The college packing checklist can seem endless.
Some things are glaringly obvious, such as your typical notebooks and pens and sure you will have no problem remembering your bed sheets, clothes, and wallpaper stickers to make your dorm room look Instagram-worthy (thanks to the You-Tube tutorials and Pinterest projects). However, there are other things that you may need desperately and can’t find on campus; that you probably would have never thought of. You may have overlooked some college essentials. But don’t worry- here is a little hand guide of items that are absolutely essential.
1. Sewing Kit
It’s a basic college necessity you don’t even realize that you’ll ever need until you do. Accidents happen and you never know when it’s necessary to replace buttons that go missing, repair small tears or adjust a hemline to your outfits and bursting out a needle and thread might be your only option to put it right.
2. Rain Gear
It’s one of the most important pieces of gear you probably don’t need some reminding of how useful it is, but you might need some reminding to pack one. Kenya weather is notoriously unpredictable and it’s easy to think you won’t need an umbrella but when Mother Nature sometimes decides to dump stuff on us and I mean gallons and gallons of water – it won’t be fun walking to class. It’s always best to bring rain boots, a rain jacket and an umbrella that offers you the opportunity to still go about your daily class routines even when there is a downpour. A little tip, buy a small umbrella and keep it in your backpack at all times.
3. Flash Drive and Hard drives
The versatility of flash drives in college cannot be emphasized enough. It will come in handy more than you think. You probably haven’t thought about backing your important final project document but you’ll never know when your computer may crash. An external hard drive is a solution to not losing all your hard work. Whether you have to run a paper to the cyber shop to print it, or you have to do a PowerPoint presentation, having a flash drive is really important.
4. First- Aid Kit
This is something you (hopefully) won’t need often but is helpful to have in case of emergencies. Make a mini-first-aid kit and fill it with band-aids, bandages, deep-heat ointment, cold medicines, pills for headaches and cramps and be ready to drop at a nearby pharmacy for refills.
5. Extension Cords
This is a necessity you will need when you have eight things to plug in and you have only set of outlet that you’ll have to share with your roommates and is placed in the most inconvenient place like right behind your bed frame. The power strip cord is a must-have to avoid any argument with your bed Bunkie about being a power outlet hog. Score!
6. A Miniature Stapler
A stapler sounds like a no-brainer but it’s the last thing on everyone’s mind when packing for college. They’re particularly useful to staple your research papers when you’re in a last minute rush.
7. A Miniature Portable Desk Lamp
Your dorm room has nowhere enough lighting for the day, let alone the night to make the most of those extended hours of study. You’ll need to bring something small and subtle for studying late, without disturbing your already sleeping roomie. Look for a small desk lamp with an adjustable arm; so that you can make sure that your light is positioned on your workspace only, rather than the whole entire room.
Hope these dorm essentials come in handy not only during your freshman year but during all your whole campus experience.
