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Whether preparing to move into your dorm room means creating a detailed Pinterest mood board, simply following your school’s packing list, or something in between, setting up a room that feels just right is an important part of the school year. But getting started can be difficult — I would know because I lived in a dorm room (and showered in a communal bathroom) until I graduated college eight months ago. So if you’re an incoming college freshman (or the parent of one), and you’re wondering what you actually need to outfit your dorm room, you’ve come to the right place. Here, you’ll find everything you need — from a plush mattress topper to a spacious laundry bin — plus some tips from actual college students for making your dorm room feel like home.
Update on August 6, 2024: Added North Face’s Borealis backpack, Ban.do’s Butter Rug, and a few more dorm essentials; updated prices and checked stock for all products.
Best bedding
Most of the students I interviewed agreed on one thing — dorm-issued mattresses are incredibly uncomfortable. According to Elle Gardner, a student at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, the mattresses she and her roommate slept on were about six inches thick and “fully plastic so sheets slid off of them.” She recommends splurging on a memory-foam mattress topper on day one: “My roommate got one of the thinner mattress pads — they just have a slight extra cushion to it — and she ended up buying a memory foam one two days later just because [the dorm beds are] so uncomfortable.” I used this one throughout college and found it to be the perfect, pillowy barrier between my body and the hard-as-a-board twin XL mattress underneath.
Then, I’d recommend using a mattress protector to keep the mattress topper from sliding off the mattress and protecting the two from mysterious liquids. This one doesn’t create any crinkly plastic noise under the sheets and is the Strategist’s very favorite.
For even more protection, you can buy a bedbug mattress cover, whose primary purpose is to provide a clean, white surface for detecting bedbug infestations as soon as possible and protecting your mattress and mattress pad from infestation. (This option will also protect against liquids, like the mattress protector above.)
Though you should check with your school about the size of your dorm mattress, the industry standard is a twin XL, which is about five inches longer than your average twin bed. So, you’ll need to get some sheets that will actually fit your mattress. This set, which is our favorite set of cooling sheets, is lightweight, crisp, and breathable, traits that will come in handy if your dorm doesn’t have AC. And if you’re not one for a top sheet, the sheet set is $20 cheaper when you buy a set without one.
Then, you’ll need a comforter to top it all off. Abigail Mack, a student at Harvard University, recommends using a reversible one (this one is on our list of best comforters) so you can easily change up your bedding aesthetic when you’re feeling tired of your dorm decor.
Beyond basic bedding, you’ll want to consider buying a few supplemental pillows, like this backrest pillow. Yi has a similar one and says, “I use it every time I’m sitting anywhere in our room, whether it’s on the floor or in my bed.” (It’d make a great gift for a college student too.)
Body pillows are another great option. “I ended up doing a lot of my schoolwork in my bed and so that was something I could lean up on,” Gardner says about her body pillow. There’s another added benefit to body pillows: According to Sienna Leone, a student at Emerson College, there’s usually a gap between the mattress and the wall, so she says, “I definitely recommend having a big pillow — like a body pillow — that that goes on the backside of the bed just to give you some extra support there.” I did just that with this pillow during my senior year of college.
Multiple students I talked to mentioned throw blankets as an essential or an item currently on their wish list. One is integral to Leone’s bed setup: “I have a really good system right now where I don’t use a top sheet. I just use a comforter and then I put a throw blanket on top of that in case I want to have extra or not extra weight or warmth on my bed,” she says. This one made our list of best throw blankets for its luxurious feel.
If you’re a light sleeper, you’ll want to consider keeping a sound machine in your dorm room (just don’t forget to ask your roommate first). “It’s super helpful because the walls are really thin in dorms … and it’s just really hard to adjust to people stomping around and yelling, so I cannot sleep without that,” says Lucy Harris, a student at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, who used a sound machine during her freshman year. This is our favorite.
Harris also recommends sleeping with a Nodpod sleep mask, especially if you have a roommate. She says the mask, which is cooling and blocks out light, is easily her favorite high-school graduation present. “A lot of times my roommate will be up with the lamp on doing homework until 2 a.m. and I’ll just stick that on, and I’ll sleep like a baby,” says Harris.
Previously, we’ve recommended adding a weighted blanket to your dorm bed setup, but many students I spoke to recommended sleeping with light blankets, especially because some dorm rooms don’t have AC. If you are looking for something with a comforting heft, consider this weighted stuffed animal that our sleep writer recently wrote about, which provides all the benefits of a weighted blanket without the heat that goes along with it.
Best storage and organization tools
Gardner, Harris, and Yi all recommended investing in a storage ottoman, especially if you’re planning on lofting your bed (lots of students do this to maximize storage space). “If we had a friend come in the room, it acted as a seating option, too,” Gardner says. This nice-looking one from Wayfair comes in three color options — white, black, and pink — so you can match it to the aesthetic of your room.
A rolling cart like this one, which Yi recommends, is another affordable way to add some extra storage to your space. Jenny Duan, a student at Stanford University, used a similar one and filled it with school supplies and makeup.
Then, you’ll want to consider grabbing a few extra bins to hold miscellaneous items that you won’t want cluttering your space. This one is a solid (and understated) option.
Charlie Halpin, a student at Miami University, recommends using a shoe rack in your dorm room. I used this one for most of college and found that it was easy to set up and could hold nine pairs of shoes (or more if you don’t mind stacking).
“I only brought the amount of hangers that I needed for what I had, but then I found out you buy so much stuff in college,” Harris says, so she recommends bringing more hangers than you think you’ll need. These hangers are extra thin, so you’ll be able to fit more things in your closet. Plus, they’re velvet, so your clothes won’t fall off.
Even though you’re usually not allowed to put nails in your dorm-room walls, you’d be surprised by how often a tool kit comes in handy. At least, that was the case for Harris who bought this one and says, “Everyone always messages in our dorm GroupMe ‘Who has a hammer?’ ‘Who has a wrench?’ And I’m always like ‘I do.’” I included Harris’ pink one here because I thought it was especially charming, but the tool kit also comes in black.
Organization during move in and move out is just as important as organization throughout the school year. Four students I spoke to mentioned they used Ikea storage bags when they moved, which you can buy on Amazon without having to trek to IKEA. “Worn as a backpack, you can hold two while having two on your back and on your front part of your body,” Bella Seoane, a student at Virginia Tech, says. “Those definitely work especially when you are on the fifth floor and you’re trying to make as few trips as possible down the stairs.”
Leone, who worked as a move-out assistant this year, also recommends using giant Ziploc vacuum-sealed bags for transporting clothes and bedding. I just moved into my first apartment and have been using these, which are easy to pack and vacuum seal with a no-frills hand pump.
I’m currently working on a guide to the best backpacks for college students. So far, one thing is exceedingly clear — North Face’s Borealis is the most popular backpack on college campuses right now. With lots of pockets (including two for water bottles), this pack can carry everything you need when you’re not in your dorm.
Best dorm décor
Now, you’ll notice that I have quite a few lighting recommendations here, but that’s because just about every student I interviewed disliked their overhead dorm light. I’ve grouped string lights and LED strip lights together — I’d recommend buying at least one of these but not both to avoid sensory overload. If you want a whimsical look like Leone or a beachy vibe like Gardner, string lights are for you. If you’re going for a dark and color-coordinated look like Brown University student Goran Narancic or a sleeker vibe like University of North Texas student Aiden Vu, you should consider a string of LED lights like these, which Narancic used all year.
If you have a bedside table, you’ll appreciate having a table lamp. University of Tennessee, Knoxville, student Karis Yi and her roommate bought this matching set of lamps that provided cozy, warm lighting and have an outlet on the base “which was super helpful for our phones,” says Yi. Madison Fairley, a student at the University of Mississippi, shared a similar set of lamps with her roommate and says, “Having that light next to my bed helps if I decide I want to get on my computer or read a book right next to my bed. I have the light and if my roommate didn’t want hers on, I could just have mine on.”
Most students I chatted with also recommended having a desk lamp, which is particularly important if you don’t want to keep your roommate awake when you’re staying up late to study. This affordable option, which we’ve recommended in the past, can adjust at both the arm and the head, is dimmable, and has three color modes.
While Harris doesn’t have a desk lamp, she does have this vanity mirror with lights. “We have shared bathrooms in my dorm, so I don’t have my own bathroom to get ready in,” Harris says. “So I get ready [at my desk] every morning. The light helps so much.” Harris also notes the lamp makes it easy to get ready without disturbing her sleeping roommate.
If your college doesn’t provide you with a full-length mirror, I’d recommend adding one to your dorm setup. Narancic had this one, which has LED lights that match the sleek look of his LED light strips.
Seoane and Yi both told me that their rug inspired the rest of their dorm decor (not to mention that it looks a lot better than dorm flooring). “I like carpet next to my bed way better than having to get off my bed in the morning and feel cold tile,” Fairley says. This shaggy option comes in fun colors such as chocolate brown and taffy pink. If you have longer hair, Yi and Gardner recommend grabbing a hair scraper — “We have to clean our rug so often because of how much hair just gets caught in it,” Yi says.
While pets aren’t usually allowed in dorm rooms (but check your college’s rules), plants are a great alternative. Other than some trusty succulents, Pothos plants are an easy-to-maintain option, according to Leone and Duan. “If you just take a sprig of one and put it in a jar of water, it’ll just stay alive in that jar of water for the entire year,” Leone says.
Since colleges will typically fine you if you leave holes in the wall, unframed posters are one of the easiest (damage-free) ways to decorate your walls. Halpin told me he chose posters featuring his favorite movies and music, which made his room feel “more homey” at the beginning of the year. “Now, I don’t really notice them, but definitely at the beginning of the year it was a big help just because you’re in a new place and it’s nice to see things that remind you of comfort,” he says. For me, it was a lot of food-related posters like this one.
Best tech and appliances
Though original AirPods will do just fine, it’s worth considering upgrading to the AirPods Pro, especially if you have a roommate. “I actually had the old AirPods that didn’t have noise cancellation for the whole first semester. And then for Christmas, I upgraded to noise-canceling,” Harris says. “It’s so much nicer because my roommate will be talking on the phone with her boyfriend or something and I just stick them in and I can study. I can focus.”
But when you’re not studying, you’ll want to have some fun and what better way to do that than with some music? Duan was one of the four students I spoke to who recommended bringing a speaker. “Sometimes my roommate and I listen to music together,” she says. “If I’m hosting people in my room, it’s nice to have something to brighten up the atmosphere for sure. And then sometimes I take it out and study on the grass.” This one is a Strategist favorite.
While trying to keep all her devices charged and lamps plugged in, Mack was hard pressed to find outlets, so she turned to extension cords and power strips. This one has six smart outlets that you can control individually along with surge protection. However, each school has their own policy about power strips, so check there first before buying one.
Another great option for keeping your devices charged is a charging station like this one that Anders Landgren, a junior at Bates College, recommended when I interviewed him about gifts for college students. It’s ideal for keeping an Apple ecosystem alive.
For keeping your dorm room smelling fresh, consider a Pura fragrance diffuser, which Fairley recommends for its smart capabilities. “I had a certain time set on my phone and every time I walked in our room our room smelled so good,” she says. “You can switch out the scent in the Pura all the time and it just gets it into the air, so it’s not that dorm gross smell.” But if you’d like to go the simple route, you can’t go wrong with a can of Febreze.
When Halpin returned to Oxford, Ohio, for his second year of college, he added a few things to his dorm room, including some LED light strips, a monitor, and more fans (as I mentioned above, many dorm rooms lack in the A/C department). Fairley and Leone recommend this one, which is small enough to perch on a desk or shelf.
If you sleep hot, it’s worth considering a personal fan like this one, which you can attach to the head of your bed frame. It charges via USB and has a few speed settings, so you can adjust depending on the temperature.
Gardner and Mack both use an oscillating tower fan, and this one is the best, according to Strategist testing. “That was really nice to have because it would flow everywhere on you at night when it was really hot,” Mack says. “I put it close to my window so that it would get some air from outside and then I would direct it right at my bed at night in the dorm.”
Best kitchen supplies
Nine of the students I chatted with recommended having a mini-fridge. While Vu says he’d stock his with ingredients for a quick meal — “As a freshman college student, you don’t really have the funds to go out and eat all the time” — Seoane would pack hers with snacks. “It was totally necessary,” she says. “Just little snacks type things — like having cheese sticks in the room when you’re hungry and don’t feel like going into a dining hall — was really helpful.”
With a mini-fridge, you’ll be able to keep a Brita pitcher of cold water accessible at all times.
Nine of the students I chatted with also recommended having a microwave in your dorm room, and this one is a Strategist favorite. While Leone uses hers about every other day to warm up heat packs, pop popcorn, and cook college staples like macaroni and cheese and ramen, Seoane finds her microwave is especially helpful when she’s sick. “When you get sick and want to make soup that you bought from the store in your room and don’t go up to the dining hall, that’s really helpful,” she says. “Even just tea when you’re sick because everyone gets sick in college all the time.” (Just note: Before buying a microwave, check your college’s rules to see if they’re allowed.)
Since I started working at the Strategist, I’ve interviewed 40 college students to gain intel on everything from dorm essentials to gifts. Over those categories, I’ve heard again and again that Hydro Flasks are the water bottle of choice among college students, and that they’re helpful for keeping water cool and on hand.
While everyone’s dorm experience is different, I’d guess you probably only need one plate and a set of utensils for yourself (this is what I did when I lived in the dorms, and then added additional pieces when I moved into apartment-style housing later on). Mugs will work just as well for bowl-adjacent foods like ramen as they do for coffee and tea.
While an espresso machine isn’t quite a necessity, it is a nice addition to a dorm room, especially if you’re hoping to save money in the long run. “My sophomore year, I just got one of the $5 or $10 Mr. Coffee drip-coffee pots,” Mack says. “But then for Christmas, I got a Nespresso machine … I have used that almost every single day now. And because I have my fridge, I could just keep a little carton of milk in there and make coffee every morning, which saved me a ton of money.” This one is only 12.75 inches tall, making it small enough to fit in the tiniest of dorms.
Best Bathroom Supplies
Shower caddies are one of those things that most college students have a strong opinion on, especially when it comes to the material: hard plastic or soft mesh? I stand strong with the five students I interviewed who all prefer plastic. This is the one I used when I lived in the dorms — and though you won’t be able to use it to carry every bath product you own, it’s easy to clean and won’t get musty. While you’re at it, grab this dish drying mat that Yi recommends for placing under your caddy. “I’ve used it all year, and I’ve never dealt with mold or any gross things from where I put my caddy down,” she says.
“Shower shoes were probably the number one most important thing I brought, because the communal showers are super gross,” Duan says. I like this pair because it has holes in the sole and the strap that lets the water through for a faster dry.
On the other hand, I did not like squeaking down the hallway in my plastic shower shoes when I needed to brush my teeth. I’d also recommend bringing a pair of slippers that you can quickly throw on when you need to run to a friend’s room or go to the bathroom. I’m a fan of these Dearfoam slippers, which are super fluffy and easier to slip on than my Tasman UGG slippers.
Before you arrive on campus, you’ll have to decide what you feel comfortable wearing when you’re walking down the hallway after a shower. If it’s a towel, consider a wrap towel like this one, which has velcro to prevent any wardrobe malfunctions.
However, if you’d prefer an even more secure post-shower cover-up, consider grabbing yourself a robe. This one is comfortable, soft, and absorbent, according to Strategist writer Ambar Pardilla.
Best cleaning supplies
“If you have a clean room, you’re gonna feel better about everything and you’re going to be more productive and be less stressed,” says Halpin. If you had to only get one cleaning item, get these Lysol wipes, which Gardner told me were her go-to over cleaning sprays. “It was just [easy] to grab and go like Oh, I noticed my desk was dusty, let me just wipe it off,” she says.
That said, you’ll notice that dust builds up faster than you’d think in your dorm room, so I’d recommend grabbing some reinforcements for your wipes, like this disinfectant spray.
A Swiffer is an easy way to keep wood and tile dorm floors clean. This set has dry and wet pads that you can switch out depending on whether you’re targeting dust or a sticky mess.
To clean up crumbs and dust (and to avoid being the person on the floor who’s always asking for a vacuum), add this one to your shopping list. I used this model during my junior and senior years because you don’t need anything fancy (but it’s always nice if you do).
Perhaps even more contentious than the shower-caddy debate is the laundry-bag debate. First, there’s the laundry backpack, ideal for those with a long trek to the laundry room. “I had a laundry sack at the beginning of the year, and I ended up getting a laundry backpack instead because it was easier to carry down to our laundry room,” Yi says (this is hers). “Our laundry room is on the basement floor, and we have an elevator, so a rolly one would be fine, but I found the backpack being so much easier.”
There’s also the sturdy laundry baskets with a removable inner bag, such as this one that Harris used. These are best for those who like structure. “I’m just really lazy and just want to throw my stuff in the corner every night, so having a hard hamper helps me a lot,” says Harris. “It also has a removable bag inside of it, so when it’s time to do laundry, I just take that bag out and carry it to the laundry room.”
You’ll notice that I didn’t include any laundry baskets with wheels. That’s because in my experience, those have a tendency to break. As Gardner says, “I saw a lot of people with the laundry baskets with wheels, but I also saw a lot of people with broken laundry baskets with wheels.”
Some students warned that not all laundry machines are capable of dissolving Tide Pods or certain liquid detergents, so it’s wise to ask upperclassmen about which laundry detergents works well with your college’s laundry machines. These laundry detergent sheets, which Leone recommends, are a generally safe option that also saves space.
Finally, if you’re considering pursuing an internship during your college years, you won’t want to forget about a steamer or iron for interviews. As Leone says, “You’re not going to want to iron,” so I’d recommend this compact steamer iron that I received as a gift a couple of years ago. It works like a hair strengthener but for your clothes, and is an easy, quick way to get wrinkles out of your clothes before a big interview and after a late night of studying in the library.
Additional reporting by Rachael Griffiths, Karen Iorio Adelson, and Hilary Reid.
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