With college admissions right around the corner, seniors at Jupiter High are starting to create their wishlists to prepare for their first year in college, but what do seniors really need?
Packing:
When packing for moving into college, it’s important to be mindful of what you bring due to the amount of space you will have in the room.
“If you need a good place to start figuring out what to bring, ask one very practical question: What’s the typical weather like during the months you’ll live there? You should pack for every season you might encounter,” Dorm Therapy said.
Students tend to over pack when moving in, so it is important to pack practical clothes that you know you will wear. If you are undecided on an item – it is best to not bring it.
“Don’t overpack. You don’t need half of it and it’s a waste of space no matter where you live,” Georgia Simon, freshman at Florida State University, said.
Dorm Essentials:
Mattresses in college dorms are notorious for being super thin. Purchasing memory foam mattress toppers is important for a good night sleep. Do not forget to bring lots of blankets and pillows for extra comfort.
Lucid and Linenspa sell high quality mattress toppers for college dorms.
Most dorm rooms are typically very small, so maximizing storage and space is essential. Some space-savers are containers that go underneath beds – perfect to utilize empty space, and command hooks for hanging clothes, accessories, or decor around the room.
“A fan. No matter where you’re living, get a fan,” Simon said.
Living on campus usually means using communal showers, so shower caddies and flip flops can be considered a necessity for most college students living in dorms.
For doing laundry, you should get a laundry hamper that has straps or wheels to make it easier when carrying to and from the laundry room. Some recommended stores that carry hampers are Amazon, Target and Pottery Barn.
“I recommend bringing slippers, I always wear them in my dorm. I also recommended an air purifier, it keeps my room cold and filtered,” Marley Levine, freshman at the University of Central Florida, said.
A highly recommended item from current freshmen in college is a Brita Water Filter. Buying endless plastic water bottles can be expensive and harmful for the environment, so being able to filter good water quickly is important.
Food Plan:
Every college has a different type of food plan, some offer unlimited, weekly, block or flex/point meal plans.
Unlimited meal plans offer unlimited access to dining halls, good for students who eat frequently on campus. Weekly meal plans offer a certain amount of meals per week. Block meal plans set a number of meals per semester, which is for students who occasionally eat on campus.
“As a freshman, I am mandated to have an unlimited meal plan at my school. The food is great, being rated as one of the best dining situations in the nation. I’d still recommend eating off campus every once in a while because dining hall food gets old quickly,” Klay Ilhardt, freshman at Cornell university, said.
Another alternative food plan is dining dollars, a pre-paid currency that works much like a debit card on the student’s ID card. The dollars typically expire at the end of the semester.
School Supplies:
Classes in college can be very far apart and having a strong bag to hold all your stuff is crucial.
“Everyone pretty much has a North Face bag, which is good and bad. I have a North Face bag, and it’s great, but everyone else also has one, and it’s just kinda boring seeing everyone have the same thing,” Ilhardt said.
Some other brands include JanSport, Target, Vera Bradley, Pantagonia and Lululemon.
“I would recommend a backpack over a tote bag just to keep you more organized and keep your shoulders from hurting, you’re going to be walking a lot with it,” Levine said.
Many top retailers for school supplies, like Amazon, Target and Walmart, will have discounts in early July and late August – helpful for seniors who need inexpensive school supplies.
