College Gear Every Student Needs

By Tamiera Vandegrift on November 20, 2017

Congratulations and welcome to college! You have just received your acceptance letter and you have decided to go to your dream school, or your second runner-up dream school.

You are all packed for your first year in college and you’re ready to get started for the new semester. Your new dorm room is decorated with all of your favorite posters or twinkle lights. After an entire school year of frantically applying to colleges, months of seeking financial aid, and hours of travel and heaving heavy objects to and from the trunk of your car, you can finally say that you’ve made it. Welcome to the sweet life.

Image via: www.pexels.com

To make the best of your first year in college, you have to make sure you have the right gear to get started. Use this article as your personal shopping guide for everything you need to have a successful start to the semester. Keep reading to learn about all of the gear you’ll need for your first semester of college (from a senior who knows).

For Class

You’re here to study. That is your number one priority so let’s start by going over the things you need in the classroom and in the study hall. For starters, you will definitely need a backpack or some sort of messenger bag. You will be lugging around notebooks and perhaps a couple of large textbooks, so you need something large and convenient to make carrying supplies easier.

Also, be sure to get yourself a planner. You might think jotting down quick little notes in your cell phone would suffice, but a planner will keep you much more organized. If you’re feeling a little more ambitious, try bullet journaling!

Image via: www.pexels.com

For those introductory math and science classes, you will definitely need a good graphing calculator. Some of those formulas can get a little tricky so your iPhone calculator might not be up to the task. Last, you might want to consider buying your own laptop. Sure, the libraries offer their own computer labs, but it might be more convenient for you to have access to your own computer on a regular basis. Also, computers will give you access to a ton of great note taking software!

For Comfort

You will be a college student for at least four years so you might as well make it a comfortable experience! Dorm rooms can often resemble jail cells or hospital rooms at first glance, so you need to do everything you can to make the atmosphere more comfortable. First, get a ton of posters of some of your favorite things, but make sure that you’re allowed to hang things up in your dorm or apartment.

Image via: www.pexels.com

Buy plants and decorative pillows and blankets to give your dorm room an air of home. Get the best bedding you can find. Jersey sheets are definitely some of the softest and most breathable sheets you can find. Also, pick up a diffuser, some candles, or incense (again, if your dorm allows it!). Your dorm might reek of its last inhabitants still, so you want to breathe new life into it after you call your room your own.

For Health

In college, you’re certainly bound to pick up some germs. After all, you’re constantly in contact with hundreds of different students every day. Trust us when we say not all of these students have the best hygiene.

To stay healthy and sane, pick up multivitamins, common cold medicine, stomach pain reliever (Pepto-Bismol, Tums, etc.), and common household pain relievers (Ibuprofen, Acetaminophen, etc.). With all of these resources at your disposal, you won’t have to worry about being down with the sickness for very long.

After all, as a college student, being sick will put a major damper on your academics if you’re held down by an illness for a long time. Be sure to stock up on whatever prescription medication you need. Consider transferring your medications to a pharmacy closer to you so you aren’t worried about having to wait until you go to your hometown to get refills.

Image via: www.pexels.com

Also, let’s be real. In college, you might want to start getting intimate with other people and that’s totally okay! Just make sure you’re safe about it. Stock up on condoms to protect from diseases or an unwanted pregnancy. Also, definitely consider receiving a prescription for birth control, a patch, or an IUD if you plan to remain sexually active. College is supposed to be a fun, worthwhile experience. Don’t spend it stuck in the doctor’s office!

For School Spirit  

This is the most important part of any college student’s grocery list: the merch! Wear your school’s colors to show your rival schools or anyone else within a close radius that you’re a proud college kid. Stock up on shirts and hoodies with your mascot’s face on them.

Image via: Wikimedia Commons

Get coffee mugs and tumblers to showcase your school spirit with every delicious sip. If you’re in a fraternity or a sorority, wear your letters proudly to show everyone how proud you are to be a student and a member of a brotherhood or sisterhood. Plus, there is no better way to go to a college football game than walking into the stadium wearing your school colors from head to toe. This is what college is all about.

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