After high school graduation, I was feeling super ambitious and decided to jump right into college. Seriously – not sure what I was thinking!!? I graduated in May and left for college my freshman year in June. After pinning a bunch of shopping lists and ideas for my perfect dorm room, I felt pretty clueless about what I would really need. All the lists were WAY different.
I lived in dorms at the University of Utah, and got a pretty good setup with my own bedroom (and a shared bathroom). My dorm space was shared with two other girls for the summer semester. Since I felt like I was constantly needing certain things that I didn’t pack, I thought it would be useful to share a list with you of EVERY SINGLE ITEM I used.
Note: Some of these might not apply to you (depending on your gender, room size, style, and interests). There also may be a few things I missed so use this as a helpful guide and not the bible.
I’ve gone through and linked to some of my personal favorite products as well, while making sure to give a few flexible options for different price ranges! Amazon usually ended up having the cheapest option for my budgeting homies.
Before you read: items marked with a * are things you’ll want to check with your dorm/apartment rules about because they might not be allowed. Also be sure to check the sizing of items before you buy them! Most dorms use twin XL beds, so I tried to link to products of that size.
Note: This post contains affiliate links, meaning I may receive compensation at no additional cost to you. As always, I only recommend products I trust! You can read my full disclosure by clicking here.
I recommend getting a free 6-month trial for Amazon Prime Student if you haven’t signed up yet. Free two-day shipping is the greatest and will save you money and lots of trips to the store.
The Ultimate College Shopping List
For Your Bed
- Sleeping pillow
- Mattress protector – Amazon
- Comforter/Duvet – Amazon | Target | Urban Outfitters
- Coordinating Sheets – Amazon | Target
- Comfy blanket – Amazon | Target
- Mattress pad – Amazon (our mattresses were SOOO hard)
For Your Bathroom
- Face/Bath/Hand towels
- Shower shoes – Amazon
- Shower caddy – Amazon | Target
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Floss
- Face cleanser – (a fave)
- Chapstick
- Face wipes – Neutrogena
- Moisturizer
- Body wash – Endless Weekend
- Shampoo
- Conditioner
- Shaving cream + razors
- Hairspray
- Hair products for your hair type
- Hair brush + comb
- Straightener – Amazon
- Curling wand – Amazon (I use this almost EVERY day)
- Blow dryer
For Your Room
- Drawer liners – Amazon
- Over the door mirror – Target
- Vaccuum
- Rug – Target
- Laundry bin – Amazon
- Trash can + recycling bin (your dorm may have these!)
- Pictures of your family and friends – if you are moving away from people you love, this will help a ton!
For Your Closet
- Scarf hanger (I went to college in Utah so the cold winters require all the cozies!)– Amazon
- Regular hangers
- Shoe organizer – Target
- Jewelry organizer – Amazon
For Your Desk
- Desk organizers – Amazon
- Mouse + mouse pad
- Lamp (check your dorm for lightbulb requirements) – Amazon | Amazon
- Bulletin board – Amazon
- Push pins
For Your Kitchen
- To-go hot cocoa/coffee cup – Amazon
- Plates
- Cups
- Bowls
- Silverware
- Microwaveable tupperware – (These ones are awesome for my meal-preppin homies!) Amazon
- Microwave*
- Mini fridge*
- Toaster*
- Dish detergent
- Kitchen towels
- Food
For You
- All prescription medications
- Pain medicine
- Cold medicine
- Allergy medicine
- Stomach medicine
- First aid kit – Amazon
- Band-aids
- Deoderant
- Foundation
- Eyeliner
- Mascara
- Eye shadow
- Feminine products
- Tissues
- Nail polish / remover
- Cotton balls
For School
- Binders
- Notebooks – 6-pack! Not all professors allow you to take notes on your laptop. Amazon
- Planner
- Pens – I am super picky about my pens so get the ones you love most.
- Pencils
- Highlighters – These don’t bleed through most paper types (even for highlighting good stuff in your bible!) Amazon
- Stapler
- Tape
- Sticky notes
- Scissors
- Paper clips
- Index cards
- Calculator – I used this one. – I had a graphing calculator in HS, but most teachers wanted scientific calculator only (so students aren’t storing answers and notes in their graphing calc)
Tech
- Surge protector power strip* – Amazon
- Laptop + charger
- Phone + charger
- Headphones
- Camera
- Alarm clock
Other Useful Stuff
- Umbrella – Amazon
- Dryer sheets
- Laundry detergent
- Disinfecting wipes (I am a freak with Clorox wipes)
- Storage bins
- Broom
- Water bottle – Swell (a personal fave)
- Plastic hooks – Amazon
- Weekender bag – Amazon
- Backpack – Bondka | Dakine (The brand I have right now) | Herschel | Any from Buckle
My Personal Favorites
- Literally anything from Society6 – they just have stuff that goes with any room theme imaginable.
Just remember, college is about growth and learning. Don’t stress too much, make friends that will help you through it, and everything will go great! Enjoy this time in your life. BE YOURSELF! It is awesome and the challenges will make you better able to handle life outside of school. Do your best and have fun!
XO – Heath