking like you’re one of the people on-trend. Using them for drugs is a bad idea too, especially if you need DOT drug testing or you may be driving around. You don’t want to get pulled over while driving under the influences, as DUI counseling would only be the start of your issues at that point.
To put it simply, don’t vape. You’ll regret it down the line.
Bring a Mini Fridge
Deciding what to take to your dorm room is a challenge. A lot of people think of an appliance, like a mini fridge, as being unnecessary when deciding what to bring to college and what not to bring. It takes up a big chunk of your floor space, and how often are you going to really use it? It’s a fair thing to consider, but you’ll regret not having a place to refrigerate food or drinks in your room when you need to at some point during the school year.
At some point, you’re going to bring food back to your dorm room that needs to be kept in the fridge. What are you going to do when there’s no fridge? People like to bring food back from the dining halls but leaving it out can lead to food becoming contaminated. In other cases, you may have drinks in your dorms that you want to keep cold. In other words, you’ll need a fridge in your dorm.
It is important to make sure that you’re going to choose the right mini fridge for your needs. Plenty of them are going to be too big or too ornate for your dorm room. Others can be too small to be practical, though. So, the truth is you need to make sure that your fridge is the right size, design, and is of high enough quality that you don’t have any issues with it over the course of your time in school.
Do Not Bring Too Many Things
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Perhaps the most common mistake that people make when they’re packing for college is that they overpack. The reality is that you should bring as few things as possible to school. Think about it, instead of decorating your dorm room that you’re sharing with at least one other person to the max, a minimalist style might be the best option. In other words, there’s not room for multiple chairs, a half dozen pillows, string lights, and a poster for every inch of wall space.
Having an overcrowded room is going to get on you and your roommate’s nerves very quickly. The fact of that matter is that you likely won’t be using all of those things anyways. They’ll just sit around getting covered in dust and making it hard to navigate your room. This can also lead to a tense situation with your roommate if you don’t navigate it correctly. They may very well not want to be in an overcrowded room but stuck with it because you brought too many things from home. And, if you need one good relationship, it’s your roommate.
This is going to lead to a lot of hard decisions on what you have to leave at home. So, be realistic about your expectations. A good way to think about things is to plan for everything you may need while you’re at school. Then pack one or two of everything that you may need, each. You may feel you need more than one outfit for a formal, but the odds are that one is plenty, for instance. This will save you a ton of time and effort.
Bring More Than Enough Toiletries
When you’re at home and you need some kind of toiletry, you can just go and get it. Things aren’t so easy when it comes to being at school. There isn’t a bathroom down the hall with more contact solution, floss, or tissues. At school, you’re going to have to find somewhere off campus, assuming there isn’t a small convenience store on-campus that sells and is open when you need something. If you don’t have a car, which many first-year students do not, this is an extreme hassle, as well as a costly one.
The better option is to not let yourself end up in a scenario where you’re going to need any toiletries over the course of the semester. This way, if your run out of shampoo and don’t realize until right before you absolutely need to take a shower, you can just turn to the next bottle, rather than having to borrow shampoo or run to the store. This will save you time, and as a lot of parents like to buy you everything you need before the semester starts, it will likely save you money. Furthermore, this will have you prepared for any possible situation that you might run into over the course of the semester. For instance, you may not think that you need tissues. That is, until you get a cold at some point during the semester. Then, you’ll be wishing you had them. So, while it’s important not to overpack, remember that bringing all the toiletries you need isn’t overpacking.
College is going to be a great time, no matter what you decide what to bring to college and what not to bring. It’s just a lot better for you, your family, your friends, and your roommates if you pack correctly. To put it shortly, you need to be prepared for any occasion without overdoing things. There is a balance to things, though. You don’t want to under pack for college and not have the things that you’re going to need or want to have. You should also avoid overpacking when you choose what to bring to college and what not to bring, so you don’t struggle to move in and move out, and feel overcrowded and like you don’t have any space throughout the course of the semester.